I am 3 weeks into my 13 weeks to an IM training program… Here is the update:
Week 1 - Wow, that was a lot of training. But I feel good. I am enjoying the upped intensity and milage. Good to be alive.
Week 2 - Oh my gosh, I am tired. but I am feeling stronger. I am strong in the water, running long and well. Enjoying the program.
Week 3 - I am at the edge. Oh my god, I am tired, not feeling well(caught minor cold), grouchy, snapping at my wife, no patience for my kids. I’m a basket case. I’m not sleeping enough, I’m a little off my ‘edge’ at work, wife’s going to kill me in my sleep. I am enjoying the increase in strength in my body, but I cannot keep this up for 10 more weeks. Get my divorce lawyer on the phone, I’m sure my wife has her on her speed dial!
I was supposed to run for 2 hours on Sunday but I bagged it and took the day off to spend with the family. I am taking today off too to mentally recover then we will see if can jump back into it. I think part of the problem was that I missed a workout mid last week so I doubled up a day later in the week and I have been in a death spiral since.
I have done 9 1/2 IM’s, but this IM beast is totally different. It is taking on a life of it’s own.
Any advise? Can I keep this and my family going for 10 more weeks. Is it worth it? I’m not sure I would want a tat after this because it may just bring back all kinds of bad memories about what is going on.
The grouchiness and short temper are sure signs for me that I am over doing it. It sounds to me like you jumped too much in your transition to your IM prep. Also, the statement that you enjoyed the “upped intensity and mileage” is a little bit of a flag, since I find it is pretty hard on the body for me to increase both at the same time. Getting sick is another huge flag.
I guess it’s safe to say that your IM is in 10 weeks. It’s also safe to say that you already know you are overdoing it.
Here’s my advice. You’re probably going to want to do another one when you finish, and you’re probably not going to go as fast as you think you can, or are capable of going. Also, family and health trumps all. Therefore, you have to prioritize such that the family doesn’t get sick of this to the point where if you even mention doing another one it brings out fire and damnation, and also that you are healthy enough to pick it up. Since the odds are physically against you about finishing this sucker fast on your first try, just do enough to get through it and finish strong. You’ve done 9 1/2’s, and while the full is a different beast, it doesn’t take a ton to finish, and finish with a decent time.
You’ve got six weeks to build before you taper. Get your long runs and rides in consistently, and train as much as you can and still keep everyone sane and healthy. Get 1 or 2 long swims in before the day, and you’re good to go. Don’t get stuck in the trap of following a plan, they are only a guide. Everytime I try to follow one I end up hurt.
I really like the periodization concept where you go hard (increasing levels) for three weeks followed by a recovery week (about half of the hours of your peak week). It really sounds like you need that recovery week. I get those same symptoms plus mentally I start losing mental IQ points, memory, vocabulary maybe even some gray cells. Back off every fourth week and you’ll probably do just as well and everyone will live to talk about it.
Went through similar thing when I was training for my first one last year. Am currently training for IM Lake Placid. The biggest piece of advice I can offer is to prioritize your workouts. The key workouts are the long rides and runs and an occasional long swim. Keep it all aerobic because you won’t be/shouldn’t be going anaerobic in your race and doing anaerobic work is not going to increase your aerobic capicity by much between now and your race. Listen to your body and don’t become a slave to your schedule. Sleep when your tired and don’t be afraid to cut workouts short if you aren’t feeling well. Try to keep things in perspective and when you start loosing perspective back off the training…it’s a sure sign your body is going overboard. In the infamous words of Tony Deboom it’s better to show up for your race 10-15% undertrained and fresh than 1% overtrained. Good luck , you’ll make it fine.
Missing a workout isn’t the end of the world (or your tri season) but doubling up to try and compensate is. Your most important workouts are your long ride, run and swim. Everything else is filler. Make sure you hit those and you’ll do fine. I got overtrained while training for my first IM and was a reall asshole to live with (just ask my wife, then girlfriend). Now I know the signals and listen to them.
Also, don’t underestimate the need for sleep. Our cats tend to make noise at night and that really disrupts my sleep. One night fine but two in a row and I’m close to getting sick/rundown. They are now banned from the bedroom at night, much to my wife’s chagrin. But without my sleep, there’s no way I can put in 20hrs/week IM training.
My guess is that you are doing the 13 weeks to a 13 hour IM. I did that program last year and have incorporated some of the theories into my training for this year. I reached the point that you are at a few times during my training but it was almost always in the third hard week, right before the easy week. Also, (if you are in fact doing that training program) you will start to get Fridays off in just a few weeks and that makes a huge difference. Personally what worked for me was getting to bed early and trying to avoid comparisons with others who were also doing IM. I was concerned that everybody was doing more than me so I was scared to death to miss a workout and had a tough time enjoying the easy weeks. I also thank my wife often for her understanding. Despite feeling grossly undertrained, I was able to finish the race last year with a smile and enormous sense of accomplishment. Good luck with your training and see you in LP.
In short - don’t use a 4 week periodized program - make it 3 weeks - 2 hard/1 easy. 2nd - if you miss a workout, forget it, it’s gone. Those two things alone will make your life a lot easier. As soon as you are grumpy, you are under rested. Just take a few days off, get the mood back and the wife happy - and then resume training. It should be fun, you should push yourself, and once again it should be fun. If it’s not fun, then why are you doing it?
Thanks very much for your replies and sage advise. Each one of you gave me something to help me out.
I have to take a couple of days off, realize that the workouts missed are in the past and I should move on. I need to make sure I get my long workouts in on the weekends and suppliment them with shorter workouts during the week. Most of all, I need to have fun and take care of the really important factors in life like wife and kids.
My so called sage advice, at least as far as IM training, has only been accumulated since last November. However, I think I have learned quite a bit in the last year from reading (and rereading and rerereading) Triathlete’s Training Bible. I have never done this periodization training before, at least formally. However, I have gone through 5 periods so far. The second and third base periods were quite interesting. The third base actually ended up requiring a week and a half of recovery. But, I have seen a lot of improvement, and I find myself able to handle much larger training loads and intensity. Note that it was well after 12 weeks of the program, not 3! I think you’ll do allright.
Now, if you are ten weeks out from your race, does that me you are doing IMC? If so I will be there as well. You’ll have to keep me informed as to how you are progressing.
Hey Guys, I am doing the Vineman IM. I have done the half there 4 times and it was my first half so it seems like a good choice to get my first IM there. But if anyone wants to get me an IM Canada spot when they are up there I would make it worth their while. Lets talk.
So, I was in a serious funk, you guys helped me immensly yesterday enough that I made it to Spin class this morning. I was still a little down halfway through the class when the Spin Instructor, my buddy Joe winked at me just as the next song was starting… Black Sabbath’s IRONMAN!
That got me going, all the IM feelings started rushing back to me. I feel back on track. 2 days off, some sage advise from good people on this forum and a little help from my friend Ozzy and I’m back!
You don’t have a job, you don’t race, you don’t train, you can’t spell to save your life, my 3 year old daughter has better grammatical skills than you, you are borderline suicidal and you probably haven’t been laid since the Carter administration.
You must have been in the Army with Tom D. In my MARINE CORPS, we call the troops to ATTENTION before ordering them to FALL OUT. It’s ok, it was a nice try at motivating the young trooper.
Like the saying goes: Not everyone can be a MARINE.
9 misspellings in your first post, 1 in your second and 2 in your third post. What is your primary language? I have no idea what you are trying to say in your third post.
“I’ll give you a power bar it you hug an 18 wheeler in the middle lane.”
There is no shame in going back to High School for your GED Tubbs.
Just sit back,let it roll off and relax OTG, it’s just Mr. Tibbs trying to help with some Texas styled motivation. He has obviously been standing out in that hot Texas sun too long, eating too much three alarm chili, and extra hot sauce with his chips. Anytime his mispellings get down to only one or two per post, we start to get worried about him.
The military is where I learned the true meaning of male bonding: love via abuse.
If you love something, verbally abuse it. If it comes back to you, then it it is yours to abuse. If not, then it’s just a big pussy and can’t handle the heat.
The only problem with having spent so much time learning to have a scathing retort to virtually anything anybody might have to say is that it is very difficult learning to turn it off in polite company.
Hint: Since insults are the way we show affection, you can tell who is genuinely disliked by observing who is ignored altogether.
It’s funny how you are treated special… like crazy Billy, the old man who lives down the block and tosses his poop at you if you walk in front of his house. Don’t mind him, he’s only Tibbs.
