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Thread: IMUK/Bolton 2010 training thread – Runner’s World Forum Messages.

jignog wrote (see)

Hello everyone,

This is my very first post here. I am also a complete triathlon beginner so IRONMAN UK will be my very first dip in the water. I have just started training for the event. In April i will be doing my very first marathon in London. So, my question to you guys is will 6 months be enough time to prepare me for an IRONMAN? I have always been fairly fit but was previously just an occassional runner, cyclist and swimmer.

I have been reading the book ‘Going Long’ which obviously provides a wealth of info but most of the training info there relates to somebody who has already participated in various Tri’s and marathons.

So, once again, is 6 months long enough to allow me to train in all 3 disciplines in order to get me around the event?

Rosey replies:

Hi jognog, I am sure you will fit in here, there will be lots of advice from people going through the same as you.

OK to the questions.

The marathon throws up a lot of issues for people doing an IM, depending on what you want to get out of it on the day will depend on how you will recover going forward, my advice for people I help is never do a marathon and an IM in the same year if you want to PB at both, its one or the other, however, if you are doing the marathon as a marker or a long training run then it can be useful, just don’t get carried away in the last 6 miles, thats where the damage is done for recovery afterwards.

this will also dictate how much of a taper (if people don’t know what this is it will be covered down the line but just look it up) you will be doing for the marathon. Take for example you want to do the marathon seriously, lots of run training prior to the race, 2 week taper and 4-6 weeks run recovery, thats around 10 weeks of not doing a lot of good training for an IM.

If we go the other way and say, bike, run and swim evenly up to say middle of March and then reduce the biking to concentrate on the running a bit more, run the marathon as a good training session and then after a week get straight into the biking and running again you will keep most of the fitness and if you recover well from the running you will probably come back a lot stronger.

Its the decision to make.

As for 6 months to an IM, if you have base fitness and can cover the distances seperately say by middle of May, working through May/June/July to piece the 3 together and get 6-8 weeks of good consistant training I think finishing will be a good aim and anything over and above that will depend on your prior years of endurance. IM can be improved year on year by compound base and endurance and experience but a newbie has to start somewhere, who says you can’t go straight into it, there are plenty on here who have and have completed.

Basics are

Swim, get technique and base work now ! come April when you will be looking for open water locations to practise these 2 are not something you want to be short of. Its a different story in open water and pool confidence will go a way to helping you transition.

Bike, work those long rides up and get to your first 100 by the end of May, there are a couple of early sportives  to get good 50-80 milers in consistently before then,getting off the bike still half alive is key to getting round, don’t waste the mild winter we seem to be having now.

Run, you will be doing this anyway but once you transition out of marathon training you will want to be doing brick sessions most bike sessions you do, even if its only for 15 mins, (brick  = run off the bike)

Couple of pointers

Work on your weaknesses not your strengths.
Join a tri club if you haven’t, they are very friendly and you will find there will be others doing London as well so you won’t miss out
Get that swim technique sorted
Buy Don Finks book – there is nothing wrong with Friels Going Long but for simple planning for the weeks sessions its not the easiest to sit and digest.
Ask questions on here, there is no such thing as a stupid question, we are very accomodating, however do a search on the forum threads first if you have a generic question like – which bike ? which turbo ?

Hope that helps to start with.

Rosey

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