Looking for some good examples to motivate me. I've been doing the tri thing for about 8 years. Started with a sprint then to oly then 4 HIM's and did first IM this year (IMoo). Finished IMoo in 11:41. Felt good most of the day with the exception of the obvious pains one will see at that distance. My training over the years has been just volume based. I've followed plans very closely (I've had good luck with the Beginner Triathlete plans) for the volume / time, but haven't ever really done consistent interval training. Most of my training is at a constant pace, depending on how I feel that day or the distance assigned. I guess I never put myself into serious pain. Not saying I don't push hard on hills on certain days or do temp runs when I'm feeling good, but just never have done it on a consistent basis.

So after that rambling, I'm looking for real world examples of people is a similar situation. Did your times at all distances dramatically get better when you cranked up intensity? Any other advice on more intense training? I understand I won't be going intense all the time and will still doing plenty of LSD runs and rides.

I'm thinking of starting with a PM on the bike this year and doing some Trainer Road stuff. Then just get more disciplined with intervals / tempo work on the run.