have you asked your coach about your concerns?

like, really been honest about them i mean. it sounds like you have brought it up in passing, but not in seriousness.

I could have been more direct but yes

He has said its coming but a month out I believe he thinks it’s for my confidence only rather than it being necessary for someone in my position

I should go back and get him to confirm - I just wondered if anyone else has approached an IM similarly

IMO to have a solid race you have to be able to come 5-5.5 hrs on a bike and not be phased. I don't see anyway around it except to log alot of miles. If you are at the level where you could get a pro card and are just racing age group, then you can probably get around this, but otherwise my belief is miles make champs.

I think if you have done multiple IM's and KQ'd then you have a good grasp of what and how your body responds to training. I'd be more vocal with who is coaching you about this.

Thanks I am going to do that
I will be 49 come November and have had three real good years at IM but I certainly hit a plateau which I had put down to age

My bike and run have both improved this year which is great and I put down to the new stimulus

Question is whether it carries to IM without the longer rides etc as by now I would have a good 4 or 5 100 milers in the bank

The course is set somewhat given the time available now so guess we will find out

I did a couple of IM cycles on shorter and fewer than usual "long" rides and runs. Can't really remember how things turned out, other than the one after bike racing for a season went really well.

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As an experienced IM athlete I think it is important to be in great shape to start an IM block. In the training block the long runs and rides toughen up the legs for the event. I like to think that the longer rides and run 'bullet proof' or toughen up the legs from the abuse that they take from racing the distance. Based on experience and age the the final IM prep block length varies but I like at least a 6 week block with longer bikes and runs.

I am curious why wouldn’t you follow the same plan(s) which got you to Kona 3 times and a top 10 AG spot there?

You have placed 10 AG in Kona and you have a coach but you are asking random people on the internet for advice?

Sounds like you aren't happy and should speak directly to your coach.

Point well made and i am doing today

I guess I was looking for comfort rather than advice

I had a bad coach when i started out and it sticks with me , my personality flaw !
To answer the question above , it was a risk taking a new coach but I was bored and mentally burned out to some extent so took some time off working on my own but decided I needed a coach and wanted to try someone new - sounds crazy given I had done well but I needed to enjoy the sport again

thanks

Interested in the reply from the cosch here. Any come back?

More out of interest what made you chose your coach, I mean at your level you just don't sign up you ask what the programme will be and likewise I would assume a coach to ask what has worked in the past.
In other words your question us a bit surprising to me.
At the same time you seem to be in a good place and I would say you having many long rights under the belt is good and you won't need many and I would be happy to get faster at your age which is the more difficult thing to achieve with somebody that has your background.

As the others have said talk to your coach but at the same time seems like a good job you being faster.

Since I will be in KY and am your age, I suggest cutting the volume further! Seriously though, you are still the same person who KQ’d 3x. You should still be confident. And if you have a good race, then you have learned something.

Sounds like your reasons for the new coach fits what your goal was; to change it up. My thought is experience can outweigh volume to a certain degree. Given your experience I wouldn't get too worried about workouts not hitting epic proportions all the time. Although, it is nice to see a teensy bit more long stuff on the order of at least once a month in the base. How tough was the 4 hour ride, and did you run after it? If it was a struggle then maybe a little concern is warranted. However, keep in mind as we get older, our programs need to reflect that we just don't recover as fast. Hitting a 4.5-5 hour ride and 2.5 hour run every week is just plain risky as we age and if you already have years of high level experience.

Last IM cycle I had maybe 4 rides longer than 3.5 hours; 13-14 hour loading weeks in the build only, finished no problems FOP, even splits on the run. Only one of the long rides, and only one 2.5 hour run fell into the last 7 weeks before the race. The other long rides were more than 3 months out, and I did them more for fun, like a century or an out of town ride. 90 minute runs are really kind of a sweet spot for me honestly, you get some decent volume in but can keep the pace relatively high without hammering the body too hard. A handful of 2 hour runs plus the one long one were really all I needed, and did a metric IM rehearsal at the end of the build.

At the end of the day, look at what your top 3 goals were at the start of the program and be honest. See what your coach says and work it out. My opinion is don't bail on the coach now, you're kind of at a point of no return anyway so you might as well see it through. Going rogue you might sabotage yourself.

Best of luck

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Focus on your confidence. If you think this season's approach is detrimental to your upcoming performance it will be. If you think this season's approach is best, it will be. Either way you will be right. The best athletes keep challenging themselves to find the best solutions. You became a KQ with distance before. Many others try a faster, more intense approach with less than race distance mileage, and finish high or higher and earn a KQ spot. Others do a more balance approach. You're learning firsthand what is best for you. In some people, the solution changes over time as to what is best. And when other things in life get in their way, the mentality talented triathletes figure out how to get to where they want to be by adopting different training paths to reach their desired finish line. This season's experience will provide you with knowledge and solutions for future seasons. Writing from experience and observations. Be flexible. Learn. Apply.

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Hi UKINNY

I am 45M, did an IM this year. Won the AG. Went under 9h. Never run over 1h25 (20km). Never rode over 5h (165km). Never did a brick session. Average 15h of swim+bike+run a week.
It is possible.

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At the end of the day for triathlon, it almost doesn’t really matter what you do. The “plan” that the coach constructs for you makes up about 20% of actual coaching. The most important thing for the coach and the athlete is that you have “buy-in” for whatever it is you agree to do.

Sounds like you’re having some doubts about the program and putting yourself into a hope/fear cycle. I HOPE I’ve done enough, but I FEAR it won’t go well on race day. That’s what you’re training right now. It will make it tough to stay present, to execute in the race with the way you are training your brain to respond.

Hope this helps and good luck with your upcoming races.

Tim

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Sounds like you have a big base....so this type of training may benefit you. My best IM year was in 2010, when I did mainly 3-4 hour rides with intervals, while my buddies were doing big volume rides. While not in your league, I went 9:37 at LP that year. I'm a believer in quality over quantity, especially when you already have the base to start.

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Pat Dwyer
@pdwyer99

It is not a guarantee but there is a big chance you will be fine, especially that we consider it is a late-season race and you have a good base in terms of years and months of solid work. Long runs and rides are 50% fitness, 50% mental and 50% reality check on your bike position, nutrition, hydration and pacing. You can say that is 150%, but I have coached many KQ and Kona AG Winners so I know better :)

Best of luck! :)

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I was never as good or fast as you, however, my new coach* did something similar towards the end of my IM career (#8 of 9 total).

I hope it works out better for you than it did for me. He had me doing a lot of 2-3 hour rides with a 4 hr ride thrown in once I think. For runs I never went over 1.5 hours and a few times did 1.5 in the morning and another hour in the evening. About 6 weeks out I started asking if we were going to be doing 5-6 hour rides and longer runs. I was assured everything would be fine and have faith.

Come race day it was a mess. I felt great until around 4.5 hours on the bike and then I hit a wall and faded fast. Although I started the run in a bad way I was ok for about 6 miles and then came to a crashing halt ended up with my slowest Ironman (other than the one that I basically didn't train for).

Good luck!

* A well known and respected coach that is active on here.

I've finished 22 Ironman races, 15 as a pro, 3 Kona races as an amateur.
The longest single training ride I have done in the last 3 years is 2.5 hours. I have done long runs of two or so hours, but not very often.
I believe in the total weekly volume and consistent day in day out work. I think that I have done enough of the long races to do reasonably well.

Im also a stay at home dad who is self coached. I work around my kids schedules.

Listen to your coach. I think you are more than fine. So much can be done with consistent work and some good intensity.

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Have you heard the definition of insanity?

Easy answer: wants to finish higher.

You will be fine; I predict a great race..... follow the plan

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2024: Bevoman, Galveston, Alcatraz, Marble Falls, Santa Cruz

Due to life commitments, I find it pretty hard to get in lots of longer rides. For an IM at the end of June I maxed out at a 4 1/2 hr ride, but did a total of 5 rides of 4+ hours. All had power at least 10% higher than goal IM effort, with a lot of low cadence (<65) 85-90% efforts. I KQ'd for the first time, and am doing the same rough type of riding for Kona.

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There was a story at the 2016 Olympics about how Bernard Lagat (elite Kenyan-American runner, former 5000m world champion), who finished 5th in the Rio Men's 5000m at age 41, only ran something like 60 miles a week at most in his build-up to the Olympics. Of course earlier in his career he probably did many 100+ mile weeks. The rationale was after 20+ years of elite-level training he had little to gain from a bunch of long sustained aerobic efforts and focused more on intensity and recovery.