Took a chill week after IMCA. I’m spending the rest of this year focusing on lifting 3x per week, running 12-15 miles (doing whatever my garmin suggests) and trying out the new plan builder. I selected maintain fitness LV, which gave me a TH, VO2max during the week and I’ll do a 2-3 hours ride on the weekends. I really want to keep what I have while gaining some strength going into next year. I’ll have 2 months at the beginning of next year before I start “training” for IM Santa Cruz (anyone done this one, I’d love some feedback?). My local pool closes until February (lame) so I won’t worry about swimming until then.
I was cleared by my Neurosurgeon to return to all activities, unless I have a problem there is no need to see him again.
My neck was not the only thing that cracked, frame has a crack waiting to hear if it can be repaired.
I rode 540 traininer miles last month. Did my first run yesterday and my first freestyle swim this morning.
Great news 
Thanks @giventotri
I didn’t do IM Florida 140.6 last Sunday; had decided a few months ago not to due to family reasons. Instead I’m doing the 70.3 in Haines City in December. Maybe next year for a full!
October was a lighter month due to work and family travel, and oh year, a hurricane! Not as much volume but more intensity, typically 1 TH and VO2 ride per week, and tempo and threshold run intervals. Now transitioning into longer steady tempo rides to prep for December. Volume will pick up in November. Stats:
Total hours: 36 hours, 45 minutes
- Swim: 5:14, 16600 yards, 461 TSS
- Bike: 21:29, 619 km, 1247 TSS
- Run: 8:43, 81 km, 653 TSS
- Weights: 1:18
Good luck with your training everyone!
Hi, I’m trying to plan 2025 using the plan builder. The plan is 3 half in april/june and a full late October.
Plan builder puts me on Half base plan then on a full one.
Having a close look at it, half and full plan are pretty similar except a long endurance wo instead of a sweet spot one for the 4th wo.
So, my though so far is that the full base would be more manageable and efficient at same time. Does anuone have any experience with this?
The full distance plan certainly puts you in a good place for half distance but I wouldn’t say optimal.
If I get a plan output that doesn’t suit me then I change my priorities - two or three months is enough for me on the long distance plan to be ready so I might spend the previous three months focussed on an A race say Olympic or half - and keep the available hours the same.
We’re all different but 3 half iron races in three months is pretty demanding, I’d set the last as an A race have a month easy work then get back into it August on the full distance plan
Ah, man, what a bummer. It’s my favorite race I’ve done so far.
For my first 70.3, would any of the folks here say the TR plans are sufficient or I’d benefit more from a different source?
Goal is to feel strong about prep and the race. No clue on times. I’ve run marathons and done many triple digit bike rides. Swimming… we’re starting from basically scratch. I’m targeting 70.3 in June.
Yes, and imho every subscriber would say that.
And welcome to The Thread.
TR tri plans are unsurprisingly “bike heavy” which works for just about everyone, and multiple other respectable coaches would advise you to get your intensity in the bike anyway.
Swim - you just need to bite the bullet, and sooner rather than later. Get in water as much as you can, for any reason.
Have you done much indoor training/are you planning to train indoors or outdoors?
I’ve done two formal indoor blocks on the bike. One was just a random Zwift FTP builder that i managed to be extremely consistent with. Another was a full blown roadrace plan for a 206 mile fondo in the 95 degree summer heat. I built and tapered for that event with a ton of success. i’m in the minority that loves the indoor trainer for workouts. When its nice, i’ll get out and do unstructured rides with a few intervals mixed in. I’ve done 4 formal running build plans in the past varying from 14-18 weeks in length.
I hear you on the pool front. I’ve been stuck between two approaches; perhaps you have some guidance.
- Go to the local pool, hyperventilate my way through an 1/1.5 hours worth of crawling laps while i slowly increase my ability to actually swim laps without gasping for air. Once i’m at the point of swimming something like 300m sustained, get in touch with a coach for some 1:1 work to understand how to improve my stroke and form. being mindful that teaching myself through youtube and trial/error will likely result in forming some bad habits. (this is evident by my golf swing)
- Get a coach or join a masters group now and just listen listen listen and swim swim swim.
From a 70.3 perspective I might be a bit presumptuous though I feel with todays fitness I could wake up and smash the bike/run combo without a ton of issue. The run would be slower than my dedicated HM races, but thats a given.
The fun for me is attempting to peak these three different disciplines at the same time. Swim i’d be happy with just feeling OK out of the water, bike i’d like to put down some power numbers I can be proud of, and run i’d like to know I tried.
I would go with this approach. If you are truly starting from scratch, even a single session with a coach will be far more impactful than muddling through until you can swim 300m continuously—as you said, that’ll just make you form bad habits and working up even to 300m will take far longer than if you work on technique from the get go.
I appreciate the guidance. My major barrier to taking this approach is the cost. Masters groups and/or 1:1 coaching can be incredibly expensive and i’d like to ensure i’m in a position to take advantage of what i’m paying for.
A bit of, not getting a running coach when I really need a walking coach type of situation.
With swim, ideally we would all move into a monastery by a lake and swim five times a day etc. I think that reality is what defines your approach. I’ve taken a job next to the national aquatic centre so getting a swim in is easy. When I started iirc I had a gym membership so about fifteen minutes away. Then as I moved up to iron distances I had a long drive/ride to work and found some lake swimming opportunities en route.
I guess I was lucky, or my dad’s keenness that I know how to avoid drowning, and it didn’t take much for me to get mid pack swim results without much training. I think I swam once or twice a week, barely ran but killed myself on the bike. TR was eventually a relief when I switched to indoors, which was saying something back then.
Which is all to say;
- Prioritise logistics - your easiest swim venue is the answer, and that answer will ultimately determine frequency and consistency too.
- Don’t write yourself off yet, it always feels hard and like we could be much better. But yood enough is good enough.
It’s injury risk-free training, and it’s fun to learn new skills. You sound like a pretty solid bike runner so you’ll want to minimise any deficit in the run in the coming years 
I tried a few cheap gym swim lessons and learned nothing. I read a lot, stuff like swimsmooth, I tried gym master sessions which were rough but didn’t teach me anything. I finally tried swim lessons with a real coach at a real swim club and it was night and day. Wow. Sad that it took me nine years to have the guts, so if you are thinking of getting instruction I would definitely recommend finding a tri swim coach attached to a real, registered swim club.
Excellent advice, Joe. I’ve had a surprisingly difficult time when researching tri specific coaches. Probably easier via word of mouth. Local Tri coaches and good SEO do not go hand in hand…
Venue is absolutely the important part. I’ve got a cheap rec center 10 min from me or could swap to a gym that’s a 5 min walk from my office. All the pieces are there, just not me, yet!
Long-ish time lurker here, just signed up somewhat impulsively for IM Lake Placid July 2025. Never done a triathlon.
This spring 2024 ran 3:01 marathon. Off running til Sept. Current FTP ~370 and a few good years of around 500hrs training ( bike >>> run). Pretty good diesel engine on the bike from randonneuur/ultra background. Weight around 85kg (191cm tall).
No real swimming background. Looking for lessons/master’s group to develop some kind of technique. Right now this feels v intimidating and the YouTube drills are not cutting it
Training goal is a very low 10+ hrs a week. Doing TR LV. Hoping to stretch this to 15 but 10 as a floor.
Young kids, busy early career, you know the drill.
Hoping in the pool twice - stretch to three?
Then 3x run and 3x bike. Good quality/clear goal every session. Going to have to do a lot in the morning before kids up which I’m telling myself is good race day prep. I’m in Canada and hoping come spring can build in a 2hr total bike commute.
Not yet sure what a realistic target goal would be, but posting here to join the accountability crew and pick your brains as July approaches. Nervous and excited!
Same spot as me, but you’re fitter and have kids making life harder. Best of luck!
Thanks! You too
Welcome back, sounds like you’ve got the engine it’s a matter of stretching it out and pacing/feeding yourself for IMLP. 
3/3/3 is a great base if you can do it. Bon chance.
Also newbie ( 3 months in now more or less ). Cyclist for past 10 years ( FTP around 270 @71kg). Granfondo rider so endurance pretty Well developed. Used to be soccer player so running Will be doable but did not run for 7 years so it’s a lot of work getting the legs adapter to running again… Currently around 3,4 rund a week.
Swim is most difficult to learn but I like it at the moment. Started around 2:20/2:30/100m, now around 1:55/2:00/100m so seeing some progress. Get a snorkel, Fins, buoy, … That can help.
70.3 planned in July. But in May have a 1k swim, 100k bike and 10k run triatlon also. Should be good to dial in some learning practices.
I use TR tri plan and I like the structure.
Hi all, has anyone successfully navigated a massive step up in volume?
Having a chat elsewhere about 20 hour weeks, would be interested if anyone has stories (doesn’t have to be 20 hours!)
I stepped up my bike volume Q1 and Q2 this year, 50% and it only gradually moved the needle and not to new heights.