Fill in a workout on my weekly training schedule

Triathlon Forum
1

pertinent facts:

–MOP AG’er. Completed first IM this July. Completed 5-6 HIM distance races the past three years.

–No background or special talent in any discipline. Relative to the field, all abilities equal.

–FWIW, I ran a 45min 10K after 2x20min on the bike this past Sunday on no rest and little sleep. Best open half-mary time is 1:38.

–goal: sub-5:00 at challenge rancho cordova; 6.5 weeks away. I think my best chance to do this will be to get the bike down to 2:30. No way I’m going sub-30 for the swim, or less than 1:39 for the run. Realistic times would be 32 flat and 1:41. Best HIM so far was 5:11 at Vineman 70.3, which has a much hillier run than CRC will have.

–In writing the 8-week training schedule for this race, I thought I wanted Friday to be a long run with addition of tempo work. But in calculating the splits I’ll need to go sub-5, I now think I need to spend Friday on the bike. Problem is, I am planning high-intensity trainer rides on Thurs & Sat as well.

I would like your thoughts on the best use of Friday’s available time:

Monday rest or technique-oriented swim

Tuesday swim + 5-6 mile build run (high zone 2)

Wednesday 60-90 min bike ride, sufferfest video, IF 0.87 or higher

Thursday swim + 5-6 mile build run (high zone 2)

Friday your best idea here

Saturday bike 3x20min at threshold

Sunday bike 90-250min//ROTB 45-90min (the duration of this workout will increase up to 2 weeks out from the race)

thanks y’all.

2

Thursday swim + 5-6 mile build run (high zone 2)

With a 5-6 mile swim on Thursday I would say don’t swim on Friday! I assume you meant run.

3

Given your schedule, I’d say you’re leaving enough room for recovery and rest. I wouldn’t add anything more. I’d day Friday off completely. Your other sessions are likely suffering due to over training.

4

A couple of questions, and I’m asking as I took a MOP AGer (BryanD on ST) from mid 5:30s to low 4:40’s in roughly a year time frame. I’ve always had him run longer runs on days after intense bike sessions and then 2-3 days later come back with a harder tempo run day. He’s in your current pace range of the high 1:3x for half run.

Are the other days set in stone with those workouts?

I would see about making the Thur a longer run, and then use Friday as a easy active recovery day or a swim.

So then it would look like
Wed- Bike session day
Thur- Long Endurance run day
Friday- Swim day

5

A couple of questions, and I’m asking as I took a MOP AGer (BryanD on ST) from mid 5:30s to low 4:40’s in roughly a year time frame. I’ve always had him run longer runs on days after intense bike sessions and then 2-3 days later come back with a harder tempo run day. He’s in your current pace range of the high 1:3x for half run.

Are the other days set in stone with those workouts?

I would see about making the Thur a longer run, and then use Friday as a easy active recovery day or a swim.

So then it would look like
Wed- Bike session day
Thur- Long Endurance run day
Friday- Swim day

tuesday and thursday are pretty set as swim days b/c of pool availability.

thanks for your input, it’s a real puzzle to me this time around. but I could

Monday swim + run
Tuesday ride
Wednesday long run
Thursday off or swim
Friday tempo run
Saturday ride
Sunday brick . . .

I’d be pretty worked over by the time each Wednesday rolled around though. Hmm.

6

Given your schedule, I’d say you’re leaving enough room for recovery and rest. I wouldn’t add anything more. I’d day Friday off completely. Your other sessions are likely suffering due to over training.

Really, you are advocating 2 rest days per week?

7

Really, you are advocating 2 rest days per week?

Or at least an easy recovery day. Everyone’s philosophy is different. But I’m a subscriber to the “No medium workouts” philosophy. Either make them completely miserable or laughably easy. So yeah. I think this schedule is too heavy for that.

But that’s just my 2c.

8

Get a long run in there somewhere.

I’m have a young family and both the wife and I have full time jobs. Parental and household duties are split 50/50.
As a result, I can’t follow a schedule.

I do as follows:
Prio#1:
1 Long Run, 1 Long Bike, 1 Long Swim
Proi#2:
1 Tempo Run, 1 Sufferfest/FTP Interval set, or something similar on the bike, 1 Long Swim with some mod-hard stuff in there.
Prio#3:
1 Track session, 1 Long Interval set (4x20 minutes), 1 hard swim (10x400m on 0:15 rest - hold same Pace throughout)

It’s far from ideal but it’s where I am at the moment.

pertinent facts:

–MOP AG’er. Completed first IM this July. Completed 5-6 HIM distance races the past three years.

–No background or special talent in any discipline. Relative to the field, all abilities equal.

–FWIW, I ran a 45min 10K after 2x20min on the bike this past Sunday on no rest and little sleep. Best open half-mary time is 1:38.

–goal: sub-5:00 at challenge rancho cordova; 6.5 weeks away. I think my best chance to do this will be to get the bike down to 2:30. No way I’m going sub-30 for the swim, or less than 1:39 for the run. Realistic times would be 32 flat and 1:41. Best HIM so far was 5:11 at Vineman 70.3, which has a much hillier run than CRC will have.

–In writing the 8-week training schedule for this race, I thought I wanted Friday to be a long run with addition of tempo work. But in calculating the splits I’ll need to go sub-5, I now think I need to spend Friday on the bike. Problem is, I am planning high-intensity trainer rides on Thurs & Sat as well.

I would like your thoughts on the best use of Friday’s available time:

Monday rest or technique-oriented swim

Tuesday swim + 5-6 mile build run (high zone 2)

Wednesday 60-90 min bike ride, sufferfest video, IF 0.87 or higher

Thursday swim + 5-6 mile build run (high zone 2)

Friday your best idea here

Saturday bike 3x20min at threshold

Sunday bike 90-250min//ROTB 45-90min (the duration of this workout will increase up to 2 weeks out from the race)

thanks y’all.

9

Just an FYI you could make Friday a recovery run day. And put the tempo the 1st part of brick on Sunday. To break 5hr you don’t really need to brick (bike-run) that often and in your case having quality run will likely benefit you.