Swim, bike, run, eat well, repeat for 4-5 years.
That’s the essense of triathlon. There are no shortcuts.
I think I’ve figured out why you are not the editor/author of a triathlon-related magazine. =)
same story in other sports, strength-trianing, etc. Consistent, progressive training/practice over a decent amount of time. Unfortunately, that doesn’t sell well to customers looking for a “8 week miracle”.
Are you also saying that we don’t need a training plan? I have done many an IM without a training program (just by doing what I do normally) and finished in a respectable time. However, you have to admit that a program definitely helps. I’ve had my best years when following a training plan. I don’t think the 13 week program is called - “couch potato to 13 hr IM, in 13 weeks”. There definitely has to be a base, and maybe more than that.
Tritnow ~ The nutrition chapter is brief with only the bare essentials. (Macronutrients, micronutrients, benchmark formulas for calorie consumption and calories burned per kg in each sport, supplements and ergogenic aids.) Monique Ryan does a good job in her book “Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes”. Actually, I have several sports nutrition books in my library.
Frogonawire ~ At less than $0.90 per book royalty, my husband says I need to spice up my training books with murder, mystery and of course sex - then perhaps I’ll sell a few million of them. 
How many subscribers on this site?
TripleThreat ~ Excellent titles! You made me LOL.
Gale
Thanks, I have Monique Ryan book and it is good.
Looking forward to the sex in your upcoming training books.
Gale,
I hope you don't mind me asking a quick question. I used your book to get me through a 1/2 Ironman last spring, and intend to use the Ironman performance plan this Spring. I prefer to do my long ride on Saturday and long run Sunday. I switched the days as an option to your plan, but have wondered what to do with the Friday ride?
Do you recommend back to back rides Friday and Saturday? Or should the Friday ride be moved to accomodate the long Saturday ride?
Thanks for taking the time,
Dennis
Gale, thanks for the clarification, so just like National Inquirer, Triathlete Magazine in an effort to sell more copy, coined the title. So you aren’t to blame, for the slight “overpositioning of the title”, but the magazine :-).
I still maintain that title is questionable, regardless of who coined it since even the plan’s athlete profile assumes that the athlete has been doing something prior to the 13 week period
Triple Threat…here is another one:
“Ten Years to a Terriffic Base”
The plan is easy. Roll out of bed every morning and do 30 min to 3 hours of exercise at a low aerobic intensity for 6 days a week for 11 months a year. One - two month per year, do intervals and incrementally improve your efficiency and coordination at all three sports. Take a month of active rest that includes hiking and playing other sports but generally non structured activity to regenerate both physically and mentally.
Repeat every year for 10 years
Seriously folks, this stuff is DEAD simple. All you have to do is be consistent week in week out, month in month out, year in year out. If you look at all the studs floating around 35-49 this is why they are so fast.
I am sure that Gale will agree with this. The 13 weeks is all the specificity you need for a given event and that applies whether you are racing a 10K, marathon, Olympic tri or Ironman
How many weeks to Florida? If I could get in I’d bet that I could crank out a sub-10 in less than 10 weeks of training … maybe that would be the makings of a book I could sell (I’ll just leave out the 27 years of base work that I’ve done)
Ironman is not a “FINAL EXAM” that you can cram for… idid and maybe just lucky cda 1st im 11.05…hhhhhhhmmmmmmm maybe i can do better if i dont cram…
Gale,
I hope you don’t mind me asking a quick question. I used your book to get me through a 1/2 Ironman last spring, and intend to use the Ironman performance plan this Spring. I prefer to do my long ride on Saturday and long run Sunday. I switched the days as an option to your plan, but have wondered what to do with the Friday ride?
Do you recommend back to back rides Friday and Saturday? Or should the Friday ride be moved to accomodate the long Saturday ride?
Thanks for taking the time,
Dennis
Gale, thanks for the clarification, so just like National Inquirer, Triathlete Magazine in an effort to sell more copy, coined the title. So you aren’t to blame, for the slight “overpositioning of the title”, but the magazine :-).
I still maintain that title is questionable, regardless of who coined it since even the plan’s athlete profile assumes that the athlete has been doing something prior to the 13 week period
Ah, can’t blame Triathlete for the first title. I thought the question was where the second “sub” title came from. I take full blame for the first “13-Hour…” column and trying to be creative and interesting with the titles of most (some get edited) of my columns. I can’t speak directly for Triathlete, but I have to assume they try to make the magazine covers interesting so, of course, people purchase magazines off the stands. As for comparing Triathlete with National Enquirer, I think that’s an inaccurate statement - but then we’re all entitled to our opinions, eh?
Gale
Gale:
Are there 2 plans -
“13 weeks to a 13hr IM” and
“13 weeks to a SUB 13hr IM”,
or just 1 plan with 2 names? I have never seen the “Sub 13” plan. Is it available online anywhere???
Thanks
Training Plans for Multisport Athletes. I got my copy at Amazon.com, the local book shop was out of it at the time.
Gale:
Are there 2 plans -
“13 weeks to a 13hr IM” and
“13 weeks to a SUB 13hr IM”,
or just 1 plan with 2 names? I have never seen the “Sub 13” plan. Is it available online anywhere???
Thanks
Bilmas ~
Yes, two plans as you describe. The first one on the list is available in the book, “Training Plans for Multisport Athletes” as well as an interactive version at http://www.trainingpeaks.com/gale/fulldescription.asp?plankey=77
The second one “sub” is available in an interactive version at http://www.trainingpeaks.com/gale/fulldescription.asp?plankey=84
Supporting documents for the online versions are in the “Supporting Documents” box at http://www.trainingpeaks.com/gale/
Hope that helps. If you end up using one of them, let me know how it goes ~
Gale
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.
i realize this post is old, but it popped up in my google search so will others as well. I used the 13 hours plan for my first ironman - and i finished in 13:45. I did not average any of those numbers posted - at any time, much less for a couple years straight. However, I have always played a lot of basketball and soccer. My point - everyone is different. If all you do for exercise or ever did was tri training, then perhaps, but just like studying for the final exam, same thing does not work for every person.
This worked fine for me and it will some others. others it won’t
I and my buddy had good results using this plan. I just can not carry a heavy training load for a whole year. I can keep a pretty steady base and carve out 13 weeks to bring it up. I might do better with another plan but most likely only marginally.