I’m hoping to solicit a little advice from all you long course vets…
I’m doing Lake Placid next year as my first IM. This season is my second one doing tris and I did one 1/2 earlier this summer. The run is my biggest weak spot. The furthest I’ve actually run (run/walking through the 1/2 notwithstanding) is about 10 miles. I currently weigh about 210 and am not a particularly graceful or efficient runner.
I’ve been thinking that I would like to do an early-season marathon to 1) build up my run base, 2) see what running 26.2 really feels like, and 3) build confidence going into the IM. I’ve got some friends out in CA who have agreed that they would run the Big Sur marathon with me (I’m in DC) at the end of April. I like the idea of this marathon because 1) I’ve got friends to meet up with, 2) it’s hilly and would be good prep for LP, and 3) the course looks absolutely beautiful.
I’m thinking that I’ll use the 13 week to 13 hour IM plan, and this marathon falls at the start of week 1 of that training plan. I have no idea how long my recovery will be from a marathon, so I’m concerned that I’ll not be able to train for the beginning of the training plan.
So, my question is, do you think that this marathon falls too close to LP? I have no history of running injuries, but am a bit concerned that I’ll get hurt and jeopardize the IM for the sake of a marathon, even if I follow a full stand-alone marathon plan.
FIrst time doing an IM and the marathon falls right at the start of the Gail Bernhardt plan? I wouldn’t recommend it. Stick with her plan, and do the workouts as she recommends and you shouldn’t have any problem with the IM.
I agree with Big Kahuna. I’ve done the 13 week plan and would not recommend starting the plan while trying to recover from a marathon. Follow her advice and you’ll have no problems finishing. Good luck.
I’ve only done one IM, so others may be more qualified, however, I went through a pretty intensive decision process soliciting many opinions and weighing in many factors. We are in the same boat in that running endurance is a limiter having only been running for 2.5 years. I opted not to do a marathon and the final decision factors were recovery and risk of injury. I developed an injury anyway with 18 miles as my longest run (2.5 hours) and being very conservative on my ramp up. Read Brent Lorenzen’s first IM race recap in “Becoming an Ironman” - injured trying to do a marathon as an IM lead up. Most seem to think it takes about a three weeks to a month to fully recover from a marathon depending on your background, so doing one in the first week of your plan may not be the best way to start.
This is a frequently asked question. The quick answer is," No, the marathon before the Im will not be helpful". The reasons for this are many.
If running is truley a limiter for you, you will be better served by starting now to build up your running frequency( number of days running per week) slowly. Build up to 2 1/2 to 3 hours of steady non-stop running over the course of 6 - 8 months and you should be good-to-go for your IM race.
The marathon will take away from your Im focus. Will leave too much down time afterwards with missed key Im training. It will open you to injury at a key time for IM prep, and so on. You will get different advice here, but the advice from just about all coaches that I know, who know what they are doing, would be to not run the marathon.
FWIT, Lance Watson did a great article a couple months back in Inside Triathlon on a 12 week build up to an Ironman race. It has allowance for newbies at the distance and for vets. He advocates splitting the long run up into 2 workouts, with the first being 2.0 to 2.5 hours and the second being an additional 30 minutes later in the day.
Like Gail, he also has weekends where the run is first, followed by the long bike the next day, which is usually opposite of the classic “bike Saturday/run Sunday” workout plan.
Thanks for all the quick responses. It certainly seems like consistent advice from everybody.
As a follow up question…how do you balance between “start now” and “don’t obsess over one race for an entire year”? I can definitely appreciate the start-now-build-very-slowly school of thought, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to maintain the focus for 10 months.
FWIW, my 1/2 this year was the Disney race. I decided to race in December and started my training plan in January, so I didn’t really get any experience in structuring an off-season.
To safely and effectivly build running volume and fitness you need to look at 6 month to one year chunks of time, so in that sense, it’s not too early to start to slowly build up the running volume for a race next summer.
1/2 Marathon races are great training efforts and are good targets to shoot for.
Fleck’s right. Finish up your season, take a little downtime, rest, recover (both static and active) and then set up your program. I know that there’s a ton of philosophies out there about aerobic base building and whatnot, but if you begin now, or soon, and get that base in and build up to an intelligent training plan, I don’t see any reason why 13, or even 12 hours, isn’t possible.
IMUSA is a tough, tough bike course, btw, and biking smart can have a direct “crossover” effect for your running.
" . . . .and biking smart can have a direct “crossover” effect for your running."
BK,
Great point - too many people look at swimming, biking or running fitness or performance in isolation when it comes to triathlon. Bottom line, is that you need to be well balanced. You can be an outstanding cyclist, but if you can barely finish the swim and you are dead getting on your bike, you are in trouble - same for the bike/run combo. The set up for a strong run is outstanding cycling fitness.
I recall talking to Peter Reid a number of years ago and his performance really started to take off when he realized that he did not need to win the bike leg. Peter is a very strong cyclist. He could finish first on the bike if he wanted to in most races, but he figured out the race is not won on the bike at his level( and at just about anyones level), it just sets you up for the run.
Start NOW! If you have little or no running endurance (or experience) you run a MUCH greater risk at hurting yourself later. The “13 Weeks” is a GREAT PLAN for a 1st time IMer. HOWEVER…it is set-up for one giant ramp-up then taper. This creates a huge problem when/if you encounter problems (scheduling, personal, family) or have injuries. So…it’s a GAMBLE and will certainly leave you depressed afterward b/c you now come down off your high.
I’ve done multiple Ironmans…and perhaps now take the Forest Gump approach to training. Literally doesn’t leave time for taper, but who needs it when you’ve prepared your body? I’d prefer not to detail my particular mileage…but would be happy to share offline.
Back to you. I suggest (2) focuses. Now - start your LSD running. Learn about your pace, your gait, your shoes selection, your training needs. DO NOT start fast…take it very slow and do not push it. Run/walk! Jeff Galloway says it best. www.runinjuryfree.com Don’t worry about pace…just get in the mileage…and ramp it up. This is the LEARNING period so you can focus on IRONMAN when the time comes.
Once the end of March rolls around…start piling on the biking mileage. I can’t over state this. LOTS of biking…and it will make your running better. Try to run after each long (over 90 mins) ride. Doesn’t matter if it’s 15 minutes or less…just run after you bike (within 10 mins). But, do not run over 90mins after a long bike. The goal during this stage is to run frequently…just never over 2.5 hours.
There’s a bit more to the story, but just wanted to chime in before you think you should wait…