Is it still OK to do long 21 miles training run 3 week before IMWI?
Planning to do a brick workout with 2hrs bike and then 21 miles run after.
This will be around 3 weeks prior to IMWI.
It wouldn’t be ok for me to do it and I’m guessing you’d be better off not doing it too.
Is your easy run pace 7 min/mile or faster?
Not if you want to have the best IM you can.
I did a 20 three weeks out from IMLP and had a great race. But I didn’t bike 2 hours before that. By now you should have all the endurance base you need. But that’s just my two cents.
IMHO…
Short answer >> It depends.
Long answer >> Are you a 10hr IM guy or a 13hr IM guy? What kind of base do you have (ie. how many years have you been doing long course races?) What have your last 2 months looked like? Are you doing them at IM pace? How many miles/wk have you been averaging? Can you do the run in under 2:45ish?
Granted I never done a 2hr + 21mi brick, but at 3 weeks out, there are dozens of people on here would could recover just fine for an IM. At two weeks out I just did a weekend that included 100mi ride on Saturday, 20mi run Sunday early AM, and 40mi ride late Sunday afternoon. I know others have done similar. It really depends on your fitness/ability.
Is it still OK to do long 21 miles training run 3 week before IMWI?
Planning to do a brick workout with 2hrs bike and then 21 miles run after.
This will be around 3 weeks prior to IMWI.
Yes, if you have properly trained. I just did my peak week for Louisville. 112 mi bike followed by a quick 3 mi run on Saturday. Planned my long run for Sunday but made it an easy 2 hour bike and pool day. Monday was a 2 hour bike (1 hour ez, 1 hour race pace) followed by a 20 mile run. Just take a day or two off after to get fully rested as you begin your taper.
Personally I don’t plan to do more than 3 hours That would be likely about 6 weeks out since I’m doing a HIM 4 weeks out and a Oly 2 weeks out. So my taper strategy personally is racing. I would think you should be closer to a 2-1/2 hour run at 3 weeks out. That’s close to 18mi depending on your target IM pace.
Last Saturday I did 110 miles bike ride at 1/2 effort. Sunday did 20 miles run and just dead after 17 and had to walk last 3 miles.
This weekend, I’m doing Dairyland Dare 200K bike ride over Wisc.
Rest Sunday and want to do another 21 miles training run at around 10-11 min pace on Monday.
I don’t have to bike 2hrs before the run though.
I’m looking to do 13-14hrs IM since this is my first time.
It should be Ok, but in my opinion I think it is too close to IM.
I suggest not to do such long run. This amount of miles had to be done before.
I did Challenge Roth three weeks ago, and the last long run was six weeks before at least.
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http://youtu.be/hk5sT8hcMAA
Is it still OK to do long 21 miles training run 3 week before IMWI?
Planning to do a brick workout with 2hrs bike and then 21 miles run after.
This will be around 3 weeks prior to IMWI.
My opinion, it matters what kind of base you have developed. I would compare that run to your weekly average over the last year. Take an honest average (total miles for last 52 weeks and divide by 52). Is that number below 40, below 30? If so, 21 is a pretty big number to throw down 3 weeks before IM.
It MIGHT not hurt you, but how is it going to help you? I have only done 2 IMs, in advance of the first one, I rode 112 miles at least 3 times and I ran 22 about 4 weeks out. I did fine, but I think I did all that to convince myself I could handle it.
Now that I know myself better and have seen what I can do, I think I am better off doing some things differently. Longest ride will be 5 hours and that will probably happen once, to nail down race day power and nutrition, longest run will be 18 and that will happen a couple times, closest to race will probably be 4 weeks out.
I am way more focused on total run mileage (trying to do 2,000 miles in 2013) and bike power (making sure that on all my rides I am accomplishing something - short rides are either hard / threshold or easy / recovery, longer rides are either at or above IM race power).
These are my goals at least, I don’t always succeed of course.
For past month my average is 26 miles/week. Maybe 21 is too much and too close. Do 15 10?
My opinion, it matters what kind of base you have developed. I would compare that run to your weekly average over the last year. Take an honest average (total miles for last 52 weeks and divide by 52). Is that number below 40, below 30? If so, 21 is a pretty big number to throw down 3 weeks before IM.
It MIGHT not hurt you, but how is it going to help you? I have only done 2 IMs, in advance of the first one, I rode 112 miles at least 3 times and I ran 22 about 4 weeks out. I did fine, but I think I did all that to convince myself I could handle it.
First, a one month average isn’t long enough to tell you much.
Second, if you are only running 26 miles per week, I fear a big time injury doing a 21 mile training run (and a 26 mile race), unless there is more to the story.
There is an ST member (I don’t know who), but he always notes that the best indicator of how well you will do an IM run is how many miles you have run in the last year.
I think that if you ride correctly, then that statement is true. Of course, no number of run miles can make up for a race ruined on the bike.
no. no it is not ok. forget what kind of fitness you are in or what your goal is, it is an awful workout to do when you are walking 17milers. it is an awful workout to do when your weekly mileage is 26. it is an awful workout to run 21miles after riding for 2hours. although your long run is in a sense volume and we think of that in the quantity column, their should still be a certain amount of quality to it. it should not be a survival test.
Given the info you’ve supplied, I would probably not do the 21mi run. Two reasons…First, and primarily, you haven’t been running all that much in terms of IM training (assuming mid 20s - 30 mpw). Search for BarryP’s post on here. He put together some really easy, but effective training guidelines. His recommendation is the long run should be ~1/3 of your totally weekly mileage. When I get into the peak of IM training I find that near impossible but I’ll always make sure that it is less than 50%. Between now and when you start your 3wk taper, I’d try to slowly build up the weekly mileage…maybe get in the mid 30s.
The second reason is 21mi @ 10-11min/mi is a long duration.
If you can work the weekly mileage up a bit, then I would say try running 17-18mi 3wks out without the bike. The last think you want to do is get injured like others have noted.
Lastly, don’t be afraid to implement a run/walk strategy during the race. I have a couple of friends who run at a similar pace (and finish in the 13-14hr range) and they found it much better to do a run/walk strategy…maybe you start at 10’ run / 1’ walk…and if you need to adjust you can do so. Maybe you run the first half and then do R/W. Maybe it’s a mental thing, maybe it’s physical. I don’t know, but I do have friends who swear by it.
Given the info you’ve supplied, I would probably not do the 21mi run. Two reasons…First, and primarily, you haven’t been running all that much in terms of IM training (assuming mid 20s - 30 mpw). Search for BarryP’s post on here. He put together some really easy, but effective training guidelines. His recommendation is the long run should be ~1/3 of your totally weekly mileage. When I get into the peak of IM training I find that near impossible but I’ll always make sure that it is less than 50%. Between now and when you start your 3wk taper, I’d try to slowly build up the weekly mileage…maybe get in the mid 30s.
The second reason is 21mi @ 10-11min/mi is a long duration.
If you can work the weekly mileage up a bit, then I would say try running 17-18mi 3wks out without the bike. The last think you want to do is get injured like others have noted.
Lastly, don’t be afraid to implement a run/walk strategy during the race. I have a couple of friends who run at a similar pace (and finish in the 13-14hr range) and they found it much better to do a run/walk strategy…maybe you start at 10’ run / 1’ walk…and if you need to adjust you can do so. Maybe you run the first half and then do R/W. Maybe it’s a mental thing, maybe it’s physical. I don’t know, but I do have friends who swear by it.
I think this good advice overall.
Better to run slow + walk than shuffle the whole thing. Keeps you better motivated too to mentally have intervals to focus on.
Heck no. Ride all you want, but a 21 mile run is a recipe for an injury. Not worth the risk. Keep it at 15 or less. My 2 cents.
Is it still OK to do long 21 miles training run 3 week before IMWI?
Planning to do a brick workout with 2hrs bike and then 21 miles run after.
This will be around 3 weeks prior to IMWI.
A 5 hour training session should not hurt you. If it does hurt you, you are in no condition to do an ironman.
If you are running only 26 miles a week, you might rethink doing the ironman.
Doing the 5 hours training session should give you some indication of what you need to do for the ironman.
I signed up for IMCan three months back. I did the Texas 70.3 in April and had planned to do IMTX but had to bail (hence registering for IMC) so I was in good shape and have a preety good base built up over the last 4-5 years. I was only able to finagle in an 8-week training program for IMC so I have been using frequency to get my weekly mileage: a) to avoid long runs that were too long as I didn’t have much time to ramp it up and b) summer in Houston sucks hard for running because it’s ridiculously hot and humid so I wasn’t too keen on 2 1/2 hour runs. Been getting 35-45 miles/week on average in the form of 5-6 runs/week.
Ever thought about breaking up your “long run” into two parts? I have been breaking up my long run into an AM and a PM run… like 6 in the am and 10 in the PM. Been getting 35-45 mile/week on average in the form of 5-6 runs/week. This is my last hard week and I ran 9.25 on Tuesday, 8 on Wednesday, 8 today, and will do 6 tomorrow AM, and 10 tomorrow PM, and 6-8 either Sat or Sun. Then it’s taper time.
I’m also doing IMFL in November which is my “A” race for all intents and purposes so IMC is an unintended fitness boost speed bump along the way.
For past month my average is 26 miles/week. Maybe 21 is too much and too close. Do 15 10?
My opinion, it matters what kind of base you have developed. I would compare that run to your weekly average over the last year. Take an honest average (total miles for last 52 weeks and divide by 52). Is that number below 40, below 30? If so, 21 is a pretty big number to throw down 3 weeks before IM.
It MIGHT not hurt you, but how is it going to help you? I have only done 2 IMs, in advance of the first one, I rode 112 miles at least 3 times and I ran 22 about 4 weeks out. I did fine, but I think I did all that to convince myself I could handle it.
I will run 18-20miles 2wks out as a stand alone run ( not a brick). but I have minimum 40mile weeks for most of the year and 50-60 miles weeks in my build up… If you are doing only 26 mile weeks as your IM build I think you will not recover sufficiently and will potentially hurt yourself…run for two - 2.5 hours at IM pace and save yourself for the race. Be prepared for a walk/run strategy.