Half Ironman Training Plan

[runJrun]

Hello everyone! I am registered for my first Half Ironman (Great White North) next July. I have been looking online for training programs and there seem to be so many out there. Thought I would ask you guys that have done this distance what training plan you have followed and any tips etc.

Thank you!!

[La]

My Tri club has on-line training programs. I just used that as a guide and then adjusted it to suit my schedule/preferences. Does GWN have a program on their site? Some races d), as that will be focused toward the goal race being on that specific date.

I prefer programs that are expressed in units of time rather than distance. Reason being that they are easily applicable to people of different speeds. If the program goes by distance, slower athletes will be spending far more (even too much) time training than is reasonable or practical.

[Jwolf]

I hope some other experienced people chime in here, because I've been wondering this too.

I found this one which looks decent as a starting point:

http://triathlon.competitor.com/2010/09 ... plan_12364

Swimming and running is by distance, cycling is by time until the later long rides (which is how I usually think about things).

I like Matt Fitzgerald in general.

A tri-friend told me that you shouldn't need a rest day every week, though. I'd probably move the Sunday swim to Monday. And longer swims at the beginning.

[La]

Swimming and running is by distance, cycling is by time until the later long rides (which is how I usually think about things).

You can do over-distance training in the swim and on the bike without overly-taxing yourself or risking injury. I still think doing all rides for time rather than distance is the best approach since there is much more variation in the time it will take you to bike a specific distance than it would for a run, and that would impact the amount of fuel/hydration you'd need to plan for. Running by distance or time is really just a preference.

A tri-friend told me that you shouldn't need a rest day every week, though.

Again, depends on how aggressive (and long) your training schedule is and how much rest (physical and mental) you personally need.

[Jwolf]

Thanks for that-
What do you think of that plan in general?

Eta: I may do a modified version for an Olympic tri.

[La]

Thanks for that-
What do you think of that plan in general?

Eta: I may do a modified version for an Olympic tri.

I just looked at it and my eyes glazed over. For someone who says he's against overly-complicated programs, he sure has created one that looks complicated to me!

Here's the thing: if you're just looking to complete your first one, and you're not competitive with anyone but yourself, I don't think it matters that you have higher-intensity workouts (like 5K pace, 10K pace, etc. as he indicates). Generally, you do your longer workouts at an easy pace and your shorter workouts at a harder pace.

Some rules of thumb I follow:
- Don't be a slave to your plan; it has to fit your life, not the other way around
- Don't swim more than necessary, even if you think it's your weakest event (or it's the one that scares you the most), if it comes at the expense of a bike workout or run
- Bike more, run less, but...
- Do run after every bike ride, if possible, even if only for 20 minutes

Most people (esp. here on RM) aren't doing a longer-distance triathlon without some background of at least training for a half marathon, so all the same principles apply. You know more about what to do than you think you do.

[Jwolf]

You're right- I'm terrible about following plans and have a good sense (with my run/bike coach ) what I need to do.

Keep it simple. I like.

[Jwolf]

carla had a reply here that i liked-- I was just going to reply but it looks like it's been deleted?

[runJrun]

So far great advice everyone! I want to enjoy the training and not feel burnt out week after week. I am excited and will work on getting a plan in place. Any more advice and tips are most certainly welcome/wanted!

[Mark.AU]

Hello everyone! I am registered for my first Half Ironman (Great White North) next July. I have been looking online for training programs and there seem to be so many out there. Thought I would ask you guys that have done this distance what training plan you have followed and any tips etc.

Thank you!!

Rather depends on your goals and current abilities. What's your current level of fitness/proficiency in swim, bike and run? What is your race goal; do you want to simply finish, or do you want to race it?

[IronColl]

What an excellent goal!!

I've followed training plans from this book: http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/pro ... aQodRWwAug

I agree to an extent about training by on the bike, but I think you need to have an idea of what distance you hope to cover based on your abilities.

[CinC]

carla had a reply here that i liked-- I was just going to reply but it looks like it's been deleted?

I had deleted it.

Basically, what I said is that it's nice and simple to pull off a 'canned' training plan from a book or magazine, but there's no customization to you're current fitness or goals (kind of what Mark is getting at).

Do I still need a coach after finishing multiple ironman and half iron races and doing this for about 6 years? Maybe not, but I let her manage my program and tailor it to my life and what's going on. When I decided to give the full in Penticton a go with only having 8 weeks to train, she was supportive and set up a manageable program that got me through the day (something that I wouldn't necessarily do again...meh, maybe I would) Also she's in tune with how she can push me and adjust things for when I get sick or am dealing with an injury. But by far, it helps to keep me in check and not compare myself to what other people are doing thanks to the need to share workouts and plans via social media and the like - I trust her program and don't have that need for constant competition. Which can likely cause you to over train and hate the entire process.

Jocelyn, I can recommend a few coaches from the Edmonton area that I would trust or if you're interested in my coach, I can share that with you too.

[eme]

I agree on the coach, at least for your first time.

[runJrun]

Hello everyone! I am registered for my first Half Ironman (Great White North) next July. I have been looking online for training programs and there seem to be so many out there. Thought I would ask you guys that have done this distance what training plan you have followed and any tips etc.

Thank you!!

Rather depends on your goals and current abilities. What's your current level of fitness/proficiency in swim, bike and run? What is your race goal; do you want to simply finish, or do you want to race it?

This is a great question/response. I do want to race it to the best of my ability. I would say that I am a half decent at all of the disciplines, with the bike being my weakest. My fitness base in pretty solid and I have been working with a trainer to increase my overall strength, which has helped more than I imagined. Having a coach is certainly something I would consider, someone who is able to guide me through week by week and help me accommodate for things in life that can happen (sickness, work travel etc). One of my biggest challenges is going to be the diabetes side of things. I have been following a lot of blogs of people who race long distance and am always asking them questions.

Thanks everyone for your input so far! I am very excited and determined

[Mark.AU]

I'm not a big advocate of a need for paid coaching for regular AG athletes (though if I was on the bubble for a Kona slot I might reconsider), but wouldn't criticize those that are - it's a personal thing. A coach can also provide some measure of external accountability which many find helpful too. I like to plan my training and think about the program from a technical sense myself, so I've always configured my own plans and then taken note of how they work for me, and tweaked accordingly.

If you are relatively even in ability through all disciplines then I would recommend, like others, that you concentrate on the bike slightly more than the other two disciplines. You don't say how much time you have available to train, so I'll assume that you have enough ( ) for a plan that will drive adaptation all the way to the end of the program. Your diabetes is an element I have no experience in so I can't say what limiters that might place on regards recovery and cumulative fatigue. I'll leave consideration of that aspect out of my recommendations completely and leave it to you to best manage.

A good balance for your first HIM is 3 x swim, 4 x bike, and 4 x run. I don't run off every ride; I run off the bike once a week, though from time to time I'll also run off the long ride (usually only when IM training though). Here's my HIM program when going for best performance:

M - Bike (2 x 20) / swim
T - Medium distance run steady state - race pace practice
W - Bike (HIIT) / swim
T - SST bike with fast 5k brick run
F - medium run (tempo or progression) / swim
S - long bike with occasional transition run
S - long run

It tops out at about 13hr per week. If you need to drop a run (and so take a full rest day), drop either the Tue or Fri run, but if you can get them in then all the better. If you are forced to drop a workout due to real-life considerations, always drop a run in favour of maintaining the bike program. Of course, the days can be switched around too, but the order in which you do these is somewhat important as the program trains different systems in different days and you don't want to overload any one system too much by taking them out of order.

I tend to follow a three week build, one week cut-back routine. The long ride will build to 120km for the last three or four in the program, and the long run will build to 18-20km in the last couple of weeks before taper. I class a medium run as something in the 45-60 minutes range.

Hope this helps at least as a starting point. If you would like any further input let me know.

[alexk]

Wow! Lots of great info here.

Mark, I have a question. For someone new to all this - and who would be competing only w/ herself - is it necessary to peak at 120km on the bike, in your opinion? Probably because I'm a runner (and not a biker), I had thought I'd go longer in the run (do a couple of HMs in the spring) and do my best to survive the bike...maybe do one ride at 100km...

The plan you outlined looks great & fairly easy to follow/adapt. Thanks for sharing .

[La]

Mark, I have a question. For someone new to all this - and who would be competing only w/ herself - is it necessary to peak at 120km on the bike, in your opinion? Probably because I'm a runner (and not a biker), I had thought I'd go longer in the run (do a couple of HMs in the spring) and do my best to survive the bike...maybe do one ride at 100km...

This is the mistake that many people coming from a strong running background make: they think that their strong run will carry them through after a crappy bike. Unfortunately, that's really not the case. Having a crappy bike ride (or rather, being wiped out after the bike) makes your run entirely miserable. And it's even MORE miserable because you had an expectation of being able to blow by people on the run because "the run is your strength."

Also, unlike marathon training, you're not looking to "max out" or "peak" at a certain mileage on the bike. You want to be doing several long bike rides and want to get as much mileage in as possible. It's not like running where you risk injury if you do too much mileage or over-distance training.

[alexk]

Thanks for your input, La. I think I'm in denial about the bike! 120km just seems so far. I don't think I've ever biked beyond 30km. I've got a lonnnnngggg way to go...

And I know I'm naively clinging to that run; I'll give that optimism up, eventually .

[eme]

Thanks for your input, La. I think I'm in denial about the bike! 120km just seems so far. I don't think I've ever biked beyond 30km. I've got a lonnnnngggg way to go...

And I know I'm naively clinging to that run; I'll give that optimism up, eventually .

Yup, bike, bike and bike some more. That and make sure you do some brick workouts (bike then run). The first time I biked then ran, my legs felt like jello!

[Mark.AU]

...and who would be competing only w/ herself...

You have to define what this actually means for yourself.

Last year I did a HIM on NO run training and still ran just over 2hr based on decent bike fitness and smart pacing. You could do the same - with an inverse prioritization - and just noodle through the bike leg on basic training and then run. You'd likely have a strong run but triathlon is swim/bike/run and your overall time wouldn't be representative of your actual HIM potential.

There's no right or wrong answer for you. But the stronger your bike fitness, the better you'll be able to leverage your run strength.

Do you have to ride 120km? No, you could do 115km or 110km or 100km. But, more is better as a rule.

More is also quantified in intensity too. If you don't want to ride 120km (for me that's around a 3hr40 ride, probably longer for you), ride less distance but at a higher intensity. It's a bit of an over-simplification to say this, but if you maxed out in training at four rides of 90km in the last month but rode them all at 100% effort (i.e. you're totally wasted at the end of the ride) and then in the race you rode at 80% effort then you'd likely put in a very balanced race performance.

Here's another simplification; in training for long course triathlon, more is better and generally speaking more riding is better than more running. You have to find the right balance for you; a balance based on your race goals, available training time, motivation level and bliss - it's got to be fun! There's no wrong answer, only different race results

[alexk]

Thanks, Mark - lots of reflective stuff in there for my artsy brain to ponder . I like your comment about defining what competing against myself really means to me - not sure if I've totally sorted that one out. I think I know but I'm sure I don't .

I do know one thing for certain: I want to enjoy this. I may not be racing for a time but I will racing for pleasure. In order to reach that goal, I need to be prepared & the strongest I can be in all 3 disciplines. So - I guess that means I have to become better friends w/ the bike...right now I feel like the bike is at odds w/ the run - giving to one means I have to take away from the other . But it's a good problem to have & I'll cope just fine .

[Mark.AU]

..right now I feel like the bike is at odds w/ the run - giving to one means I have to take away from the other.

That's the nature of the sport. We have to become good at three things at the expense of being great at one.

Another piece of triathlon lore for you to ponder; bike training supports run fitness much more than run training supports bike fitness.

[runJrun]

..right now I feel like the bike is at odds w/ the run - giving to one means I have to take away from the other.

That's the nature of the sport. We have to become good at three things at the expense of being great at one.

Another piece of triathlon lore for you to ponder; bike training supports run fitness much more than run training supports bike fitness.

I am finding this to be very true! Since I have increased my bike training significantly, my running has improved a lot!

Thanks everyone for the advice - I definitely have some good ideas and places to start. I am very excited!

[La]

..right now I feel like the bike is at odds w/ the run - giving to one means I have to take away from the other.

That's the nature of the sport. We have to become good at three things at the expense of being great at one.

Another piece of triathlon lore for you to ponder; bike training supports run fitness much more than run training supports bike fitness.

I am finding this to be very true! Since I have increased my bike training significantly, my running has improved a lot!

Thanks everyone for the advice - I definitely have some good ideas and places to start. I am very excited!

N=1 proof of Mark's comment re run/bike fitness: In 2013 I ran a HM PB in Ottawa on no HM-specific run training, only 2 weeks after getting back from a 10-day cycling trip to Europe!

[IronColl]

..right now I feel like the bike is at odds w/ the run - giving to one means I have to take away from the other.

That's the nature of the sport. We have to become good at three things at the expense of being great at one.

Another piece of triathlon lore for you to ponder; bike training supports run fitness much more than run training supports bike fitness.

I am finding this to be very true! Since I have increased my bike training significantly, my running has improved a lot!

Thanks everyone for the advice - I definitely have some good ideas and places to start. I am very excited!

N=1 proof of Mark's comment re run/bike fitness: In 2013 I ran a HM PB in Ottawa on no HM-specific run training, only 2 weeks after getting back from a 10-day cycling trip to Europe!

And in the flip side I had a PB (at the time) sprint tri performance in the midst of marathon training.