Need advice. I can either do a 20 mile training run or an Olympic distance race 3 weeks from IM CDA. My long runs in my 20 week training program will consist of an open half mary with :30 min cool down, roughly 3 x16 milers and an 18 miler before this weekend in question. I also have a sprint tri scheduled the following weekend (2 weeks out) for tune up purposes.
My thoughts are, I want to get some race experience before my “A” race for transition and competition purposes, but a 20 miler would be my last big effort to give me confidence going into my IM. I have done “A” races in the past with no tune up races beforehand and felt they really would have helped.
FYI, my background is 10+ years of Tri, 4 x 70.3, never done an IM or a open marathon.
Feel free to flame my stupidity/ lack of experience. Thanks!
I would do the 20 miler. Preceded by an hour on the bike.
Transitions aren’t going to be that big of an issue in an IM, plus you are already doing a race 2 weeks out. You should already have “race experience for transition and competition purposes” with 10 years+ under your belt.
Since you’ve never done an IM or marathon, I’d say it’s more important to introduce your legs and body to the long run.
Dude, with 10 years of experience 3 weeks out from an IM, the hay’s already in the barn, you aren’t going to “improve” your conditioning too much. If the Oly+sprint sounds like fun, go for it, but beware that you could hurt yourself, or set yourself back recovery wise and screw up your taper. Because I like to race, I’d do those, but I would do my best not to “race” them, especially on the run.
I would race. Way more fun. Just have that big run 4 weeks out be your last long run and throw in a couple 10-12 mile runs 10-20 days out. The couple guys who I know who race CDA well are finished with really big workouts after Memorial Day weekend. Then they will race 2 or 3x the month before (halfs, olys & sprints). I’m really glad I did a half 3 weeks before and an oly race 2 weeks before my IM. I know guys signed up for the Oliver half & CDA 2 weeks later (bit risky I think, but I bet they’ll do well).
I realize I’m leading with my own bias, but I think the Oly race would be a better “tune-up” whereas the long run would be more likely to run the risk of beating your legs up too much.
I’ll be 36 for the race. Safe to say we’re in the same AG?
You guys are making a lot of sense. Throughout college, I always needed a long taper, and I was a sprinter. 3 weeks may not be long enough to fully be rested from a 20 miler.
Yup, I’ll be 38. I hope I was clear enough that I was joking. I think the race is clearly the better choice, shorter+intensity fits perfect into a taper. 20 Miler - 3 weeks out is too big of risk for an injury.
Don’t we always wish we had done just one more long run in training at mile 16 of the IM marry? The long run will put more money in the bank than the oly race. Especially considering the fact you are doing a sprint the next week. Normal transition race set up has no bearing on transition practice for an IM, so that’s a mute point. Transitions are completely different in IM with the tents and bags etc… Throw in a hard 40k bike ride before the long run and your workout is golden compared to the oly.
It depends on what your goal in doing the Oly is. If it’s to have fun, then do it. If it’s to run faster a marathon at CDA, then I don’t think it’s going to happen. I’d probably reconfigure the schedule and do 2x16, 2x18, and 1x20, but that’s just me. Good luck and see you at CDA.
