Ironman Training Hours (minimum)

Triathlon Forum
1

Well I am looking at doing my firat full IM in August. I had a good idea of how I was going to train, but a new carreer positon is messing it up!

I am looking at running a retail store again, and the hours are brutal. Mix in a new baby and a son in hockey etc?

My goals are going to be modest and just finish the event without collapsing ion the finish line.

Can I do 3 runs, 2 swims and 2 bikes and get by? Have you ever done this?

I will be at the store until 9pm so evening workouts are not really an option (I have to see my family for some part of the day)

Saturday and Sunday are 6-8am hockey for my boy, and then open the store by 10am.

What do you think?

I was thinking of 1 long workout in each sport and a speed or tempo as well.

2

Sounds like your surgery recovery went well! Right on!
So, sounds like you’re at the store from 10am-9pm on weekends. Is that right? Looks like a trainer, if you don’t already have one, might be a good idea. It will allow you to cram in super early or late bike sessions when you don’t have time to get out on the road.
Yes, I say you can do it. I did my first IM on two swims/week, 3 bikes and 4 runs/week. I finished in 12 hours flat (Florida) and felt great!
You basically need to make sure in the last 10 weeks before the race, you’re getting in at least one long swim, one long run and one long bike a week at some point. The rest of the workouts, I’d do shorter, but more intense efforts. Like, go for a 45 minute to 1 hour run, but run hard. Bike for an hour, but hard! Be hammered at the end of those shorter workouts. Make your long run slowly build peaking at about 20 miles maybe 2-3 weeks before the race (depending on how well you recover). Peak your bike at 100 miles also 2-3 weeks before the race. I typically do 5 bikes in the 70-90 mile range with just one at 100 miles in the last 2 months pre-race. I’m a solid MOP IM finisher with all three of my IM’s in the 11:44-12 hour range. I’d like to be faster, but don’t have the desire to invest even more of my precious time into what is basically a hobby. I have two young kids, a retail biz and a love of surfing.
So, just keep it all in perspective and plan out your workout times and you’ll pull it no worries.

All of this said, I’m far from an expert. Just saying what I would do given your situation and goals. Everyone is different.

3

I think you’d be pushing the envelope. I.e., you could probably finish, but I don’t know if it would be enjoyable. I would say based on what you laid out for availability, there is no way that you could adequately train for an Ironman. That being said, people do crazy things all the time. I doubt if a significant portion of the people you see out on race day have trained properly. But, you’d be putting yourself way behind the eight ball. I just don’t see that it’s worth it. If you do, have it at it, but I think you already know that you’ll be shortchanging it.

4

This probably isn;t the answer you may want to hear, so I’ll apologize up front.

Your plate is pretty full My Friend, and I know you know that. Ironman is different things to different people however, may I respectfully suggest that perhaps this is a great season to focus on a number of local sprint distance events as opposed to Ironman?

Here is why I suggest this: Ironman, as I’m certain you are aware, is a great experience. It isn’t just about the race day- at least speaking personally- it is about the long preparation. It’s about all the things you already realize (otherwise you wouldn’t be asking this question): The very long rides, the long runs, the incredible fatigue after a good training day, the fear of realizing the enormity of the task and the sense of accomplichment at slowly rising to the goal, gradually, exhaustively, systematically. Unlike a lot of experiences in life it all culminates in one grand day, captured on video and film, that we can look back on for inspiration, amusement, reverence.

Ironman isn’t a quick fix, it isn’t a finisher’s medal and a tick off a “to do” list. Perhaps for some it may be, but that would be like expecting a drive through at a Wolfgang Puck restaurant. It might not fit.

Maybe Ironman won’t be an optimal fit for you this year. Now, I could be off base with this and you may very well be an incredible efficient multi-tasker and time manager. I’m not. Getting ready for Ironman to me is a huge undertaking. It is nearly a year long commitment with all the chips stacked on one day. That’s tough.

If you go for it, I admire your drive and chutzpah but I empathize with your pain in those last 10 miles of the run. If you decide to come back and race another year I admire the wisdom and humility and respect for the sport in that decision too.

Either way My Friend, I wish you the very best of luck. Please keep us posted on your decision and how things are developing.

5

Can I do 3 runs, 2 swims and 2 bikes and get by?

That’s what my training schedule is for VM.

You have a busy schedule, good luck.

Hope to meet you at VM

PS: TBB had some good advice.

6

Thanks,
Yeah I feel 100% since the surgery (knock wood) It has been a hell of a ride!

Here is my work schedule:

Monday: Off
Tuesday: Off
Wednesday: 10-9
Thursday: 10-9
Friday: 10-9
Saturday: 10-6 (Hockey in the AM)
Sunday:10-6 (Hockey in the AM)

Here is what I was thinking:

Monday: Off - Long Run
Tuesday: Off - Long Cycle/ Swim
Wednesday: 10-9 - AM Run 7-8 Miles
Thursday: 10-9 - AM Long Swim
Friday: 10-9 - AM Run 7-8 Miles
Saturday: 10-6 (Hockey in the AM) - PM Trainer 1.5 -2 Hours
Sunday:10-6 (Hockey in the AM) - REST or Optional Bike/ Run/ Swim

** **I dont know; I am 38 (yesterday) I would love to do Ironman while I can.

7

Thanks,
Yeah I feel 100% since the surgery (knock wood) It has been a hell of a ride!

Here is my work schedule:

Monday: Off
Tuesday: Off
Wednesday: 10-9
Thursday: 10-9
Friday: 10-9
Saturday: 10-6 (Hockey in the AM)
Sunday:10-6 (Hockey in the AM)

Here is what I was thinking:

Monday: Off - Long Run
Tuesday: Off - Long Cycle/ Swim
Wednesday: 10-9 - AM Run 7-8 Miles
Thursday: 10-9 - AM Long Swim
Friday: 10-9 - AM Run 7-8 Miles
Saturday: 10-6 (Hockey in the AM) - PM Trainer 1.5 -2 Hours
Sunday:10-6 (Hockey in the AM) - REST or Optional Bike/ Run/ Swim

** **I dont know; I am 38 (yesterday) I would love to do Ironman while I can.
I’d do the post workout swim after the long run personally. Long run will be 2-3 hours in your peak week, and swimming after is a great way to loosen up the legs post-run. I do a run/swim brick every Tuesday and it really helps my legs recover from the run quickly. I’d suggest a 20-30 minute brick run after your long bike. You will be pretty beaten up after your long ride, the day after your long run, so my suggestion is swap Monday and Tuesday. Do the long bike/short run brick on Monday, and then the long run/swim on Tuesday. The long bike Monday won’t leave your legs so battered, so you’ll still be ready for Tuesday’s long run. Then, do the long swim Weds morning, and the 7-8 mile tempo run on Thursday. That gives your legs a day to recover from Monday/Tuesday’s effort. Throw in a 30-minute swim on Sunday (longer if you can) and you’re good.

8

Thanks Tom,

You are a wise man to be sure.

In the past few years my career included periods of time on the road followed by periods of time at home with nothing to do.

It was different. Many mornings I would wake up in my hotel room at 4-5am to run before a sales conference at 9am. I would swim at various YMCA’s and gyms all over the country. And I would get on my bike when home. I always found a way to get in 8-12 hours of training a week.

This new hours should be eaiser given the set schedule, but it dosent feel like it! If I was on the road there was nothing to do but train after work. And when home, I had all day to schedule workouts around family.

I am able to mutitask but as you say, I am not sure how much training my body needs to finish the race.

9

Be Iron-Fit: Time-Efficient Training Secrets for Ultimate Fitness (Paperback)
by Don Fink

$4.99

http://www.amazon.com/Be-Iron-Fit-Time-Efficient-Training-Ultimate/dp/B001LNOOL6/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233970634&sr=8-1

He has 3, 30 week long plans in there. One being called the “Just Finish” plan.

Really good book!

10

Can I do 3 runs, 2 swims and 2 bikes and get by?

That’s what my training schedule is for VM.

You have a busy schedule, good luck.

Hope to meet you at VM

PS: TBB had some good advice.

Right on!

May I ask what your training hours look like?

11

From my experience so far (limited by comparison to others but 5+ years doing tri’s up to the 1/2 distance, 1 full IM at Lake Placid in 07 and IMCDA set for this year, all with wife, kids and a busy career inc weekly travel) is that there is never enough time to do it the way you want to and it always looks very intimidating jumping in (especially with a new schedule) but somehow, it all seems to fit once you start the journey. Then you look back and wonder how in the world you fit it all in, things will likely be out of balance a bit for 4 months and the key is to keep that out of balance time period to only 4 months and not year after year (at least for our family). I agree with Rappstar and Tom that it is not ideal, but respectfully would point out that if a lot of us waited for “ideal circumstances” we would need a new hobby. As for the training regimen I’ll leave that to the coaches although it looks like a little more bike time might help…

12

Monday: Off - Long Bike/ 20-30 Minute Brick
Tuesday: Off - Long Run/ Swim
Wednesday: 10-9 - Long Swim AM
Thursday: 10-9 - 7-8 Mile Run-Tempo
Friday: 10-9 - AM Run 7-8 Miles-Easy
Saturday: 10-6 (Hockey in the AM) - PM Trainer 1.5 -2 Hours
Sunday:10-6 (Hockey in the AM) - 30 Minute Swim- OPT

4 Runs
3 Swims
2 Bike

Sumpin like cat?
.

13

I should add that I only work three days a week. No kids and my wife gets it. So other then work all my time goes to training, sleeping, eating for now.

My schedule for Cal 70.3 April 4 as of now.
Tues: Brick bike 65, run 6-10mi. Nap. Weight/core
Fri: Run speed work 6-8mi. Swim one hour. Nap
Sat: Bike 65-70(hills). Nap. Wts/core
Sun: Run 13-15mi. Nap. Swim 1hr.

For VM
Increase swim to 1.5 hr or 3mi ocean swim
Weekend: Bike 85-100mi
Run build to 18-20 mi

I hope this will work.

Again, best of luck.

14

I’m looking to do my 1’st full this year as well. Arizona… I have similar non-triathlon commitments (stressful job, wife, 2 kids, dog, mortgage etc.). I’ve been trying to get in 3 bikes, 2 runs and 2 swims per week. (the bike is less stress on my knees than the run) I’m trying to stretch the long work-outs by 5 or 10% each week. As I can’t put in the hours that are recommended, I go all out, all the time. I’m not sure it will work, but as you commented on age (I’m 37 Monday), we have to do it now before we can’t.

Good luck, and my opinion. a 9 hour Ironman and a 17 hour Ironman finish are both Ironman finishes and unless you win, you lose, so we just need to finish, To me, its all about what you want to accomplish and no matter the time, finishing an Ironman is a great accomplishment.

15

“my first full IM in August…Can I do 3 runs, 2 swims and 2 bikes and get by”

I’ve never done an IM, but when my wife was training for IM, towards the end before starting her taper period, it was like I hardly ever saw her at times. In otherwards she was putting in good volume.

How long are those sessions you mention? You probably can do 17 hr IM on low volume training.

Sounds like you’re biting off quite a bit. My wife did her first IM after winning an 08 lottery place for Kona. She had never done an IM or marathon. She used Roche/Frey’s book on IM training exclusively and did it in a few minutes over 13 hrs. I’d suggest picking up their book or some other credible program and looking at their recommended schedule and decide if you can fit it in.

16

Wow. Sir, I may have underestimated you… For which I apologize.

You may be one of those fellows who could pull it off well, and ther are a few of them out there. I’ve seen it done and its pretty impressive. Maybe more than anything else it takes unwaning focus on getting the job done. From the schedule you’ve kept in the past, you may be one of those fellows.

17 
 I don't think it will be a problem to finish feeling okay on the limited volume, mostly because you have a background of consistent training.  It will just take a conservative race-day plan.  The question is if even this limited training leaves you too spent to enjoy and perform well in the rest of life.
18

Monday: Off - Long Bike/ 20-30 Minute Brick
Tuesday: Off - Long Run/ Swim
Wednesday: 10-9 - Long Swim AM
Thursday: 10-9 - 7-8 Mile Run-Tempo
Friday: 10-9 - AM Run 7-8 Miles-Easy
Saturday: 10-6 (Hockey in the AM) - PM Trainer 1.5 -2 Hours
Sunday:10-6 (Hockey in the AM) - 30 Minute Swim- OPT

Without knowing anything about you and assuming balanced ability between each of the three disciplines, if this is all you’ve got to work with I would seriously consider 1) swapping Monday and Tuesday around, 2) can the swim after the long run and add an easy recovery spin (sets up the long ride next day) and 3) make Sunday’s swim longer, harder and compulsory (similar to Wednesday). This isn’t an ideal schedule (as you already know, I won’t go there) but I think that’ll make better use of your limited time and allow adequate recovery between the long and/or hard sessions…quality is of the essence here and you need to nail your objectives in every workout so feeling fresh & focused is critical. Be sure to build distance and periodize appropriately…7-8 mile runs twice a week every week for x no. of weeks will make you good at running 7-8 miles efficiently, if nothing else. Just my 2c, again knowing nothing about your background & ability and making some big assumptions…

19

Monday: Off - Long Bike/ 20-30 Minute Brick
Tuesday: Off - Long Run/ Swim
Wednesday: 10-9 - Long Swim AM
Thursday: 10-9 - 7-8 Mile Run-Tempo
Friday: 10-9 - AM Run 7-8 Miles-Easy
Saturday: 10-6 (Hockey in the AM) - PM Trainer 1.5 -2 Hours
Sunday:10-6 (Hockey in the AM) - 30 Minute Swim- OPT

4 Runs
3 Swims
2 Bike

Sumpin like cat?
Maybe put your long swim on Sunday (my longest IM swim training sessions are 1:15), and throw in another bike on Weds instead of the swim that day. Better to get away with 2 swims and 3 bikes. The swim is the easiest part of IM for most, but bike fitness is critical so that you’re in good shape starting the marathon.

20

I am a Ob/Gyn physician 49yo with 2 children, 8 and 10 and did my first Ironman at Az2009. I also wanted to qualify for Kona so my work was cut out for me, my first marathon as well. My MO was 2-3 bike, run and swims per week. Longest run 16 miles and longest bike 81 miles. Swimming with masters group at 5:30 am. Vineman is a pretty flat course like Az, so not as much stress as some courses. I went 10:12 but didn’t qualify, so it is doable depending on your goals. Good Luck with the business and Vineman!