Very good plan. Something like this will work for most people to get great results.

Very similar to what I do

But yours seems heavy run lighter bike time

Any reason? Are you focusing on run?

Can't say i do a lot of "moderately hard" riding. Little return on investment of time. The closest thing i would do to that is 1 hour broken up at ~92%. So would start with something like 6x10min, then progress, to (for example) 4x15, 20+4x10, up to 3x20 or 30+20+10. But by the end of these workouts nothing about it feels "moderate."

Outdoors i don't see anything wrong with going out for 2-3 hours of just good solid hard riding. Not all the time, but I think it helps mentally as well as training the body to go hard with no breaks. Not sure if that really answers your question :\

Interesting, seems like an hour at sweet spot...

Do you think your approach would be different if you raced more HIM compared to Olympic distance? (Recognizing that fitness is fitness...).

One of my go to workouts in prep for the HIM is 2.5 hrs of which 90min at HIM pace. Wiser and smarter triathletes have advised me to do that workout seldomly (I have heeded that advice), but the lingering doubt is what to replace it with...

Thanks!

Nope, probably wouldn't change much. The long ride is longer (and run), but otherwise i find the interval training for both distances to be very similar. The volume already kind of takes care of both distances (again, aside from the actual long ride/run). I would agree with those who have given you advice before- I would essentially never ride at HIM pace. Either above or below. Especially during the winter- either well above or well below. Once we are outside again and closer to race season, some workouts will be closer to actual race pace/effort/watts. The closest I come to actually training at HIM pace is when I do a 4-4.5hr ride slightly below HIM wattage. But I would only do a small handful of those rides a year. Again, this is an N=1 training plan, but so far i'm happy with where it gets me.

I’ve self coached myself to 3 of my 4 KQs and 3 x 70.3 WCs. Had a coach for the first one but moved house and didn’t get a new one. I got a lot from the coach initially and still use much of what they taught me so it was definitely worth it.

My advice would be to keep it simple and more than anything stay consistent. I’m often amazed at how complicated some training sessions are and I struggle to understand what they are trying to achieve. I normally go for either VO2 max , threshold or sweet spot sessions. Normally 1, possibly 2 per sport per week, other than that it’s Z2... I often think I do too much Z2 and not enough intensity but it seems to work for me...

I began self coaching about 18 months ago. I realized the coach I had was a waste of money and I knew more than he did. I also read alot of good books about coaching....Joe Friel, Matt Fitzgerald, etc. I use Training Peaks as my platform to monitor TSS, etc. I too keep it simple....3 workouts each week in each sport plus 2-3 sessions for strength. I do 3 weeks on and 1 week off. For the swim I swim with a good masters group and then do a long swim on my own. I bike using Sufferfest workouts and hit VO2 max, SS, FTP and longer, slower rides Z2. For running I have been injured but getting better and I try to do the same with running. If I feel bad I take it easy or cancel that training session. I work alot of hours each week so I do a combination of group workouts and individual workouts. I am thinking of signing up for Trainerroad this fall though. I really, really like Sufferfest. The workouts are hard, focused and you can select how long you want to ride. I believe that part of effective training when you work alot is time management. Hope that helps!

Never had a coach, but here's my 2 cents.


I went from 11:50 at IM Frankfurt with no coach (or plan) to a 17th place at IMLP using Matt and David's 80/20 IM L3 plan through Training Peaks. No injuries and generally much less fatigue plus the feeling every session fitted into a bigger picture.

I sync the bike sessions to Wahoo bolt or zwift so it's pretty much pedal and keep up with resistance. Ditto for the run and swim with the Garmin.

This isn't that run-heavy if the poster is relatively fast -- running 8 mph on average would mean 5 hours and 40 mpw for middle-range run distances, relative to a median of 9 hours on the bike for the stated time ranges. But at slower running speeds, it would be much run-heavier.

4-week blocks of building using the 10% rule and each discipline 3 times per week with one session at a higher intensity to stay sharp. Followed by a recovery week. Then a two week block where I focus on speed/intensity where I keep my long efforts mostly z1/z2. Then a week of recovery. Repeat. It’s working well getting ready for Challenge Daytona. Based on my workouts now, I’m looking at a 30 minute PR for the 70.3 and hoping to go sub 6 hours. Not bad for a Clydesdale.

This is a great discussion. I have been pondering this for sometime and still debating the merits. I am basically self coached and it shows, i'm slow and old, so how much of an improvement can I make and is it worth $1-2,000 a year (assuming a more moderate cost). These discussion really provide some great insights, wish I discovered it sooner.

There are reports that show 2 - 3 times per week if higher intensity is preferable over 4 times or more

So does this mean 2 - 3 times total for bike and run? Or 2 for each?

So how do you plan out your year with this type schedule? Do you just do this same thing all year round or is this the meat of your plan but at the book ends of your schedule you change things up? I think I would probably plan out my week to week just like you do but struggle to get a good idea about how to break up the year so that I am doing the correct exercises and intensities at the right time.

I know you're going to find this hard to believe but, back in the Dark Ages of Triathlon before about, oh, 2005, triathlon coaches did NOT exist, at least not for age groupers. So, we were all "self-coached". It's really not that hard. Just think about it a bit. :)

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

... and one last question, if I may!

What about big-gear training - frequency and intensity. I remember seeing big gear on my training plan at Z2 intensity and thought it was nuts... Now I realize that the point is to avoid spending too much time in the mod-hard zone or above.

Thanks in advance!

of course!

Well based on actual research studies that have been done, there is next to zero point in big gear work unless you are in Z4 or higher. At least in terms of physiological adaptations. I read a Brett Sutton article that said that his athletes will do big gear work as max-effort for 1-2min intervals, so I guess that would concur with the science.
However, I will say that based on my own experience, big gear work helps to develop efficiency in the pedal stroke, most noticeable for myself when climbing. Perhaps this efficiency would have developed by just the time spent riding, but I do believe the low cadence stuff helped.
So in summary, I use big gear work very sparingly.

A coach can be the great tool for some people but it isn't necessary by any means. Some of the best athletes ever were self-coached and there are many ways up the mountain. For amateurs another approach is to just go by feel. Create a really basic structure with your availability; like the number of swims, runs, and bikes per week; and very it up a bit beyond just doing straight aerobic work. Most importantly keep it fun. If you can keep it fun, and you can be consistent this is worth more than a training plan is.

What is important in this approach is understanding self-coaching is a privilege and you need a way to track your performance. Obviously your own races is important part of this, but for me one thing I did was baseline where my results were after the season and I compared them against known peers who were at a similar points in their development. As long as I continued to grow as fast or faster than my peers (who were coached) it was a no-brainer to continue self-coaching. One easy metric I used was the USAT ranking. I actually have all my USAT rankings here if you are interested. Also comparing some athletes at the same races year after year.

As long as you are consistent, give your body plenty of rest with that work schedule, and stay injury free you will continue to grow. When you begin to feel tapped out that is when to look at changing things up.

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