Is this a book? Where can I get my hands on this training plan?
Is it any good?
All these “crash course” training plans are marketing fluff.
There is no substitute for being consistent and averaging 12+ hours per week for 2 years. This will ensure that you will get through an Ironman.
If you can AVERAGE an Ironman of training distance per week for 2 years, you will be set. This means averaging 4K of swimming, 180K of biking and 42.2 K of running for a couple of years straight.
This whole 13 weeks to sub 13 is a bogus symptom of the “McCulture” we live in. No one wants to do the hard work blue collar style through rain, snow, heat and humidity, in the dark and in blazing sun. If you do 2 years of “one Ironman of distance per week” you will be ready and will have experienced all extremes and be mentally ready.
Ironman is not a “FINAL EXAM” that you can cram for.
Actually, my wife found this a pretty effective first IM plan. (Finished her first in 13:17) The premise is not “cram for the exam”, but assumes a pretty good traing base, and a reasonable approach to a first attempt at the distance.
Here’s a link: http://www.tc.umn.edu/~lang0134/13weeks
Note: The wife has done six more IMs, and has used coaches or other plans, but Gale is a good coach, and she liked her approach.
I think the title is a little mis-represented… Should probably read something like…
“13 Weeks to a sub 13hr IM, if you already have a strong endurance base.”
PS- I do have Gale’s book with a number of her “training plans”. I refer to them, but don’t follow them.
Her book has a more thorough explanation. And she does not suggest that one begin from zero fitness. She presumes a base already in existence before you start the plan. I have read many posters say this plan worked for them if they have a moderate goal. Frankly, I never heard anyone ridicule the plan until now. I am not sure that Dev has tried it though.
My friend used this, and he had exactly the same experience as me, i.e. first Tri was to be an IM, and we did 8 months of training for it. He went sub 11 hour. So it can’t be that bad.
Everybody jumps on my case for liking low mileage/low time plans for IMs where the goal is just to finish but if you are in the market for those, there are 2 with lower times than Gale. One is the book beIRONfit by Don Fink
which (for the JUST TO FINISH plan) is a 30 week program with 10 weeks of base fitness going from 4 up to 7 hours per week. 10 weeks of build taking you from 7-10 hours per week and then about 10 weeks at 10 hours per week with a taper at the end.
The other is The 12 week triathlete by Tom Holland http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1592331262/104-1500014-0804761?v=glance
which (for the JUST TO FINISH plan) is a 12 week program with 4 weeks around 5 hrs per week, 3 weeks around 8-9 hours and 3 weeks around 13-15 and then 2 weeks of taper. In this one, it’s clear you would need a pretty decent endurance base before the start. I haven’t done the IM with his plan but did the Olympic and 1/2-iron using the Just to Finish plan and was able to do them both.
SOme things to know about the three:
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Gale has a bit more focus on swimming than the other 2 so if that is a weak spot for you, it might be a good one. She doesn’t do many bricks along the way. This book of plans doesn’t include much in the way of nutrition guidance for the race.
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Fink has you race an olympic and a half along the way as preparation. Has some more detailed info on nutrition plan for the race. Follows the “never increase more than 10% per week” rule.
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Holland’s main structure is a big brick every week followed the next day by the long run and ramps up faster than 10% per week. These are both an excellent way to build up strength/endurance in a short period but, if you have no base, will make you more prone to injury.
This whole 13 weeks to sub 13 is a bogus symptom of the “McCulture” we live in.
If you look at her “prerequisites” … that program is not for a newbie.
“13 Weeks to a sub 13hr IM, if you already have a strong endurance base.”
Yup. If you add her “paces” together of what you should be able to do BEFORE you start the program, it IS a 13h IM. She just seemingly helps “put it all together”.
IMO, beIRONfit, by Fink is a great book. Much more useful for the “neophyte” than Friel’s TTB. Once oyu get more xperience, TTB becomes a lot more useful.
Fink writes about only the stuff you need to know. Leaves out the fluff AND gives you a long plan (not some 12-week cram-fest) based on what type of athlete you are. The book does not get enough recognition IMO.
I also like Scott Herrick’s 20-Wk 1/2 and full IM plans at beginnertriathlete.com
Over the last 4 years, her book got me through my first Oly, my first 1/2 and this year my first full in 12:46. I like the book because it has real plans with hours/pace not just a bunch of jumbled ideas where you have to come up with your own plan. To do the 13 week plan, you defnitely need to have a large base built up. I did the 27 week plan and the 1st part is all about building the base fitness needed.
What is the book called and where did you buy it?
Dev -
While I agree with about 98% of the good stuff you write on this Board, Dev, I think your comments are highly generalized on this one point. Gale’s plans, IMO, are quite thoughtfully done, and if followed properly, can get an average, time-crunched athlete with a decent base to go sub-13.
I did my first IM sub-12 hours on 12 weeks of about 11-12 hours weekly. Before that my average weekly hours were 6-8. I have never had back-to-back weeks of 26.1 miles running for any IM or 1/2 IM I have done, which is a decent handful now. I simply do not have that much time to commit, and my body does better on a low-run volume, higher bike volume approach. And I am nothing more than the average Joe.
I used a coach that laid out great plans for me, though structurally they were not that much different than Gale’s. My advantage with this coach is that he knew me physically quite well and developed specific workouts to address limiters.
It would be great if all of us could devote 20 or 25 hours weekly toward this great sport. Most of us cannot. But that does not mean that doing IMs on less training results in poor results or higher probability of failure. The key is maximizing what limited time you have and then racing sensibly.
Cheers.
Robert
For Gale, it’s the book listed above–Training Plans for Multisport Athletes.
You can also buy just the one plan itself on TrainingPeaks.com.
I did my first IM sub-12 hours on 12 weeks of about 11-12 hours weekly
What was you previous triathlon experience?
I don’t know that your situation and the situation DevPaul is discussing are the same or even similar.
All these “crash course” training plans are marketing fluff.
There is no substitute for being consistent and averaging 12+ hours per week for 2 years. This will ensure that you will get through an Ironman. I used this plan after building/maintaining a solid base in the off-season and went 10:42 at IMLP this year…I may have averaged 12+ hours per week for the past two years, but most of it has been on the bike. Similar to you, I didn’t really hit the pool until April/May. I think these plans can work for people who already have a solid foundation.
See above
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TripleThreat,
My first IM was after 18 months in the sport. I had 2 halves under my belt (slow, at 5:59 and 6:01), and a handful of sprints and olys. I had never trained more than 10 hours weekly (average was typically about 6-7). I had never swam more than 2K continuous. I had never run more than 20 miles in one week. My longest “run” ever was in the 1/2 IM. My longest bike was 87 miles. Not ideal by any stretch, but it’s what I had. I debated that IM internally for quite some time, and never thought I was was making a McDonald’s-type decision to proceed. Frankly, it’s one of the more powerful experiences I’ve had. No regrets.
Robert
IMO, beIRONfit, by Fink is a great book. Much more useful for the “neophyte” than Friel’s TTB. Once oyu get more xperience, TTB becomes a lot more useful.
Fink writes about only the stuff you need to know. Leaves out the fluff AND gives you a long plan (not some 12-week cram-fest) based on what type of athlete you are. The book does not get enough recognition IMO.
I agree with you whole heartedly…That this book makes sense and doesn’t seem to get recognition. I read most of the top selling books before I picked up Finks beIRONfit. For whatever reason, his book seemed to be in english, and a sound plan. I’ve been using his Competitve Plan for my first IM this October. (Not that I’m competitive, but I do have 15-20 hours a week available. )
How many other people have read most other plans and continually ask the question, “What the hell is my Lactate Threshold”. Personally, I’m an age grouper. I just need to have approx HR values to “Finish” a race and most plans that call for you to be +5 beats over lactate threshold alway’s seem to be confuse me.
Disclaimer - I know Don and his wife Melanie. I see them regulary at the pool and occasionally sign up for the Masters program they run. So I may be a little bias, but I really do believe in his principals and WILL show up confident that I have trained properly for my first IM.
RA…then her branding is poor. Its not 13 weeks to a 13 hour Ironman, more like 2 years of consistent training and then 13 weeks of specificity to a 13 hour Ironman. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, I think that is perfect.
They have a saying in marketing that your tagline should never misrepresent your product…
If she says that you have to do the homework before the final lead up, then that is cool. I just don’t think anyone should expect to go from zero training to sub 13 in 13 weeks without the possibility of some injury or bad things happening on race day.
I figured you had at least one previous season under your belt. 18mo training is not a far stretch from the 2years that DevPaul is advocating.
I think DP is referring to folks that get off the couch looking for a “13 week program”.
Dev,
I don’t have her book in front of me, but some of her “prerequisites” for starting the plan include minimum abilities in swim, bike, and run distances and times. And they are not all that challenging, but definitely well above couch-potato initial status.
And she basically says that if, after reviewing the suggested workout sked for the first week, you think it looks “too easy”, then you are ready to get started, but if it looks too challenging, then you should reevaluate whether or not this training plan is for you.
So, since ya haven’t actually read the book, I think we can all say that we (as always) appreciate your insights, but in this case you are barking up the wrong tree. You and Gale are mostly in agreement.
PS - In terms of inaccurate marketing and taglines, another interesting one is, for Don Fink’s excellent Be IRON Fit book, there’s a blurb on the cover that says “Includes 12-week training plans!”. It doesn’t. There are 3, 30-week plans, there is nothing remotely resembling a 12-week plan in his book.