I'm looking at 2020 as a development year for myself in tri, with a 2021 goal of qualifying for Kona. I've gotten some great training advice from folks on ST and hoping you all can keep the magic coming. With about 1 1/2 years to improve, where should I focus my efforts? Granted I can't go hard in pursuit of specific areas that whole time, but what are some overarching themes and objectives to keep in mind?
About me:
-43 y/o male with about 6 years in the sport. 5'10" 155lbs. I raced my first Ironman at IMLP this past year and finished 5th in my AG in 10:15. Had trouble getting my nutrition in the last 1/4 of the bike and bonked a bit on the run. Focused on getting nutrition in during the marathon and managed a 3:40. Splits were 1:02/5:25/3:40 with about 6 min total transitions (transitions at IMLP are long!).
-HIM PR of 4:27 also set in 2019, at Tupper Lake Tinman. Splits were 32/2:23/1:29.
-Open marathon PR of 2:54 set in 2019. That was my first open marathon, so I think I could go faster with a more specific/longer block of marathon training. Figured I could run low 3:20's in the Ironman but that fell apart with the nutrition issues.
-AOS swimmer and those IM and HIM swim times are PR's. I swam 2 days/week between 7-8k yards in the lead up to IMLP. Limited my swimming in order to bike more.
-Biking I followed TR mid-volume HIM plan this past season and added my own long rides on the weekend. It probably had more intensity than I needed, but that was what I could fit in.
-Running I followed BarryP plan and ran 6 days/week around 40miles/week with 16 mile long runs being my longest. I have a running background and running is my strongest discipline, but I'm injury prone so I try to limit intensity. I did some tempo workouts leading up the the Ironman, but I think I need weekly tempo workouts to get the most out of my running.
-Married with at 40hr/week job and 3 kids 6, 2, and 9 months. I maxed out at 16 hours/week training in 2019 and that's pretty much the limit.
-Bike is a 2014 Speed Concept. My position could be lower for sure, just haven't devoted the time to fiddling with it yet.
Open to any thoughts or suggestions, thanks!
TLDR- help me get faster at the iron distance over the course of 1.5 years.
"One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time."
About me:
-43 y/o male with about 6 years in the sport. 5'10" 155lbs. I raced my first Ironman at IMLP this past year and finished 5th in my AG in 10:15. Had trouble getting my nutrition in the last 1/4 of the bike and bonked a bit on the run. Focused on getting nutrition in during the marathon and managed a 3:40. Splits were 1:02/5:25/3:40 with about 6 min total transitions (transitions at IMLP are long!).
-HIM PR of 4:27 also set in 2019, at Tupper Lake Tinman. Splits were 32/2:23/1:29.
-Open marathon PR of 2:54 set in 2019. That was my first open marathon, so I think I could go faster with a more specific/longer block of marathon training. Figured I could run low 3:20's in the Ironman but that fell apart with the nutrition issues.
-AOS swimmer and those IM and HIM swim times are PR's. I swam 2 days/week between 7-8k yards in the lead up to IMLP. Limited my swimming in order to bike more.
-Biking I followed TR mid-volume HIM plan this past season and added my own long rides on the weekend. It probably had more intensity than I needed, but that was what I could fit in.
-Running I followed BarryP plan and ran 6 days/week around 40miles/week with 16 mile long runs being my longest. I have a running background and running is my strongest discipline, but I'm injury prone so I try to limit intensity. I did some tempo workouts leading up the the Ironman, but I think I need weekly tempo workouts to get the most out of my running.
-Married with at 40hr/week job and 3 kids 6, 2, and 9 months. I maxed out at 16 hours/week training in 2019 and that's pretty much the limit.
-Bike is a 2014 Speed Concept. My position could be lower for sure, just haven't devoted the time to fiddling with it yet.
Open to any thoughts or suggestions, thanks!
TLDR- help me get faster at the iron distance over the course of 1.5 years.
"One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time."