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Race Priority - Recovery
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Hi!
Im doing my first IM this august (which will be my A-priority). I also have a HIM approx 4 weeks in advance, and I am wondering how this will affect the IM 4 weeks later. I want do prioritize the IM, but still want to race (not just shuffle through) the HIM. From reading these forums quite a bit I sense that the majority of folks believe a HIM 4 weeks prior to a full IM would be sub-optimal. Therefore i wonder:

Is it there mere recovery from a HIM that would have a negative affect on the IM, or is it more a question of "lost training" leading up to the IM? I understand that if I were to taper properly before the HIM, race balls-out, and then have a week or two of easy training after the HIM, this would lead to sub-optimal training leading up to the IM.

However, what if I reduce the taper leading up to the HIM, race the HIM as best I can, and try to stick with my regular training-volume the week after the HIM? I guess I should start tapering for the IM 2-3 weeks in advance anyway, so doing it this way I could perhaps treat the HIM as the start to a hard week leading into my 3-week taper for the IM? Any suggestions for how I can best do both the HIM and IM?

Dont know how much of my background is needed to answer this, but I have been into triathlon for 2-3 years (but I have been into sports since age 5 - now 33). I've raced 1 HIM before (approx 4:40), and train 8-12hrs/week.

Thanks!
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Re: Race Priority - Recovery [lovegoat] [ In reply to ]
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lovegoat wrote:
Hi!
Im doing my first IM this august (which will be my A-priority). I also have a HIM approx 4 weeks in advance, and I am wondering how this will affect the IM 4 weeks later. I want do prioritize the IM, but still want to race (not just shuffle through) the HIM. From reading these forums quite a bit I sense that the majority of folks believe a HIM 4 weeks prior to a full IM would be sub-optimal. Therefore i wonder:

Is it there mere recovery from a HIM that would have a negative affect on the IM, or is it more a question of "lost training" leading up to the IM? I understand that if I were to taper properly before the HIM, race balls-out, and then have a week or two of easy training after the HIM, this would lead to sub-optimal training leading up to the IM.

However, what if I reduce the taper leading up to the HIM, race the HIM as best I can, and try to stick with my regular training-volume the week after the HIM? I guess I should start tapering for the IM 2-3 weeks in advance anyway, so doing it this way I could perhaps treat the HIM as the start to a hard week leading into my 3-week taper for the IM? Any suggestions for how I can best do both the HIM and IM?

Dont know how much of my background is needed to answer this, but I have been into triathlon for 2-3 years (but I have been into sports since age 5 - now 33). I've raced 1 HIM before (approx 4:40), and train 8-12hrs/week.

Thanks!

If the IM is your goal, then minimise the taper for your HIM.
Maybe just ease off for the last few days before the HIM and treat the race as your last big training weekend before the IM.
Follow it with a really easy week and then get two/three taper weeks in before your IM.

That's what I'd do, anyway.
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Re: Race Priority - Recovery [lovegoat] [ In reply to ]
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I can't give you advice on your specifics, but can give you my thoughts on your situation, as it somewhat relates to mine. I am doing a HIM 7 weeks out from an IM, so that's quite a bit more time in between, and yet I still don't want to really taper for the HIM because I feel it will be too disruptive for my training. What I will do is race the HIM as I see fit, definitely go appropriately hard on the swim and bike and run fast but not all out. I think telling yourself to do the race but not racing is an exercise in futility because other racers will most likely push you beyong a regular training pace, but there is a point where you could push harder but you will probably know you're going to have to recover quite a bit more (I guess this goes for all three disciplines but for me it is especially so on the run). Then the week after the HIM I will keep my bike mileage high (maybe a little less intensity though) but reduce my run mileage, and then 2 week after pick the run mileage back up for the final peak of IM training. This second week happens to work out with a planned holiday where I can't bike but can do plenty or running and swimming (so I could just be legitimizing my training this way ;)).

IMO I think both recover and "lost" training are factors. But for me, gaining racing experience is even more important, plus I don't want to train all year for just one event, it's nice to take advantage of the gained fitness! If you think that you have enough experience racing, then this might be less of a factor. If you decide to reduce your taper and jump straight back into your big weeks after the HIM I'd monitor at least your run mileage, although at 8-12ish hours I'd assume you're not running massive mileage to begin with. Maybe you could give an outline on what kind of training you'd do normally and what you'd want to do after your HIM leading up to your IM.
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Re: Race Priority - Recovery [snaaijert] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks for the advice. I know myself good enough to realize that I will not ease back to much in any race, so I do not see my self going only 80 or 90 % on the HIM - its more a question if I go 99% or 101% ;p.

I have also figured the run has the hardest impact on my body. Perhaps particularly in my case, because I consider myself a (speaking in relative terms) a decent cyclist, and a little less decent runner (historically I have been into cycling for 8-9 years, and only picked up running the last 2-3). Being 1,80 and 80kg I am probably more build for biking than running also (previous alpine skier). In my last HIM i did 2:25 on the bike (pretty easy effort) and 1:35 on the run (a bit harder..). Both courses pretty easy. Rolling/pretty flat bike, flat run with only a few short climbs.

My regular training is approx 60/70% cycling, with a mix of easy riding and threhold intervalls/sweep spot, and 30 % running with a mix of easy long miles and the occasional speedy workout of intervalls raging from 1-5k. I do very little swimming (1 hr /week), as I have found i can swim comfortably at around 30-33min (HIM dist) on my current volume, and I guess i would have to put inn alot more hours to get down to better times (so that my training-time is better spent on bike/running).

I also would have thought that I should focus on the bike the week following the HIM, keeping up my milage. I also imagine that I would fare better if keeping my runs after the HIM pretty short (and perhaps frequent?), and slow (just to keep up some amount of volume before starting taper for IM).
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Re: Race Priority - Recovery [lovegoat] [ In reply to ]
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I was the exact same way with running wearing on my body until I got a pair of maximalist shoes. I run in Altra Paradigms and they're the only pair that I've ever put 500 miles on. Try the Hokas or Altras. My recovery time has reduced dramatically.
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Re: Race Priority - Recovery [lovegoat] [ In reply to ]
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You should be fine. Just race the HIM as a workout, dont push yourself too hard. Use it as a way to validate nutrition, gear, etc.

Biggest workout before an IM is usually 4w before the race. Im not a big fan of tapering too early (2 weeks in my case). Depends on your level of fitness too.
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