Have you begun your IM/HIM training?

My A races are Shamrock Marathon on March 19 and then IM USA end of July, with the marathon as a way station to the IM.

My training started on Dec. 1 and everything has been long easy efforts for building a good aerobic base. Trainer rides have already been between 1:30 - 2:00 hours and runs are up to 1:50, moderate pace to build endurance.

Looking at some people's posts I haven't been swimming enough though, I'm around 3000 yards each workout.

All of that indoor training sucks in Cleveland but the payoff will be so worth it come race day.

Matt

Great thread - I've been bombed at work - although my training really did start first week of Dec.

Dec 3, I was sick for five days - so that blew week number one out of the water, since then it has been a lot of time in the pool and a lot of time on the trainer.

My primary areas of focus are also weight control and protectingmy knee. So far - both are ok - I have a goal for the weight which I am making positive progress towards every day - and with this weight loss - and a concentrated effort on the tread mill - my knee should hopefully hold together.

My run training leading up to IMCDA - late June - will not be as long as most IM athletes - on a per workout time - I don't plan to run longer then 2.5 hours - on any run workout - only to prevent injury to my knee again.

I will however do more 2.5 hour runs than some.

I have mentally and physically changed gears now and my focus is fairly strong - I am being careful not to put TOO much focus on right now - as I need to build and not burn out.

By June 25 - I will be 35 lbs lighter and ready to race.

I have an interesting situation now developing where I have an entry to IMFL - but may in fact race IMWA next November instead and use it as time to see family also!!

AJ

Matt - I fully understand your points and agree with them, but YOU ARE TRAINING - and that is (I think) the point of the original poster - you gotta keep the engine running, you have to be consistent, you have to build up the mirco fibers in your body (I know that has a technical name - but I can't remember) so they adapt over long periods of time to the riggors of IM type training and building endurance capasity.

My thought is that lots of people look at IM training as a 20 or 30 week shot - and yes for your first IM that is probably true - but if your intent is to do multipal IMs and to try and get faster and faster (you define that) you really need to be working your body 46 weeks a year. And the 6 weeks off will not be in a row, typically a couple down weeks after your IM (unless it really is your end of season race) and then some sort of fall break.

Now the concept of working is not necessarily at full tilt, IM volume - that would kill most of us. But it is that moderate volume work (again this is very person specific) that you do consistently that allows a person over the long haul to handle IM training.

It is the training to train concept that I thnk most either don't understand or for what ever reason (good or not) don't complete.

Over the past three years I have come to believe that this training to train has had a huge positive impact on my endurance.

Dan - I used to be a BIG spin class guy. But I (like you mentioned) found the work outs to be far too intense for IM training. I'm not knocking spinning - it is tough and for sprint or oly tris I can see it being a huge benefit. But for IM I think it would actually hurt you. I know it knocked me out too much and caused my other work outs to suffer.

Guess the only suggestion I would have is to let your classes know - I (dan) am training for an IM - I will lead you through an appropriate spin work out for what the class is intended but will be modifying my (dan's) work out so as to benefit my long term IM goals. I think your students will really respect you for this and support your efforts.
If you can get some good steady HR stuff out of the spin classes - then count them towards your training plan - if not - skip the spinning - walk around the class and teach fromthe floor.

I my self am not a huge weights fan - but I do believe in functional strength. Pilaties will build that core and functional strength. Standard weight training is the first thing that goes in my IM prep as the time spent swimming, running and biking get big. You can't do everything - weight training to me is the least productive thing towards being IM fit.

You guys are awesome. I truly treasure the perspectives that each of you bring to the discussion.

I was guilty of trying to do too much between April - July last year...and I was only training for a H-IM.

I, too, was going to sit back and wait until after the holidays to get re-started after a couple months off to re-charge the batteries. Instead, I got busy over the past few weeks and am using the virtual training camp and January & February to strengthen my base so I don't have to kill myself in April, May, and June...Or at least that's the plan!

I even gave up basketball this winter to lessen the strain on my knees and reduce the risk of knee injury...

Back to work for another 30-40 minutes...and then another hour on the trainer while I have the energy.

I am in Rob's camp when it comes to spinning: I wouldn't want to be teaching 4 spinning classes per week when training for IM. I would be over-trained and my systems would be over-taxed and under-recovered.

Have a safe New Year's celebration.

Rob,
I guess I look at it as all about the attitude. Let me put it this way - if I have a 60 minute run scheduled for today, December 29, and there's a cold rain going outside and I just don't feel like doing it, then I do something else (maybe do the stairmaster or something inside where its warm), or I bag it all together. If that same run is scheduled for April, then no question - I'm out there.

For people like us, being physically active is as much a part of our life as eating or sleeping is for the general population. It's more or less a given that I'll be doing something or other. The variable for me is how focused it is towards a particular goal.

I agree with Matt - I feel like I have taken the last couple of months "off", but really I am still doing swimming, biking, running, weights and stretching 6 out of seven days a week. It's just that I have given my mind a break from "training". I don't have a set schedule - I just go do something for about 60 minutes each day.

January - the schedule begins. And since I am reading the long course forum posts, am I doing a HIM? Haven't decided yet...

For me - if I don't take a break after a tough period of training/racing, I end up hating triathlon and triathletes (no offense friends! - but you know what I mean...)

this is a great discussion. agree with everyone...

i think there are some important but subtle things running through this thread related to training, volume, intensity and focus

the four are not totally dependent upon one anoth - really they are very independent and having one does not mean you must have the other, though at times you should.

Guess my point is... general training - the act of building endurance needs to occur for IM athletes on a very regular and consistent basis - almost year round, Now you can define how you do this in lots of ways - swim, bike, run, play an aerobic sport - what ever. But the key here is long term consistency. Sounds like most folks agree with this. And within this general training is the part about training to train - does no good to completely take long periods of time off and then try to hit an IM training plan - that is disaster waiting to happen.

Volume - very flexable - can't hit IM volume all year - not even the pros do this. But you can't cut your volume totaly out. Call it what ever you will - but an IM athlete needs to run the heart for extended periods of time - my thought minimum of 45 minutes - on a pretty regular basis much of the year. I think I have read that after consecutive 5 days of complete rest (my definition = no sustained HR of 45 minutes) endurance begins to be lost. Now we can probably argue the 5 days v. 8 days or what ever - but I think we can agree that at 10 days you are definately loosing enduracne. So the main point of volume during down time is that for an IM athlete in the Off Season (not your post race total recovery week(s)) you need to get the HR up for 45+ minutes 2 or 3 times a week.

Intensity - IMO probably the trickest component for IM athletes to manage. No one can hammer for 52 weeks a year - hell no IM athlete should hammer for 7 days in a row - but at some point you do have to really get the HR up - I think of intensity like a very powerful drug - ya at times we need it - but in very controled and limited doses at the top end.

Focus - again no way to focus on your race for 52 weeks - you will blow your brains out which can be as bad as blowing the body out. But IM athletes probably need to focus more often than they do. And like intensity focus has degrees of implimentation. During your full on IM prep - you probably need to work the focus almost as much as you work the effort. During your IM prep or build phase - proabably a good thing to salt & peper focus (ie mental work) into your training. During the rest of the year (total rest, active rest, HR maintance phases) focus ain't too important.

good luck everyone