Login required to started new threads

Login required to post replies

Training Advice for time constrained
Quote | Reply
I'm looking for some good advice: I'm your typical AG athlete. Time constrained but motivated - I could train lots more if I had enough time to (3 kids and working). I have an IM first week of august, and have been training around 10 hrs/week since 1.1.17. In a week or so I suddenly have like 10 days with unrestricted training-time available. What would you do?

Some bakcground: I've been doing this stuff for a couple of years - and I'm around 450 hrs/year for the last 2-3 years. Before that I was more of a pure cyclist. In winter (october - march) I usually focus on my run, and ramp up bike-hours from marc/april. Im more of a natural cyclist than runner. I swim very little during the year, but my swim is "ok" (by MOP AG standards).
Quote Reply
Re: Training Advice for time constrained [lovegoat] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I would do 3x 2-1 blocks, that means 2 hard days followed by an easy day. The last block would be either 3 hard or keep the easy. Since you got 2 blocks, you can use 2 of them to focus on your fav sport and the last one to focus on your worst. Something like this:

Day 1: 30 min jog, 3h bike ride with ~30 mins above FTP
Day 2: 50 min jog, 4h easy (60-65% FTP) on the bike
Day 3: 30 min jog, 1h easy bike ride, 60 min swim

Day 4: 2h run with some hills or whatever else that makes it a bit more challanging, 2h easy bike
Day 5: 3h easy bike, 60 min run, 60 min swim
Day 6: 90 min swim, 30 min run

Day 7: 4h bike ride with ~30 min above FTP
Day 8: 45 min run, 3h bike with ~30 min at 70.3 race pace, if you can. Otherwise easy
Day 9: 90 min swim, 30 min run

Day 10: 4h noodle on bike

Endurance coach | Physiotherapist (primary care) | Bikefitter | Swede
Quote Reply
Re: Training Advice for time constrained [mortysct] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
mortysct wrote:
I would do 3x 2-1 blocks, that means 2 hard days followed by an easy day. The last block would be either 3 hard or keep the easy. Since you got 2 blocks, you can use 2 of them to focus on your fav sport and the last one to focus on your worst. Something like this:

Day 1: 30 min jog, 3h bike ride with ~30 mins above FTP
Day 2: 50 min jog, 4h easy (60-65% FTP) on the bike
Day 3: 30 min jog, 1h easy bike ride, 60 min swim

Day 4: 2h run with some hills or whatever else that makes it a bit more challanging, 2h easy bike
Day 5: 3h easy bike, 60 min run, 60 min swim
Day 6: 90 min swim, 30 min run

Day 7: 4h bike ride with ~30 min above FTP
Day 8: 45 min run, 3h bike with ~30 min at 70.3 race pace, if you can. Otherwise easy
Day 9: 90 min swim, 30 min run

Day 10: 4h noodle on bike

Thanks - sounds like a good plan! Ive been pondering how much volume I could squeeze in without over-doing it, but I guess I should be able to handle quite a big increase for a 10-day block.
Quote Reply
Re: Training Advice for time constrained [mortysct] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
mortysct wrote:
I would do 3x 2-1 blocks, that means 2 hard days followed by an easy day. The last block would be either 3 hard or keep the easy. Since you got 2 blocks, you can use 2 of them to focus on your fav sport and the last one to focus on your worst. Something like this:

Day 1: 30 min jog, 3h bike ride with ~30 mins above FTP
Day 2: 50 min jog, 4h easy (60-65% FTP) on the bike
Day 3: 30 min jog, 1h easy bike ride, 60 min swim

Day 4: 2h run with some hills or whatever else that makes it a bit more challanging, 2h easy bike
Day 5: 3h easy bike, 60 min run, 60 min swim
Day 6: 90 min swim, 30 min run

Day 7: 4h bike ride with ~30 min above FTP
Day 8: 45 min run, 3h bike with ~30 min at 70.3 race pace, if you can. Otherwise easy
Day 9: 90 min swim, 30 min run

Day 10: 4h noodle on bike
-Beautiful!
Quote Reply
Re: Training Advice for time constrained [mortysct] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
mortysct wrote:
I would do 3x 2-1 blocks, that means 2 hard days followed by an easy day. The last block would be either 3 hard or keep the easy. Since you got 2 blocks, you can use 2 of them to focus on your fav sport and the last one to focus on your worst. Something like this:

Day 1: 30 min jog, 3h bike ride with ~30 mins above FTP
Day 2: 50 min jog, 4h easy (60-65% FTP) on the bike
Day 3: 30 min jog, 1h easy bike ride, 60 min swim

Day 4: 2h run with some hills or whatever else that makes it a bit more challanging, 2h easy bike
Day 5: 3h easy bike, 60 min run, 60 min swim
Day 6: 90 min swim, 30 min run

Day 7: 4h bike ride with ~30 min above FTP
Day 8: 45 min run, 3h bike with ~30 min at 70.3 race pace, if you can. Otherwise easy
Day 9: 90 min swim, 30 min run

Day 10: 4h noodle on bike

Hi! Since this turned out to be a nice little experiment for me, and since I got good input on what to do - I thought I'd give a short recap of how it actually went. I didn't end up following the exact plan as shaped out above, since I got the opportunity to do some races in that 10-day period! Those naturally made me go easy on most days between, but anyhow. This is my short summary:

Day 1: Actually started out with a full-blown trail-marathon race! 4hrs 10 min racing on the trails! Hards as F :)O
Day 2: Day 1 made me take day 2 totally off (also had a flight back home)
Day 3: 45 min swim and 2h 15 min bike (swim kinda hard - ride easy)
Day 4: 30 min swim 2h 30 min ride (swim hard - ride easy)
Day 5: 30 min short ride + 4h 30 min long ride (all easy) + 30 min easy transition-run after long ride
Day 6: 45 min swim, 45 min easy ride, 1 hour easy run.
Day 7: 30 min swim 45 min easy ride (got the opportunity to race the next day so took 1 easy day)
Day 8: Tri-race! (unorthodox-distance somewhere between sprint and Oly): Totals 8 min swim - 53 min ride - 30 min run. 1h 30 min easy ride in evening.
Day 9: 4 h long ride (easy)
Day 10: 20 min easy ride, 2h 30 min long trail/mountain run (hard)

What I found fascinating is that I - even if training - volume (hours anyway) was up over 100% compared to normal - felt pretty good! My race day 8 was something I'd expect to go straigh to sh**, but I actually felt quite strong! I felt I was missing the last "top-line" power on bike and run (particularly run), but overall pretty good. I would have thought that Id dig myself into quite a hole and be fatigued after a block like that, but at the very end I felt quite good? Anyone else have similar experiences?
Quote Reply
Re: Training Advice for time constrained [lovegoat] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Yes, I've also noticed that a week of big volume, mostly sub threshold is easy to get through and even improve during. The week after can be a little rough and it's hard to do ftp/vo2 work effectively but it's a nice way to setup a training camp.
Quote Reply
Re: Training Advice for time constrained [lovegoat] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
If you can stand it, do as much of training at home with a trainer and treadmill. It'll condense your training window. You'll spend more time training and less time setting up, driving places, waiting for friends, etc.
Quote Reply
Re: Training Advice for time constrained [TriathlonJoe] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
TriathlonJoe wrote:
If you can stand it, do as much of training at home with a trainer and treadmill. It'll condense your training window. You'll spend more time training and less time setting up, driving places, waiting for friends, etc.


Check, check and check on this one! My car is evicted from the garage. I have 1 treadmill, 1 bike on trainer and 3 baby-calls in my garage - all set up for evening workouts at home;) Oh - and OFC I have a TV on the wall! :) If not I guess I would bore myself to death
Last edited by: lovegoat: Jun 30, 17 5:39
Quote Reply