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My Triathlon Progression, thoughts/suggestions/advice? Prospective IM Lake Placid finisher.
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Hey guys, I decided to sign up for Ironman Lake Placid cold back in October. When I say cold I cant claim I was a couch potato, but I can say that I never had swam in a lap pool in my life. I got a road bike in Spring of 2016 and did a decent amount of biking on some tough terrain in Maine, Upstate NY and my home area. I wasn't really a "runner" per-se either, my first 5k race that I completed after about 3 months of running, came in a 20:34. Now I'm six months into Ironman Training and after wading through countless articles, books by Joe Friel, and talking to randos at the bike shop or gym I still am puzzled concerning volume and TSS. I just want to make sure my progression is adequate. It would be great to just finish the Ironman, that was my initial goal and now I'm putting in an average of 17 hours a week with what seems like a decently high TSS per week. If I could share my Training Peaks calendar I would love to do that but let me just provide a couple stats since February and someone can let me know if they think I'm overcooking, any advice would be great. I usually tack on an hour or two of bodyweight training each week which is not added to the weekly total.

February
Week 1

Volume Hourly: 9.1 hours
Swim : 4600 yds
Bike : 52 miles
Run : 5.5 miles
TSS : 527


Week 2
Volume Hourly: 11 hours
Swim : 8025 yds
Bike : 78 miles
Run : 22.5 miles
TSS : 572


Week 3
Volume Hourly: 14 hours
Swim : 10223 yds
Bike : 107 miles
Run : 21.2 miles
TSS : 975


Week 4
Volume Hourly: 17 hours
Swim : 6210 yds
Bike : 168 miles
Run : 21.7 miles
TSS : 640


March
Week 1
Volume Hourly: 14 hours
Swim : 8850 yds
Bike : 146 mi
Run : 16 mi
TSS : 948


Week 2
Volume Hourly: 16.5 hours
Swim : 6500 yds
Bike : 192 miles
Run : 19.4
TSS : 813


Week 3
Volume Hourly: 16 hours
Swim : 11000 yds
Bike : 150 miles
Run : 25.3 miles
TSS : 1054


Week 4
Volume Hourly: 13 Hours
Swim : 4675 yds
Bike : 145 mi
Run : 25 mi
TSS : 857


Let me know what you guys think and I'm very open to advice. This goal of finishing in Lake Placid has an extreme sentimetal attachment tied to me as I have been going there since I was a kid. Thanks in advance.


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Re: My Triathlon Progression, thoughts/suggestions/advice? Prospective IM Lake Placid finisher. [swibiru22] [ In reply to ]
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Hi swibiru22,

You mean to say this Lake Placid in July is your first IM and your first triathlon? Wow you're brave. My advise, because you haven't done it before, is get a triathlon coach. I did when I did my first IM, and helped me heaps, not just in the swim bike run part, but mostly the mental aspects, and motivation.

How about training with a group, that are doing the same race?

Regards,

An age group triathlete just like you.
TopTriGear - https://www.toptrigear.com
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Re: My Triathlon Progression, thoughts/suggestions/advice? Prospective IM Lake Placid finisher. [TopTriGear] [ In reply to ]
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Well we're less than 4 months away so I'm not sure a coach is in the cards right now. I personally do not have an issue with motivation, compared to other IM training plans my volume for first time seems kind of high and I'm really just curious if I'm pushing it too hard. I feel tired at times but I've never had burnout or bailed on my training.
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Re: My Triathlon Progression, thoughts/suggestions/advice? Prospective IM Lake Placid finisher. [swibiru22] [ In reply to ]
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My 2c,

Run looks a bit light, but it appears you are increasing. With a 20:30 5km we can get most to a 3:45 I'm with appropriate volume and execution.

Knock it down a minute to 19:30 and sub 3:30 is reasonable (course dependant)

Looks like you are "recovering" your swim volume. Ie you are reducing from 10k to 4.5k on easy weeks....no need to do that, stay consistent at 10k or above.

No real comments on volume, ebb and flow etc because we don't have details on intensity distribution and progression.

Cheers,
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Re: My Triathlon Progression, thoughts/suggestions/advice? Prospective IM Lake Placid finisher. [mauricemaher] [ In reply to ]
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More a question how did you volume increase so much from week 1 to week 2 with only 2 hours of additional training. That is a huge jump.
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Re: My Triathlon Progression, thoughts/suggestions/advice? Prospective IM Lake Placid finisher. [mauricemaher] [ In reply to ]
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What type of further information could I provide regarding intensity? I thought the TSS was adequate. I tend to do three bike workouts per week, one interval session and two long rides. My long ride workouts consist of strong efforts on Zwift or Z2,3 long spins in the 4 and 5 hour range. I reduce swimming volume from time to time because it seems more intelligent to dedicate time to the bike or run, where you can steal some time back. My fastest 5k time is 19:00 in a competition . 20:35 was my first race 5k time. My fastest half marathon was run on a relatively flat course at around 1:31.
Last edited by: swibiru22: Apr 6, 17 16:46
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