What is a realistic goal for improving one’s IM run time over a nine month span? Assume one has completed three IMs, improving run time from 4:13 (IMLP 2004) to 4:03 (IMFL 2005) while raising one’s weekly mileage from about 20-25 miles to 30-35 miles (during IM specific prep periods) during that span (under the guidance, for the first time, of a good coach in 4 month prep for IMFL 2005). Assume further that one will have alot of time to train and is willing to run as much as his body can take between now and IM Canada and where one is hoping (dreaming?) to go 3:40-3:45. Impossible? Quite unlikely? Outside chance? Realistic if you put the work in? What is generally the weekly mileage (and/or stand alone PR times) of folks who run in this range?
Bike more. I dropped my run from 3.53 to 3.23 in IM.
Remember that 10 minutes lost on the bike can equal to 30 minutes gained on the run.
Paul
a little bit of a different question but along the same road…is there a general thought on how much slower your IM marathon generally is that your stand alone marathon time?
I couldn’t agree more. All the run training and ability means nothing if you’re ON or NEAR ‘Empty’ when you leave T2.
Bike More.
Work on Swim and more importantly Bike Pacing
Work on Bike and Run nutrition
Work on running strong (not fast). Build volume through frequency (run 5-6 X’s per week) Train in the hills and rolling terrain. Do some trail running. 40 to 50 miles (edit from: 30-40 upon reflection 
a week with proper bike training/pacing/nutrition there shouldn’t be a problem to run 3:40-3:45.
this is not an indictment, but a question. i read a lot here that more biking will improve IM run splits. I even hear it a lot from some guys i ride with (who, when they do/did ironman races, would ride huge miles). inevitably among these guys, they ALL blew up on the run (multiple times for more than one person). but yet they still all say they need to improve thir riding and ride more.
me on the other hand, in my one ironman race, probably did more running than biking in preparation (not total miles, but proportionate training), had a decent bike split and a pretty good run split.
so why not run more? sure you can’t start the run shattered from the bike. but you can start the run fresh as a daisy, and if you can’'t put out a decent run time, you’ll still suck on the run. isn’t it really about managing expectations/performance on the bike? how many guys do you hear say “i went too hard on the bike, if i had only biked more . . .” hell, why not NOT go too hard on the bike? is it “the bike is God” mentality sometimes appearing on this forum. why not exhibit some self control based on how you biked in training, and then KNOW what you’ll have left for the run? wait, your stomach shut down on the bike, which it never did in training? maybe because you never rode that hard for 5-6 hours in training and then tried to run.
whose quote was it that bike fitness is like a nuclear arsenal - best when NOT used? so why use it if you ahve it, or why try to use it if you DON’T have it, and then screw the pooch ( a classic Corey Feldman quote) on the run.
Again, i am not indicting anyone, just trying to learn/understand. my way may well be wrong. i would love to hear from those who have tried/done it both ways, or those who coach athletes and how they prep those athletes.
thanks
Some good points. Say you want to run a 3:30 IM split which is an 8min/mile pace. You had better be doing most of your runs at a 7min/mile pace. You also need to keep run volume high, meaning 40-50 miles per week. 30-35 miles/week isn’t enough to achieve your potential.
I couldn’t agree more. All the run training and ability means nothing if you’re ON or NEAR ‘Empty’ when you leave T2.
One of, if not the, the top AG IMers regularly on this forum told me (the whole forum?) he focused on run training last year. Sub-5 bike, 3:10 run. Just another data point.
I have to agree that the bike is extremely important and sets up the run. However, I also believe the only way to run better is to run more. I also think that certain runners/triathletes can only handle so many miles. I think you need to balance running alot of miles with how much you personally can handle w/o injuries.
If you cannot run well your upside is limited in the sport. No manner how well you swim or bike you need to back it with a decent run. I do not think it is uncommon for elite/pro atheletes to run 70+ a week.
Bottom line… you want to finsh the run comfortably bike alot. You want to run fast run alot, but also keep your bike mileage high.
I have never really subscribed to the bike more theory to help the run but it apparently works for others. I found over the course of 10 IMs that to improve my run times I had to increase my volume and intensity (pace) in training. I stay in the 35-45 miles/week range and typically run somewhere around 3:30-3:45 - not extremely fast but still pass a lot of folks. I am also a big believer in intense power crank sessions to help the run but that is a different thread altogether!
I couldn’t agree more. All the run training and ability means nothing if you’re ON or NEAR ‘Empty’ when you leave T2.
One of, if not the, the top AG IMers regularly on this forum told me (the whole forum?) he focused on run training last year. Sub-5 bike, 3:10 run. Just another data point.
Any more details Ken? What age group and how much run training / bike training compared to previous years?
whose quote was it that bike fitness is like a nuclear arsenal - best when NOT used? thats a Gordo quote i do believe.
Running more is great, but an IM run is pretty slow, even a “fast” IM run is slow. I would consider running a 7.30 mile in an IM fast, but in reality all that is a fast jog, shuffle. If you build a huge base on the bike, running at that pace should not be a problem. Running a lot/long is a great invitation for injury. Personally I never run more than 12-13 miles, but I try to run frequently.
All that said, I have only done two IMs. In Florida I gave thought to biking 4.50ish, but decided to hold back a bit. Came in with a 5.06 split and was able to shuffle thru a 3.23 marathon,which once again is not that fast. When I came of the bike I felt like I bike 20 miles not 112. In order to be fresh here I had to slow down on the bike.
I argue with a friend of mine all the time over this approach. I do agree that bike endurance is imperative if you want to be able to run after the bike but I think in order to run a good IMan marathon you better be prepared to run a really fast stand alone marathon. The trick is holding back on the bike. It’s tough to hold back enough on the bike because even if your comfortable you’re probably still going too hard. It’s all about the run!
I’m assuming this is you:
04’ IMLP…Swim 1:15 Need to work on swim lots of energy going into just staying afloat. Your IMF swim was much better.
Bike:
Lap1: 2:47
Lap2: 3:02
Delta: 15 minutes
Generally people who do “well” relatively at LP on the run have a delta of 10 minutes or less. 10 - 15 minutes is a witching zone were it’s hit or miss. Above 15 minutes it’s usually a long day on the run.
So was it pacing or nutrition or endurance?
Florida bike there wasn’t a split posted. Your time: 5:2X??
Run at L.P.
Lap One: 1:58
Lap Two: 2:14
Generally to say you had a good run you want it below the Dev. Paul’s 10 minutes positive split rule.
So was the drop off on the second lap…Due to bike pacing, bike nutrition, run pacing, run nutrion…
My 0.2 cents.
to be fair if i remember this post correctly, this particular Age group already had a devastatingly fast bike split though right? (and i dare say quite a few years of IM training in him)
I think if you’ve only 1-2 IM races under your belt you should still focus on bike volume and running focus should be on running “strong” (as posted above) with consistent(not huge) volume, plenty of hills/trails and tempo runs rather than flat out speed work.
with 3-4 IM under your belt you are probably closer to a maxing out your bike performance and have also built up strong endurance legs over this period. At this point i think the increased run volume/speed work combination can be sustained without injury and hence yield better run results come race day.
Thanks for the reply!
At IMLP, I think I slowed down on the run because I had simply not run enough in preparation it being my first IM (focused alot on bikes miles in training, felt decent off the bike and had no nutrition issues). In sum, it was my first race of this distance and my legs just wore down, particularly after 18-20 miles.
At IMFL I had at 5:24 bike split holding back quite a bit for most the ride (ave HR 142). In fact, I think I would have negatively split the ride but for the headwind the last couple miles. In retrospect, I actually think I should have pushed it a bit more. For the run I was around 57:30 + 1:00:30 = 1:58 for the first loop then 1:02:30 + 1:03 = 2:05:30 for loop 2 for a total time of 4:03:38, meaning I postively split it by about 7:30 minutes. Again, no real nutrition problems though the heat on the first loop was an issue (ave HR throughout was 148). I ascribe the improvement from IMFL to an increase in volume, frequency, more running at slightly faster than IM pace and better bike pacing.
This being the best I could muster, however, I am wondering if a 3:40-3:45 is within the realm for next year even if I can slowly build the volume to 40-45 miles a week without injury (including running 5x a week with alot of running at 7:00-7:30 pace) while continuing to improve the bike and swim (though I think they need somewhat less work) to get to where I want?
Be real interested in hearing from anyone who has made such a jump in a year and what they thought the keys to success were.
I couldn’t agree more. All the run training and ability means nothing if you’re ON or NEAR ‘Empty’ when you leave T2.
One of, if not the, the top AG IMers regularly on this forum told me (the whole forum?) he focused on run training last year. Sub-5 bike, 3:10 run. Just another data point.
Any more details Ken? What age group and how much run training / bike training compared to previous years?
“Same bike volume as in previous years (150/wk ave, peak 200), maybe slightly higher run volume (48 mls/wk ave, peak 55), but obviously if you knock 6 miles off your longest run then you’re going to increase your run frequency a little. So the total quality for the week goes up and the beatings go down if you drop your super-long runs.”
35-39. More run miles, at faster pace. Clearly, this guy had the “base”, talent, and previous results. Not to mention hours in the week…
Hate to break it to you guys, but training for an Ironman requires you to run a lot and bike a lot and swim some too. What am I missing??
I think you need a combination of bike miles to build strength, intelligent pacing on the bike so you have something left in the tank, and doing your running at a pace much faster than your 3:40 goal pace so your “slow down” due to the 6-7 hour warmup isn’t huge. I’ve spent the past few years relying on my run background and only done in the 35-40 mile/week range while training for IM and ramped my bike miles up 160-200k/wk more than in previous years. This year (if I can ever get my leg injuries to heal up), I’m planning on tapping into the base I’ve been building on the bike and maybe doing a little less but cranking up my running to 60+ mile/weeks in the new year to see if I can get down close to 3:00 in an IM.