Ironman Training Plan

Iron Enthusiast

As I'm sure there are a few ironmen/ladies here:), I was wondering what kind of Ironman training plans people would recommend from experience (having actually used them themselves)?

It can be hard with all the usual committments, to try and find the best plan possible - so i'd be very interested to hear others thoughts / experience on this.


Thanks a million,:pac:

IE

Izoard

I'll be working to Don Fink's Intermediate plan.
Seems one of the ones that assumes you have a life other than triathlon:)

tunney

Iron Enthusiast wrote: »

As I'm sure there are a few ironmen/ladies here:), I was wondering what kind of Ironman training plans people would recommend from experience (having actually used them themselves)?

It can be hard with all the usual committments, to try and find the best plan possible - so i'd be very interested to hear others thoughts / experience on this.


Thanks a million,:pac:

IE

I wouldn't be a huge fan of generic programmes that one-size-fits-all.

Now I've never completed an IM so there are probably more experienced people like hunnymonster that will have more to share but I feel training programmes need to be at least a little tailored.

Iron Enthusiast

Cheers Izoard - Roughly how many hours a week are there on that Don Finks plan? and how many weeks out does it start? (15 / 26 weeks away from the eventetc?)

I agree Tunney, following a generic plan to the letter isn't always the wisest thing to do as each athletes needs & attributes are different. But I still think they can be an important guide to people when they are planning their training.:)

IronTractorBoy

I have not followed any particular plan but use general principles learnt from running. Do a variety of distances and effort in training for each of the 3 areas. I do use other races as practice kit/nutrition and get the distance it would be at least an olympic and HIM distance races as well as some running races.

It would be useful to know about the course and likely weather conditions so that you can train specifically for those so there is not many surprises on the day.

I have done 2 IM plus another that turned in to a duathlon.

Izoard

Iron Enthusiast wrote: »

Cheers Izoard - Roughly how many hours a week are there on that Don Finks plan? and how many weeks out does it start? (15 / 26 weeks away from the eventetc?)

I agree Tunney, following a generic plan to the letter isn't always the wisest thing to do as each athletes needs & attributes are different. But I still think they can be an important guide to people when they are planning their training.:)

Given that I signed up yesterday for IM CH, I'll be dusting off Fink's book later today.:)
I'm in the same boat, in that I will need to customize (i.e. there will be 3-4 weeks min., where I can do no training at all) it, but it struck me as a practical base for people with the usual family/work balance issues.

I'll come back to you tommorrow with a bit more detail....

Iron Enthusiast

I'm signed up for Challenge Copenhagen next August, so the course is set to be relatively flat with temperatures between 22c - 30c (apparently it was 30c this year).

I'll be devoting the lions share of my training time to cycling, but won't be neglecting my running or swimming either. I guess my main question would be, how far out from the race are people normally beginning their prep?

I've heard alot of people say to just keep the engine ticking over until 6 months out from the big day, and then at that point to begin specific training for the event?

Up to now I've normally spent between 6 - 10 hours a week training - and could see 14 hours training a week being managable (but with some of the inevitable juggling that we all have to do re: time!)

Would be very interested to hear more about that Izo - cheers!:)

Izoard

Some more info on Don Fink's IM training plans.

They are contained in his book, beIRONfit, which is readily available from the usual on-line vendors.

There are 3 plans:

1) Just Finish: Ave 7hours pw max 10
2) Intermediate: Ave 10.5hpw max 15
3) Competitive: Ave 12hpw max 20

The plans are time and HR Zone based, (i.e 1hour run @ Z2, inserting 5 x 1min Z4 etc.), which suits the way I am wired....

Each plan is 30 weeks and divided into 3 phases:
Base (1-10)
Build (11-20)
Peak (21-30)

Starting on Jan 4, this will give me 29 weeks to IM CH, but I plan to be ticking over (turbo, swim and running) between the end of DCM and Jan 4th.

Given my intermediate targets (Connemara marathon, W200 etc..) I will be concentrating on those disciplines at the relevant times.

Mickeybags

Was thinking about the Irish competitors racing in Hawaii last weekend and was wondering do they use coaches or are they self coached.

I suppose what I was really trying to figure out was, is coaching for everyone ?

tunney

Mickeybags wrote: »

Was thinking about the Irish competitors racing in Hawaii last weekend and was wondering do they use coaches or are they self coached.

I suppose what I was really trying to figure out was, is coaching for everyone ?

I can't speak for them all, actually I shouldn't speak for any of them. One of them is a poster here and when he is back perhaps he'll tell

scottreynolds

Mickeybags wrote: »

I suppose what I was really trying to figure out was, is coaching for everyone ?

I can categorically state that not everyone needs to be coached - it all depends on your goals.

griffin100

Isn't Chrissie Wellington now self coached?

tunney

griffin100 wrote: »

Isn't Chrissie Wellington now self coached?

Chrissie Wellington has worked with top coaches for years. She has a clue.
She also has the time to spend devising programmes and sessions.
She can also ring Mark Allen, Dave Scott, Brett Sutton and about a million other triathlon greats and get endless advice and use them as consultants.

Posters on here, myself included, generally don't have a clue. Don't have time. And don't have the contacts.

meathcountysec

tunney wrote: »

Posters on here, myself included, generally don't have a clue. Don't have time. And don't have the contacts.

Still, we have each other:o

griffin100

Posters on here, myself included, generally don't have a clue.

FFS, dont say that, I bought my new bike based on your advice:p

tunney

griffin100 wrote: »

FFS, dont say that, I bought my new bike based on your advice:p

So you got the beach cruiser with tri bars then? How is the basket working out?

poskantor

I'm doing my first IM next year...in Lanzarote. I've done a good few OD tris, marathons, adventure races, and that kind of thing and i generally follow the principle that for multi discipline events its best to train over the distance of the race ie during peak OD training run more than 10k at race pace.

I plan to train like this for the IM although that means going for 35-40mile runs, and 300km cycles in training....which is alot!

I havent really read any IM specific training programs...is this general practice or is it felt that this principle doesnt really hold at IM distance?

hunnymonster

Ironman (or triathlon in general) is definitely not a one size fits all sport and coaching really has to be tailored. That said, most people starting out will benefit from adding any kind of structure to their training rather than the wake-up-and-see-what-you-feel-like-doing-that-day kind of approach.

My first advice to people is that the long bike is sacred. It's the biggest single time comittment of the week, but worth every second (and threatened divorce). After that, you need to work on your strengths and weaknesses and to the available time. I have a generic plan that I'm always happy to send people. It's done to time and HR (so no need for power taps, but without the advantages they offer), it's based on a full compliment of 14 training sessions a week, with a sliding scale of what can be dropped if you don't have time (dropping sessions is done at the start of the week, not midweek when you just can't be arsed getting out of bed)

The plan is made up of
4 x bike sessions
-1 long bike/brick up to 8 hours,
-1 medium (2-4 hrs)
-1 speed (1 hour, often on turbo)
-1 recovery

4 run sessions
-1 long run (start 90 min - 3 hours)
- 1 moderate (1-2 hours)
- 1 speed session (track session)
- 1 recovery run

4 swim sessions
-1 long swim (up to 5.5 km)
-1 speed swim
-1 technique swim
-1 recovery swim

2x weights sessions

Most people don't need the 3 recovery sessions but I find them very useful. The jury is out on the weights. I find them very beneficial because I have a woefully weak upper body. If you don't, or more importantly, if you don't recover fast from weights, drop (or modify) them. The long run and surprisingly the speed run are very important but I found the most value for money on the brick run. 20 minutes off the bike after a 7:30 cycle made a huge difference. The swims are high up the list for me because I'm a useless swimmer. No swim is less than 3 km. Most are 4-5. Over distance swims and bikes are good. Runs not so much.

Keep a log. It's a pain to do at the time, but you will learn about yourself - recovery time, nutrition, mood,.... and this will help you tailor your plan the next time. If you have the time and money for a coach, that's ideal, if not, work with what you do have.

These are just a few random thoughts.

gduffy

Iron Enthusiast wrote: »

As I'm sure there are a few ironmen/ladies here:), I was wondering what kind of Ironman training plans people would recommend from experience (having actually used them themselves)?

It can be hard with all the usual committments, to try and find the best plan possible - so i'd be very interested to hear others thoughts / experience on this.


Thanks a million,:pac:

IE

Rather than being to specific to a particular training plan I have, below, put down lessons which I have derived from doing this distance. My experience is that a good base up to six months out is a great start. Have been lucky enough to do a few and generally have started 24 weeks out to really kick into gear. My philosopohy has been as follows..


1. Always make sure you get one long session of each discipline each week. This.. within reason... is a must. Long sessions as you go thru your plan will be different (eg week one long swim might be 1K, week 16 long swim might be 4K etc). Other workouts each week are window dressing.

2. Rest day every week is VITAL. Body needs to recover. I always tried to keep this the same day each week for consistency ..just a personal thing that worked well for me as I saw it as a reward for all the hard work..(monday for me)

3. Build up 5-10% every week.

4. Don't be afraid to take an extra day off if your body is tired. If it tells you its tired, then it is!

5. Enjoy every minute of the training, this is when you actually do your Ironman...Remember how fortunate we are to be able to train.Thousands want to but can't.

You are in for an amazing experience...Have a ball

GD

griffin100

So you got the beach cruiser with tri bars then? How is the basket working out?

I finding it difficult to get a basket big enough to hold my spare hair removal cream, energy gels, eneregy bars, energy drinks, bodyglide, vaseline, baby oil, the battery for my Garman wrist mounted lap top, spare nipple plasters, and all of the other things essential to going faster in a triathlon

HardyEustace

griffin100 wrote: »

I finding it difficult to get a basket big enough to hold my spare hair removal cream, energy gels, eneregy bars, energy drinks, bodyglide, vaseline, baby oil, the battery for my Garman wrist mounted lap top, spare nipple plasters, and all of the other things essential to going faster in a triathlon

I hope you've got go-faster stripes on that basket, otherwise all that training will be in vain.

RedB

gduffy wrote: »

2. Rest day every week is VITAL. Body needs to recover. I always tried to keep this the same day each week for consistency ..just a personal thing that worked well for me as I saw it as a reward for all the hard work..(monday for me)
GD

GD,

Do you mean a complete day off or just recover sessions on your rest day?

hunnymonster

The general (if not universal) consensus is that active recovery is better than complete rest. I tend not to do many recovery runs (if I'm already running enough) but swims and bikes are good.

mcdonrob

hunnymonster wrote: »

Ironman (or triathlon in general) is definitely not a one size fits all sport and coaching really has to be tailored. That said, most people starting out will benefit from adding any kind of structure to their training rather than the wake-up-and-see-what-you-feel-like-doing-that-day kind of approach.

My first advice to people is that the long bike is sacred. It's the biggest single time comittment of the week, but worth every second (and threatened divorce). After that, you need to work on your strengths and weaknesses and to the available time. I have a generic plan that I'm always happy to send people. It's done to time and HR (so no need for power taps, but without the advantages they offer), it's based on a full compliment of 14 training sessions a week, with a sliding scale of what can be dropped if you don't have time (dropping sessions is done at the start of the week, not midweek when you just can't be arsed getting out of bed)

The plan is made up of
4 x bike sessions
-1 long bike/brick up to 8 hours,
-1 medium (2-4 hrs)
-1 speed (1 hour, often on turbo)
-1 recovery

4 run sessions
-1 long run (start 90 min - 3 hours)
- 1 moderate (1-2 hours)
- 1 speed session (track session)
- 1 recovery run

4 swim sessions
-1 long swim (up to 5.5 km)
-1 speed swim
-1 technique swim
-1 recovery swim

2x weights sessions

Most people don't need the 3 recovery sessions but I find them very useful. The jury is out on the weights. I find them very beneficial because I have a woefully weak upper body. If you don't, or more importantly, if you don't recover fast from weights, drop (or modify) them. The long run and surprisingly the speed run are very important but I found the most value for money on the brick run. 20 minutes off the bike after a 7:30 cycle made a huge difference. The swims are high up the list for me because I'm a useless swimmer. No swim is less than 3 km. Most are 4-5. Over distance swims and bikes are good. Runs not so much.

Keep a log. It's a pain to do at the time, but you will learn about yourself - recovery time, nutrition, mood,.... and this will help you tailor your plan the next time. If you have the time and money for a coach, that's ideal, if not, work with what you do have.

These are just a few random thoughts.

That has to be one of the best posts I've read on this forum. Inspirational stuff... roll on IM France ... my first.

gduffy

RedB wrote: »

GD,

Do you mean a complete day off or just recover sessions on your rest day?

Perhaps this is a personal thing. For me it meant a full day off. If IM is a big step up from what you have done before then I really think you will be happy to let your body have a full 24-30 hour recovery between stop and restarting again. I do remember when I did my first that I really needed a full day off because of such new demands I was placing on my body. Others may disagree but for me a full day off worked very well.

GD

Nialloooo

i have mainly been a runner 1/2 and full marathons since 2008, i got my road bike in july and im out on it a couple of times a week to 30/40 miles, i was woundering do you think it is possable for some one who has never done tri before to move up all the distances to IM in one season? i started running in Jan 08 and fininshed belfast marathon that june 5th which was 4 months of training and something most fourms tell you not to do.

tunney

Complete an ironman definitely.
Two hour swim
Eight hour bike.
Seven hour marathon.
Home in under the cut off.

Comes down to the question why?
What's the rush? A year or two building into it will yield a much more respectable time and a much more enjoyable experience.

Abhainn

Nialloooo wrote: »

i have mainly been a runner 1/2 and full marathons since 2008, i got my road bike in july and im out on it a couple of times a week to 30/40 miles, i was woundering do you think it is possable for some one who has never done tri before to move up all the distances to IM in one season? i started running in Jan 08 and fininshed belfast marathon that june 5th which was 4 months of training and something most fourms tell you not to do.

Well I know of a least one guy who's first triathlon was an IM and did it in a fine time.
I second tunney and why not enjoy the different tri lengths before you try the long distance

RedB

Nialloooo wrote: »

i have mainly been a runner 1/2 and full marathons since 2008, i got my road bike in july and im out on it a couple of times a week to 30/40 miles, i was woundering do you think it is possable for some one who has never done tri before to move up all the distances to IM in one season? i started running in Jan 08 and fininshed belfast marathon that june 5th which was 4 months of training and something most fourms tell you not to do.

I went from zero tri experience and very little running experience (2-3 10k's two years ago) to a Half IM this season and was delighted to just finish. I started with a few lengths of the pool and a hybrid bike and built it up over the year. I made lots of mistakes and learned as I went but I would only think about doing an IM the season after next. I feel what I did was do-able but going full IM in one season would put too much stress on the mind and body. There's a lot of time management issues to be sorted out and good habits to form. Take your time is my 2 cents worth.

delboyfagan

I have always found it to be more mental fatigue than physical fatigue. Worrying about missed sessions, how will I get long run in this week with work being busy, have a wedding so how do I do long bike etc. etc. Some people take days off work to do these things. In my mind these guys are nutters.

There is a friend of mine from 3dtri who did IM Germany this year in 11 hrs. Has a great attitude in that he sees the sport as a hobby and the hobby should be for enjoyment. When it becomes all consuming you should ask yourself what your priorities are!!

To many guys get caught up trying to schedule work and family lie around this sport. It should be the other way round.

Getting back to the point - why not take your time and build up your consistency and time management skills over a season or two and see if it is what you want to do.

On the flip side there are serious athletes here that no doubt disagree with what I say.

tunney

delboyfagan wrote: »

I have always found it to be more mental fatigue than physical fatigue. Worrying about missed sessions, how will I get long run in this week with work being busy, have a wedding so how do I do long bike etc. etc. Some people take days off work to do these things. In my mind these guys are nutters.

There is a friend of mine from 3dtri who did IM Germany this year in 11 hrs. Has a great attitude in that he sees the sport as a hobby and the hobby should be for enjoyment. When it becomes all consuming you should ask yourself what your priorities are!!

To many guys get caught up trying to schedule work and family lie around this sport. It should be the other way round.

Getting back to the point - why not take your time and build up your consistency and time management skills over a season or two and see if it is what you want to do.

On the flip side there are serious athletes here that no doubt disagree with what I say.

Wise words.

The time saving tricks and scheduling and planning that allow you to train big without impacting work or family take time to learn.

potsy11

The best time to train is when everyone else is in bed.

5 or 6am starts during the week. Sat / SUn morning 7 or 8 am starts.

You wont be missed. Honest..:eek:

Izoard

potsy11 wrote: »

The best time to train is when everyone else is in bed.

5 or 6am starts during the week. Sat / SUn morning 7 or 8 am starts.

You wont be missed. Honest..:eek:

+1...sounds like a pain in the ar$e, but you quickly realise this is the single biggest time "saver" you can implement.

In fact, I'm not sure anyone at home even realises I'm doing DCM next week...:)

delboyfagan

The only four plans that I have come across on the net are:

1. BeginnerTriathlete.com : 20 week ironman training program - go to free plan and under ironman

2. Trifuel.com: 36 week ironman training program

3. Hornetjuice.com: 12 week ironman plan. This plan defo requires a certain degree of fitness as it averages out at about 5 bikes, 5 swims and 5 runs per week, with 'speed' workouts included. The average week on this plan is 20+ hrs.

4. Gale Bernhardts 13 weeks to a 13 hr ironman. Do google search as it is on loads of sites.

Bear in my mind they are all generic, but will give u an idea anyways.

re early starts yes - the way to go - but finding it impossible at moment to get outta bed.

potsy11

delboyfagan wrote: »

The only four plans that I have come across on the net are:

1. BeginnerTriathlete.com : 20 week ironman training program - go to free plan and under ironman

I used this plan. 2nd yr in tri and got me round in sub11. Good plan with easy to follow tips/guidelines. HR based too which I use for training. Vo2 max tests and LT tests. It's all about the long cycle every Sunday!! Each week should be goal based on reaching Sunday and completing the cycle. Live week to week with Sunday as your goal. Much easier to hamdle mentally.

The gold plan with BT is excellent. U get direct access to the top tri coaches via email. All questions and worries answered in 24hrs.