Hi,
I just got into a conversation with some marathoners about running miles per week, then freaked out that I’m not biking enough for my mid-September HIM. How many miles per week should I be biking 5-weeks out? What should I have been doing the past few weeks? The next few? Assuming enough running and swimming as well…
Thanks!
For a HIM, 5 weeks out, I’d be doing at least a 1-hour bike on Mondays (on my mountain bike for me) with some intervals OR hills. Weds I’d be doing a 40-mile bike/4-mile run off the bike. Friday, I’d be doing 30 minutes of steep hills, and then Saturday, a 50-60 mile ride. I’m an MOP’er with a PR of 5:08 for HIM.
I’m 11 weeks out from my “A” race, I’m doing about 200-250 on the bike, and about 30-35 running. I’m pretty much riding every day, even if its just 45 minutes of intervals on the trainer, tomorrow, I’m gonna do about 75-80 miles with a 15 minute t run.
I think it all depends on what your strengths are and what your goals for your race are.
I’d want to be accustomed to riding 80 miles or about 4 hours, then a couple of harder sessions to total about 150 miles per week. Your training load may vary.
Or, you can do it my way (not like Frank Sinatra 
and don’t ride a lot, but ride hard when you do.
I usually ride 2-3x a week.
1 ride short and very hard, aka Sprint or Oly pace (TT, hillclimb TT, hill repeats, 2x20, other intervals, that sorta stuff)
1 ride longer and pretty hard, aka HIM pace. (this can be anywhere from 2-3hrs typically)
1 other ride (usually “medium” time/distance, and of course, pretty hard)
2 years ago I avg’d less than 60 mpw on the bike all year. I rode 2:31 at Timberman (on a road bike).
This year I’m averaging less than 60 mpw, and rode 2:23 at Tupper Lake (on a tri bike).
(yes, the year in between I did do 2 IM’s, but even then I probably only averaged about 100 mpw, give or take. My biggest week ever was 240m, done once. I can count how many times in my life I have done over 200m in a week on one hand, with fingers to spare)
Anyway, don’t sweat the bike mileage. More is MORE, but you can get MORE by doing more intensity, rather than cranking out endless miles in z1 or z2.
PS - don’t worry about what you “should” have been doing, you can’t change that.
PPS - Don’t talk to marathoners about running for triathlon. They are 2 entirely different things.
the more important question is what are you currently doing for your riding? The follow up question should be how can I modify my training to maximize my time on the bike between here and the race? That answer is rather dependant upon the first answer.
what? i’m not sure what the hell you’re saying but way to help out someone looking for some advice/input.
what I’m saying is the OP posed a question in such a way that anyone who answered is at best throwing darts in the dark without even knowing where the target is.
So to answer in a meaningful way having a little backgound info would be nice. I can’t help someone if I don’t know where they are coming from or going to.
Very good advice.
That’s the way Tetsuoni does it too,and you both rode very well at Tupper.
So… you don’t believe that there’s some bare minimum threshold for HIM prep? It’s all just dart-throwing? I feel pretty comfortable telling just about everybody that they need to have a long ride of ~4 hrs and a couple shorter/harder rides. And if they can’t hit those targets, they should maybe not do a HIM.
But hell, Larsen won off of 6 miles per week running, who am I to tell him he didn’t run enough.
1 ride longer and pretty hard, aka HIM pace. (this can be anywhere from 2-3hrs typically)
That right there is 44-66 miles, for you off just one ride. I agree with your advice though - no need to piddle around, ride hard, ride fast.
“I feel pretty comfortable telling just about everybody that they need to have a long ride of ~4 hrs and a couple shorter/harder rides. And if they can’t hit those targets, they should maybe not do a HIM.”
My long ride this year will be 3 hours and I plan to go under 2:30 for the ride at Timberman so I don’t think you should feel that comfy. It was a pretty hard 3 hours though.
I plan on going 7:50 in my next Ironman off of 8 hours training a week. It was a pretty hard 8 hours though. I’ll report back to you when I actually do it.
No what i’m saying is it is irresponsible of you to tell someone that they need to be doing ~4hr for a long ride when quite possibly they only ride 3x week for 1hr. At this point 5 weeks out from the race, their training would be structured completely different then someone already riding 150+mpw consistently.
I do though have my thoughts on how to prep for a HIM as any one of my athletes that are on this board can attest to.
I’ve already done it on a harder course earlier this year (Mooseman) with the same training program. I ran a 1:22 after. Have you gone 7:50 yet?
So… you don’t believe that there’s some bare minimum threshold for HIM prep? It’s all just dart-throwing? I feel pretty comfortable telling just about everybody that they need to have a long ride of ~4 hrs and a couple shorter/harder rides. And if they can’t hit those targets, they should maybe not do a HIM.
But hell, Larsen won off of 6 miles per week running, who am I to tell him he didn’t run enough. No, he’s just actually bothered to read the original post and find out that what she wants is some guidance for the last five weeks of training, not a plan from scratch if she had six months to train. Since most of her training is already done, the right answer for her question really is “it depends upon what you have done so far”. FWIW, I’ve never done a four hour ride and have still managed to complete two half IMs under 5:30 on a $550 bike with hardly any upgrades. I know that’s not fast, but it’s certainly more or less respectable.
I’ve gone 15:00 hours in an Ironman. Congratulations to you. I’m impressed.
I’ve gone 15:00 hours in an Ironman
Maybe you should ask ST for advice based upon only that info. It might be helpful.
There’s nothing to be impressed about. The point Murhpy’s Law and I are trying to make is that it is possible to have a relatively successful HIM on less than 4 hr long rides.
Are you suggesting there is something wrong with me going 15 hrs in an Ironman? In any event, if I asked you for some advice, I’d get some cryptic response that has no meaning. And if I asked kdw for advice, he would tell me to ride hard for 3 hours and then I’ll be able to go 2:30 on the bike and 1:20 on the run. I think I got all the advice that I need. Thanks.