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Input Appreciated: Training For An Aquabike Without Totally Giving Up Run Fitness
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Specifically, Long Course Aquabike Nationals which is on November 12th. It's in Miami this year which is only a couple hours drive for me.

Here's where my weekly training currently sits about two weeks out from my A-race for the year which will be on August 27th:
-5 hours of swimming for ~15,000m/week
-4 hours of cycling, mostly Z3 and higher (2x20s, VO2 max work, etc... I've been short-course focused for the last two years)
-5 hours of running for ~34 miles/week

I'd like to hang on to some of the run gains I've made over the summer but I also realize I'll have to reduce my run volume. I'm not sure it makes sense for me to add any more swim volume. With my current swim volume I should be out of the water in just under 30 minutes if it's not wetsuit legal and about 27 minutes if it's wetsuit legal. I can't imagine that an extra 3,000m/week for 12 weeks would add up to more than a few seconds saved on the swim whereas that same hour per week on the bike could be worth a minute or more.

Here's what I'm thinking:
-5 hours of swimming
-7 hours of cycling
-2 hours of running

For 70.3s I've done in the past I've followed TR's 70.3 programs. However, I'm thinking that since I won't be running after the bike, maybe it would be better to follow TR's High Volume 40k TT plan? Thoughts?

How should I break up the run? Two hour-long easy runs? Four thirty-minute runs? Ideally I would combine runs with my swims (swim first) for the sake of time efficiency. Maybe just a 20 minute easy run after every swim?

For what it's worth, running seems to take the most out of me in my training. Other than "heavy arms" after a swim or "heavy legs" after a bike, those workouts never really get me down. However, if I go out for a long run (and my long runs aren't really that long) I feel like I need to take a nap when I get back home.

Thanks for any input.
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Re: Input Appreciated: Training For An Aquabike Without Totally Giving Up Run Fitness [GreenPlease] [ In reply to ]
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GreenPlease wrote:
-2 hours of running

How should I break up the run? Two hour-long easy runs? Four thirty-minute runs? Ideally I would combine runs with my swims (swim first) for the sake of time efficiency. Maybe just a 20 minute easy run after every swim?

4 x 30 would be much better than 2 x 1. the higher frequency will be better insofar as durability is concerned and you'll be able to stay more consistent. i might do 5 runs a week, 4 x 20, 1 x 40ish. you can always talk yourself into 20mins, and if you include strides in most of your runs and make the "longer" one some sort of small workout i doubt you'd lose a ton of run fitness compared to your ~5hrs a week.

i can't speak to the TR plans as i don't know them particularly well.
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Re: Input Appreciated: Training For An Aquabike Without Totally Giving Up Run Fitness [GreenPlease] [ In reply to ]
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I would not even worry about 2 hours. 1.5 hours is plenty and add some volume to the swimming instead. Do 5 time 15-20 minutes with the last half of each run moderately hard and do the runs after swimming or biking for time savings and they won't add much time to your week given the change/shower amortization. Think about it this way....how much fitness do you think Mo Farah is sustaining during a 13:30 5000m qualification round? While you won't cover 5000m, if you already are warmed up from the swim workout, after 5 min of jogging you can launch into some decent intensity. Something like 5 min jog then 15x40 seconds hard 20 second jog, or 2x 1 mile hard with 1 min recovery, or 15 min tempo, or hit the treadmill and do 15x40 second at whatever speed at 10% and keep the treadmill beside you running at the same speed at zero percent and jog for 20 (or do 20 seconds of plyos on a single leg [or skip rope] if you can't get the treadmill beside you).
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Re: Input Appreciated: Training For An Aquabike Without Totally Giving Up Run Fitness [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks Dev. I like the idea of five 20 minute runs after my swims. That's time efficient and simple (I like routines).
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Re: Input Appreciated: Training For An Aquabike Without Totally Giving Up Run Fitness [jkhayc] [ In reply to ]
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jkhayc wrote:
GreenPlease wrote:

-2 hours of running

How should I break up the run? Two hour-long easy runs? Four thirty-minute runs? Ideally I would combine runs with my swims (swim first) for the sake of time efficiency. Maybe just a 20 minute easy run after every swim?


4 x 30 would be much better than 2 x 1. the higher frequency will be better insofar as durability is concerned and you'll be able to stay more consistent. i might do 5 runs a week, 4 x 20, 1 x 40ish. you can always talk yourself into 20mins, and if you include strides in most of your runs and make the "longer" one some sort of small workout i doubt you'd lose a ton of run fitness compared to your ~5hrs a week.

i can't speak to the TR plans as i don't know them particularly well.

Yeah durability has always been my limiter with the run. Knock on wood I've avoided major injuries but I've frequently had tweaks sideline me at inconvenient times (middle of a build, etc.)
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Re: Input Appreciated: Training For An Aquabike Without Totally Giving Up Run Fitness [GreenPlease] [ In reply to ]
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So, what are you trying to do at the race?

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Re: Input Appreciated: Training For An Aquabike Without Totally Giving Up Run Fitness [h2ofun] [ In reply to ]
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I'd like to go sub-2:45 assuming decent conditions.
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Re: Input Appreciated: Training For An Aquabike Without Totally Giving Up Run Fitness [GreenPlease] [ In reply to ]
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GreenPlease wrote:
Thanks Dev. I like the idea of five 20 minute runs after my swims. That's time efficient and simple (I like routines).

I had an equivalent routine down pat between multiple IM or half IM races or multiple weekends of short course racing. Basically I would just bike commute to and from work. At lunch, jog 7 min to the pool to warmup and then hammer out a really hard 40 min swim and then shower quickly and then run back to the office for 10-15 min going pretty hard. I would not even towel down from my quick shower as the run would dry off the water and the run was too short to work up a sweat so when I got back, I could just change into a work clothes (even a suit). That was 4 days per week routine. Bike commute home would have at least 20 min of intervals or a 20 min TT 4 days per week. Basically the 2 hour per day program with random intensity in all sports. Plenty of training to keep up fitness between multiple races.
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Re: Input Appreciated: Training For An Aquabike Without Totally Giving Up Run Fitness [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]
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So basically always in "build" mode or whatever you want to call it? Personally, I like to race a lot and it seems like every time I get three or four weeks into a highly structured training plan... life happens... I have to go on the road, miss a week of bike workouts, sometimes all I can do is run, etc. and then I don't really know where I should be in the plan and the whole thing goes out the window.

Sometimes I muse that I should just try to get two hours of training in a day of workouts that work for me (USRPT, 2x20s, and slow running), do long rides, runs, and open water swims when I get the time, and otherwise not really worry about where I am in a "base" or "build" cycle.
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Re: Input Appreciated: Training For An Aquabike Without Totally Giving Up Run Fitness [GreenPlease] [ In reply to ]
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GreenPlease wrote:
So basically always in "build" mode or whatever you want to call it? Personally, I like to race a lot and it seems like every time I get three or four weeks into a highly structured training plan... life happens... I have to go on the road, miss a week of bike workouts, sometimes all I can do is run, etc. and then I don't really know where I should be in the plan and the whole thing goes out the window.

Sometimes I muse that I should just try to get two hours of training in a day of workouts that work for me (USRPT, 2x20s, and slow running), do long rides, runs, and open water swims when I get the time, and otherwise not really worry about where I am in a "base" or "build" cycle.

Back in the early 90's my buddy and I used to call this "maintenance mode" The goal here was to cram in enough volume and intensity in day to day life, where you can hop into any group ride, run or swim and hang in and you are always in "B" race fitness and within a 4-6 week window of specific training where you can get an A performance and probably another 4 weeks of optimized training to get that A+ ....all of this in the context of the age grouper life

Do the math, if you do 60 min of riding per day, 40 min of swimming and 20 min of running, then by Friday you're at 5 hours riding, 3:20 of swimming, 1:40 of running. On Saturday, add in a 90 min run, Sunday 3-4 hour ride + 30 min run....now you are at 3;20 swim, 8+ hours bike, 3:30 running. That's good enough to do a B+ event IM easily and an A event half IM and plenty for an A+ Olympic. If you don't do the weekend workouts and just do nothing on weekends to hang with family, then you have enough fitness to launch in immediately to add the weekend workouts when given the window by family.
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