Yep
I did two 70.3 last summer as B races. These were good prep but also significant interruptions to training for IMCA as i need to taper a week for a 70.3 and recover the wk after.
Hi, I’m on my way planning for 2023, and wondering how I should go with my training.
I’ve been following TR plans for 3 years and I’m mostly doing 70.3s.
Looking back at my races, taking the swim apart as you need an eye on site for that one, I still need to improve my bike leg. I’m a “not too bad” runner but maybe I can improve a bit as TR plans are not that great for the run!.
Split at 70.WC were 2:35/1:29
Question is, should I go for a full winter bike plan, taking it easy on the run for 2 months or so?
Which plan or which WO should I prioritize?
I’m also afraid of loosing my running fitness, if i am doing so.
Have you in the past, emphasize one sports over the others and how did it worked for you?
I love this phase 
Try starting with a strengths/weaknesses analysis, big list of both then pick two or three of each is the most significant.
Training has been good after NC.
I have not touch a pool or swim since the swim portion of the 70.3.
I been ramping up the running and keeping the cycling to mostly endurance/easy rides.
Hope to do a marathon early next year!
Yes.
I had a foot injury that meant no running for 5 months.
Threw myself into the bike, specifically TT’s with the aim of a sub 20min 10mile and to ‘retire’ a friend of mine by beating his course record for a local 25.
The specific focus saw my FTP increase by almost 50w after being plateaued for several years. More importantly, I managed to hang onto it pretty much ever since and have made the bike my strength in triathlon now having started the sport as a runner.
It wasn’t just a training focus where the benefit came though. I really dialled in my position and aero and got a huge amount of speed from that.
I really should take a lead from my own bike and have a swim focus…. But I just dont enjoy it enough to put bike or run into the background.
I’d say a 2:35 bike and 1:29 run are probably about equal in my experience (dangerous to assume that from one set of race times though). Maybe a 2:30 bike is aligned to a 1:30 run perhaps? But I wouldn’t say you’re very imbalanced.
I found running came back ok after about three months of training after a 5 month layoff.
What’s the half Joe?
Hi Joe,
Bit of a lurker on this thread…trying to figure out best approach for next year.
Haven’t used TR plans in over 3 years, been using a coach during that time and done multiple half IM races with pretty good success.
Making the step up to full distance next year and considering using TR plans. Targetting mid Sept 23 Italy race so have a long build to it. I have a fairly high tolerance to volume and enjoy structure (I’m only two weeks now into non structured off season and hating it!) so was considering using the HV Full distance plans for the bike and modifying the swim/run sessions (i swim with a group and do track sessions with group).
Plan builder has recommended doing base, build, specialty, build, specialty…but what do you think? Have you tried something similar? Or what would you recommend?
All opinions welcome!
Thanks
Cotswold 113 at the beginning of June. Popular course, should be able to get the in a few hours rather than a massive expedition.
There’s no point returning to base mid season, so yes in principle I agree with plan builder. But as I’ve posted recently, it’s a good time to do something else and adding a few months to FD is going to make consistency up to race day that much harder.
I’m focussing on swim now, or trying to, restarting lifting , and have LV General Build to give me some framework for cycling. My HV HD starts in December, I won’t be strict with myself until then.
I know a group going out to Italy next year, should be a good race.
Nice
Nice. Was tempted in the past for a fast 70.3 attempt but never fitted my schedule.
Might be tempted into a 70.3 pb attempt….
My friend didn’t think so….
Yep, splits are quite balanced, especially regarding the elevation, 1000m+Bike, 250m+run. But if I want to KQ or make a 70.3 podium in my AG, I need sthg like a 2:20/2:25(less would be appreciated but unrealistic).
My plan for this off season is gonna be like,
- Bike focus, maybe SSB LV or TB LV + 1 Week end social ride
- Strength, 2/week, legs, core and upper body for swim
- Swim 1to1, to improve technique
-Run here and there, 1/week, endurance oriented, I love running!
My concern is should I return to bas or should i skip it to go to build?
Thanks Joe.
I’m just coming off a long marathon build and the bike has been in maintenance mode (haven’t tested FTP but I would guess I have lost watts).
Really want to focus on bike over winter and build it back up and beyond where it was previously (~3.9W/kg FTP). It’s probably main one of the three disciplines that I think I can take time off.
And motivation very high at the minute to dive into training and get to work.
With that in mind, do you think I should go straight into a full distance tri plan? Or do something like SSB and sustained power build?
You’re unlikely to see early gains in FTP on FD, SSB into SusPB is fairly reliable way forward if that’s what you’re after. Would give you a bit more time for marathon recovery too.
Id try to keep some easy swim and easy run going in the background though.
Depends on recent training/racing history imo. I chose going straight into a build plan because I basically half assed into my race, and took it easy on the run to minimise recovery time. I just feel ready for some harder work.
Even if you’ve got lots of experience, if you’ve had a consistent hard season and hard race finale then a break and starting with at least a short base makes sense.
Turns out this is the abridged version. If you want to see an even longer version for whatever reason, PM me. I may have gone a little excessive.
Leadup and Training:
My goal for the last couple years has been to qualify for Kona in the M35-39AG, and I chose IMFL in 2022 to go for it.
2020 and 2021 I worked on shorter distances to pick up some speed, then for 2022 I got a coach to help put me over the top.
I was never pushing those 16-17hr weeks you hear people talking about. In fact 14hr was my longest week this year. Over the last 2 years averaged 8.5hr a week, but never spiking too much, never falling off much aside from the 2 times I got pretty sick. I should note I only count time that my watch is running. So strength, mobility, recovery walks, yoga, resting on the wall at the pool or grabbing some water at a gas station all don’t factor into those times.
The Injury:
5 weeks out on a 26k run I felt something in my glute/hips just get kind of weird and tight. I finished out the run as I was almost done but then I was having trouble walking that evening and next day. I went to the orthopedic urgent care where they eventually diagnosed me with a sprained tendon in my glutes. I could swim and bike but even walking was nearly impossible. I threw everything at rehab, spending 10+ hours at therapy, doing yoga, strength, etc. It was massive.
4 weeks before the Ironman I was able to start running again! I pounded out 280 of the most painful meters ever. But it was something. A couple days later I did 700m and then 1km. Still very painful.
3 weeks before the Ironman I was able to manage (2) 2km runs. I was wondering if my race might just end up with me dogging it on the swim, going for the fastest bike split of the day, then having lunch.
2 weeks before the Ironman I was finally able to break a sweat and got in a 6, 10, and 12km run as well as a 3km brick. Still a bit painful though. I was really doubting if I was going to be able to even finish let alone compete for a slot.
Race week I did a couple short bricks of 3 and 2km and a 6km shakeout run. But by now it was finally starting to get to the point where I could run with pretty minimal pain! How would the race unfold? No idea, but it just might work!
The Swim:
I lined up with around 300 other people in the “Under 60min” group. I knew the chances of me going under 60min were pretty slim with the waves and chop in the ocean. (2ft swells. Nothing too bad for me but not ideal for a fast time.) I positioned myself somewhere around the 100th swimmer or so as that was more realistic. Beeper went off and I was in the ocean. Duck dive under some waves and began swimming. It was pretty uneventful. Found a couple feet to draft off but either I would go past them or they’d drop me. Saw some beautiful moon jellyfish below and hit a couple.
Came out of the water on the first lap in 31:30. Happy with that. 2nd lap then we got in as there were still people getting released for their first lap. So a lot more traffic and had to negotiate those nasty breaststroke kicks. Got one square in the chest.
I got out of the water at 1:05:23. A bit slower than I hoped but I’ll take it. 12th in my AG and 85th overall.
The Bike:
Long run through transition (7:26) with my road shoes. No flying mount this race. Still probably the right call as my triathlon shoes are not quite as comfy over the long distances. 5:30 was the T1 time of the fastest guys so lost a bit there but worth it.
Coming out of the water 85th meant there were some people to pass and I got to work right away. My plan was to go for around 240W which for me was around a 0.65IF. Very conservative but I’m a very strong biker and my run was going to be iffy at best today. No sense putting out 20 more Watts to gain 6min then lose 30 on the run.
Around 30k there was a short out a back section and that’s where I started counting. I didn’t see the lead biker but there was very little space between the riders I initially saw. It had to be close to the front. I figured I was around 25th on the road at that point. Picked off some more people as we fought into a slight head-cross wind until the next out and back where I did see the leaders. I was 18th. Then a decently long section of cross-tail wind where I dropped my power a tad to conserve. Picked off a couple more guys to get into 15th.
At 100km we turned again onto a long out and back, keeping the cross-tail wind but going slightly net uphill through some rollers and very crummy chipseal pavement. Things got really lonely. I could see nobody ahead of me and nobody behind me. Started to even wonder if I was on the right course.
The turnaround then had us facing the prospect of around 40km of crummy roads and a steady, annoying, mostly headwind. My power numbers here did fade a bit as I was mentally getting beat by the conditions, but I did manage to pass one more.
At this point the course ingeniously uses a supermarket parking lot to keep one of the towns major intersections open. The fun thing was that there were some speed bumps there and the two guys ahead of me slowed down to either go around them or carefully over them. I said fuck it and bunny hopped them at speed. Helped reel them in quite a bit for an easy pass.
I was 12th on the road heading into T2. 4:44:49, 2nd in my AG for the bike, and 9th fastest bike split overall. 235W Avg, 241W NP. 140g/hr of carbs. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I may have under-biked a little bit!
Run:
Whelp, time to see what was going to happen. Again a long run through transition but more on par with the other fast guys. 5:20. The tent in T2 was still soaking wet from the swim so my feet got wet.
I came into the race thinking I would try and hold 5:00/km as I knew I had the aerobic fitness to do that all day long easily as well as walking every aid station. First km was around 4:48 which was OK considering it’s super easy to come out fast. After that I settled into a good pace but was feeling overall crappy. This is pretty normal for me, but always nice to share that experience. It happens to us all. 3km in I was passed by 2 other guys and 1 guy I managed to pass. So 13th on the road.
As for my hips/glutes, they actually felt pretty decent. The rest of my legs though were already struggling with fatigue, and I was also starting to have issues with the heat. It didn’t seem all that hot but I could see the struggle on the faces of all the guys in the top 10 after the first turnaround.
Not too much I could really do about the legs which were starting with a little cramping. I was already pretty aggressive with my sodium intake on the bike and was drinking plenty of Gatorade and taking GUs on the run. (Maybe I look at a Base salt or something like that in the future?) With the heat at least I could put ice in my hat, in my suit, and douse myself with water. That helped but soon I could hear that deadly sloshing of wet shoes. Around 15km in I saw a nice little retaining wall and took off my shoes to wring out my socks. Not sure exactly why I did that as I had dry-ish feet for only a couple more km, and getting up then was not pleasant with the cramping. Race brain is a thing.
I kept on and tried to keep chipping away at the distance. There were a couple times I was really in a hurt zone and did a little walking on the first lap outside of the aid stations. I probably could have pushed through but at this point I was trying to conserve mental energy. Still, hips/glutes were great.
Made it onto the 2nd lap and merged in with everybody else. I’d sort of lost track of where I was on the road but I figured I was probably around 20th or so. I figured that in my AG to guarantee I’d get into the top 3 I’d have to be around 15th overall or thereabouts. At this point I was a little dejected. My legs were burning and felt wooden. I was hot. And I figured the last Kona slot was up the road running consistently. I got my special needs bag that had a couple extra gels and kept going.
At this point it was near impossible to figure out who was on their first lap and who was on their 2nd. Some really fast runners might throw down a 6:30 bike split and blow past you. And you can’t judge a triathlete by their gear. So I kept chugging along. On the 2nd lap I began taking on Red Bull as well as per the strategy pre-race. (Practice this people, don’t just go for it on race day or you’ll be sorry!) More walking breaks than I’d like but I tried to keep things moving aid station to aid station. I also may have also extended the length of the aid station from the first lap. First porta-potty to last trash sign instead of just the tables. Etc. Also noticed my shoes were a bit bloody. Blisters. Ugh. At least it was something to take my mind off the pain in my legs.
Around 29km in right before the last turnaround I was walking a really extended aid station with a guy. He asked how I was doing and told him I was in survival mode. I assumed the last Kona slot was way up the road already as well as any potential rolldowns. But I picked up then and kept jogging forward. Last turnaround was really nice mentally and there were more clouds in the sky that seemed to help cool things down. Also, some of the highrise condos were extending their shadows out onto the road more which was a good boost.
Around 36km I had calculated that at my current run/walk pace I wouldn’t be able to crack 10 hours. Kona might be a dead dream but I’ll be damned if I wasn’t at least going to crack 10. So I began to dig deep and run a bit more. By 4km to go I was walking only the aid stations and even then it was back to the short ones. I was one determined runner. Last aid station I just splashed water on my face and kicked it into gear. Legs burned, feet hurt, but glutes/hips were fine.
I crossed the line in 9:57:44 and immediately collapsed. I had been running on pure willpower for the last couple km and once I crossed the line all the willpower faded and my legs were just done. Run was a 3:54:48 marathon, 14th in my AG and 95th overall.
Post Race:
Family saw me at the barriers and told me I was 3rd in my AG and 30th Overall! No way! Well that didn’t quit last. Another guy who started after me on the swim came in and I ended up 4th in my AG and 31st overall. I guess it was just a really tough day for everybody, not just me. But since there were 4 Kona slots in my AG, mission accomplished!
Post race food, chatting, massage, waiting around for transition to open. Typical post race stuff. Had some victory pizza at a restaurant near the run turnaround owned by the parents of an athlete competing. (Bricks and Barley) Very good.
It was also my first Awards ceremony I went to which was interesting. Cool to get my AG award and then the rolldown process is quick, efficient, and kind of exciting when somebody gets a rolldown slot and the massive cheers that come from their entourage! I got my Lei, coin, and the privilege of signing up for an even more expensive race.
Now to find some accommodations and take out a second mortgage.
EDIT: BTW 5th place was 24s behind me and would have taken his slot. If there ever was a justification for any and all the marginal gains I’ve employed it’s that. Actually 2nd through 5th we’re separated by 1:45!!!
Congrats on Kona! Thats amazing
TRAINING QUESTION
A race is Chattanooga 70.3 in May -
I am coming off 4 months of base and was planning to carry big base training load through winter.
I’m curious what ya’ll think about throwing in a vo2 block in November/Early Dec then back to base. Good idea or stick to my original plan of building a BIG base?
For reference training 12-18 hrs a week (9 or so on the bike) Ftp 290 max ftp was 322