Expanding on the thread about how to use an extra hour a week for cycling, I’ve got a question.
How should I divide up about 200 miles a week of cycling(about 10 hours week) into my weekly schedule.
A little background info:
Training for IM FL in November. I follow a very balanced program of about 50% cycling time, 30% to running and 20% to swimming. I am about equally balanced speed wise in all 3 also. This will be my 4th IM and while I have done fairly well in 1/2’s(avg 22.5-23mph) at them and gone under 4.45 several times, I have absolutely sucked at my previous 3 IM attempts.
I’m thinking along of the lines of 4-5 rides a week consisting of:
I like the “main sets” concept for long rides. It helps me do really focused, race-specific work instead of just logging miles…other than that…looks about right to me.
Every other week, try and find a 20K, 10 mile or even 40K Time Trial. Many cycling clubs host these weekday evenings, and you don’t have to be a member or a licenced cyclist to enter. These are GREAT training opportunities, a real way to gauge your fitness and can be a great deal of fun.
I don’t know if there’s anything glaring being left out. But, if you’re training for an Ironman I would probably leave out the LT workout. May do some big gear stuff instead?
Also if you’re training for Ironman Florida I would get as much steady to mod-hard work (in the aero position) in as possible.
So:
1X Long Ride (EZ build to IM and HIM pacing mix, maybe some b.g.work at end) (100 to 120 miles)
2X 1.5 to 2 hours ( steady to mod, B.G workout) (25 - 35 miles)
1X 3-4 hours ( steady to mod, Group Ride (watch intensity)) (50 - 60 miles)
I don’t know if there’s anything glaring being left out. But, if you’re training for an Ironman I would probably leave out the LT workout. May do some big gear stuff instead?
I agree, 2x20 intervals are great for building your threshold but in an im you are never riding at threshold and it is really a different system than you will be using. I would probably put a longer tempo ride in place of it.
I agree, 2x20 intervals are great for building your threshold but in an im you are never riding at threshold and it is really a different system than you will be using.
Indeed, it’s all about specificity and doing a substantial amount of training at IM goal race pace is key. However, it’s never a bad thing to focus on the raising of ones Lactate Threshold through hard long intervals like this. It’s been proven that as LT goes up, it drags along with it, all the other key fitness parameters.
Indeed, it’s all about specificity and doing a substantial amount of training at IM goal race pace is key. However, it’s never a bad thing to focus on the raising of ones Lactate Threshold through hard long intervals like this. It’s been proven that as LT goes up, it drags along with it, all the other key fitness parameters.
I definitely agree, I just don’t think that doing 2x20’s or LT work every week is the best possible training you can do for an im, maybe twice a month. but i’m no expert, just my opinion.
Looks good…about what I’d do if I had time to ride 4x/week. I would probably make my long ride more of a mixed effort as opposed to just fartin around for 5hrs.
I disagree with all the others re: LT. I think you want a long ride, an LT set, a big gear set every week. If you are strong and recover well - then you can throw in main sets into the long ride. If you throw the big gear work into the long ride - then you could consider making the 2nd ride a medium long ride with some steady thrown in. You could skip the easy ride if you needed to add that time to the medium long one. I’m still playing with frequency and trying to figure out if 3 good/quality days are better than riding more frequently (5+ with only 1-2 quality days with 3-4 just ride/easier days…). I’m also not sure what easy rides on the bike do for me if anything…trying to figure it all out.
I’d change things by adding lots of long race pace efforts into your long ride. Something like 45min warm up, 4hr at IM pace, 30min ez, 2-3 x20 min at 40k pace, cool down.
for your steady 2-3hr ride maybe do some big gear and some sub LT work in that ride as well.
2 more rides relatively easy.
I’d never shy away from a hill either, if it were me.
The key to running well in an IM is being able to ride at a comfortable intensity for 5hrs. If all your long (4+ hr) rides are easy then you crush the bike but crush your legs for the run.
Recent research shows that those who preform better at IM races typically ride more miles than those that preform less well.
Something like 45min warm up, 4hr at IM pace, 30min ez, 2-3 x20 min at 40k pace, cool down.
Wow. 2 or 3 x 20min at 40K pace is a very difficult workout, but you want to precede that with over 5 hours in the saddle and 4 hours of that at a race pace one can only expect to hold for about 5-6 hours? Sounds like a workout set up for failure.
Not trying to be a jerk, but seriously, have many people been able to pull something like that off?
2-3 x20min @ LT is not really a hard workout. It’s roughly LT for most people. Most people race IM’s in Z1 to mid Z2.
As for the people who have pulled that off, I can think of two IM winners, and several AGers that I know. Probably about 15 people in total that I know have done that or even more intensity at the end of a ride.
For me, last summer, I was doing “sorta-weekly” 2x10 mile TT’s at L4 (like 24 mins without the aero stuff) with about 5min recovery at L1 in between. I was toast after this, but I did pedal at L1/2 for three hours for the time in the saddle, but not 5 hours. These workouts made me faster than I ever was, or have been (May 04 was a PR month for me).
'05 was scrapped /// whatever, I needed a break to compose myself and get back to the basics of it all, and just freaking ride my bike.
For '06 I will try other days of L4, so … 2 hours total riding om my primary ME day with 40 minutes of L4 (2x20’s) is plenty enough, I have enough pain to catch up on when the weekend death march rides roll around. Ackk.
Felt GREAT today, for the first time in a while, did 7 repeats up Torrey at 6’ish mins ea, seated, spinning 70-80 rpm, L4-5, and smiling!
Joe, by the way, I owe you for pointing me onto those tires, they ROCK.
2-3 x20min @ LT is not really a hard workout. It’s roughly LT for most people. Most people race IM’s in Z1 to mid Z2.
As for the people who have pulled that off, I can think of two IM winners, and several AGers that I know. Probably about 15 people in total that I know have done that or even more intensity at the end of a ride.
I’d be really interested to see the power data from those workouts. Those guys/gals are serious studs. It sounds otherworldly to me, though I havn’t been in the biz very long. How many days to recover from a workout like that? Probably a TSS (cycling peaks lingo for those who are wondering) in the 4-500’s?
And its more fun.
/// whatever, I needed a break to compose myself and get back to the basics of it all, and just freaking ride my bike.