For several different reasons, I’m writing my own training plan for IMWI this year. I’m just wondering for those of you who create your own plans - how much detail do you write into your plans how far out? Do you plan blocks at a time or write out the whole season at once?
Right now I’ve got the next 6 week’s detailed workouts, and the rest of the year’s phases with weekly targets but no specifics, thinking I’ll likely need to tweak specifics as the season progresses, but reconsidering if this is the best strategy. Being self-coached, I’m afraid of ‘micromanaging’ my training too much if I’m only planning blocks at a time. Is it better to write out the whole thing at once?
Mine are not detailed to where every week is different for 20+ weeks but my training is very consistent biweekly basis but varying types of workouts during each week. One week is very bike focused with 6 bike workouts, 4 swims, and 6 runs and then the next is run focused with 8 runs, 4 bikes, and 4 swims. All of the workouts have different terrain and levels of intensity.
By coincidence just started planning through to IMUK in 2010. Worked out blocks first to give overall view.
Will now work on specific detail on first block, which is a 20 week focussed bike and run off-season block beginning June. We will do each block in detail for its duration, amending if necessary as we progress through it. Other blocks are left general until closer to the time depending on how we come out of the preceding block.
I’ve be self-coached since day one and at first I just started with training blocks, like a 12 week build up to a specific race. Since I was just getting started into triathlon, I didn’t get too detailed, just weekly targets for each discipline. However, now it is a completely different story.
Since I race about 6-10 times per season, I plan it all out starting from day one all the way to my final race. First, I just mark out the training blocks… you know, when I’m going to taper, when I’ll do a swim-specific week, stuff like that. Once I have that all hashed out, I’ll actually write out in detail specific workouts. I’ve been doing this for five years, so I have a whole bunch of workouts that I can choose from and plug into the appropriate spots. Plus, I know what’s worked for me in the past and what hasn’t.
It sounds like you right between where I started out and where I am now, so I would guess that you are on the right track. You’re not really going to know what works for you until you test it out. I like having the ability to drill down to a specific workout that I have planned and be able to adjust it based on workouts that I have already completed. This is the main reason I spell it all out, start to finish.
I’ve also been self coached from the beginning. I started creating detailed annual training plans about 4 years ago, in preparation for my first Half IM.
The best advice I can give is to plan the whole year (or half-year in your case), but in weekly increments, not daily. You should know how many, how long, of what type of workouts you want to get into each week. Then, at the beginning of each week, you can look at your schedule and determine how to fit in your planned workouts based on the reality of the other commitments you have that week. I rarely miss a planned workout using this technique.
I strongly support making it up as you go along. Read everything you can about training and pay attention to your body and have an idea of what you have to do to be successful. For your first IM, what you need to be successful is the ability to not be too fatigued to run a lot of the marathon after swimming for an hour and biking much of the day. I personally hate the micro-managed plans with x-minutes at x-intensity in base phase 1 in the a.m. followed by 10-minutes at critical power x , blah, blah, blah. C-priority race six weeks out from 2nd a-priority race two months before ironman, blah, blah, blah.
I support paying attention to your body and the weather and what else is going on in life and how far your race is and what you did yesterday and what tommorrow’s weather is and training accordingly day to day all while trying to get in as much training as you can. So, if nothing is going on at work and its going to be sunny on Wednesday and you can take a day off, skip Tuesday’s nights intervals so you have good legs for Wednesday, take the day off, and ride your bike for 6-hours. If its 10-degrees outside in February and work is busy and you have no legs from what you did the day before, do an easy swim or spin on the trainer for a 1/2 hour.
Also, making it up as I go has led to dramatically improved race results, better more enjoyable training, being sick much less often (knock on wood), better work performance, and improved quality of life overall. It took me several years to figure this out.
This runs counter to everyone trying to sell you their magic pills and coaching services, so not everyone will agree with my conclusion.
About 10-15 min. honestly I am setting here looking at my bike setting in the trainer wondering if I will ride it today or not. Probably will go for a run in the morning, after that it’s a crap shoot.
I’m with Jon on this one…normally plan the day on the day and that often changes to the next mile ahead. I do daily doubles most of the time, and just try to do as much as my body will let me and the weather will allow. It worked well 25 years ago anyway…
I’ve always been self-coached, but never plan much. I decide which races I’ll do, then my day-to-day training is usually determined only one day in advance.
I’m in the “plan as I go” camp as well. I’ll be doing IM #4 in June (IMCDA) and basically, your training will depend on your goals. I’m an 11:45ish IM finisher, so pretty middle-of-the-pack. I basically just increase mileage as I get closer to the race date, peaking about 2 weeks prior. It’s worked for me for the past 4 years and since this is a hobby, I’m not going to wrack my brain getting wrapped up in detailed planning of watts, intervals, intensities, etc. Just my way of doing it. I just get out there and swim, bike and run.
I have always been self coached except for a couple of years - decades ago - in Masters swimming. I plan 6 months out. I decide what my big race will be and work backwards. In the first 4 to 6 weeks I do not plan very far ahead what exactly I am going to do. It’s usually Swim x times a week for a total of y hours etc. I try not to do the same sport 2 days in a row unless I do 2 sports in one day. As I approach my early season races (which were picked because they best prepared me for the big one) I put more and more detail in my work outs reflecting the specific goals I have for that week or that day. I also allow myself a couple of mental health days, and adjust my work outs to reflect any injury management issues I may have. If I add another big race it is usually 2 to 3 months later, and my program stays focused and carries over from my earlier race.
I also take the hobby approach. Maybe the OP should have asked how far out do plan, and how well do you finish.
Since I know what A races I am going to do about a year in advance, I can do some simple planning from that. Then I break it down by month. For Wildflower Dec-base, Jan-base2, Feb-Base3, Mar-Build (Hill focus), Apr-Build (Speed focus). I plan on a recovery week once a month, but life happens and sometimes I get two a month. I don’t get to weekly planning until the week before. I don’t plan recovery days, but I get them anyway.
In the past, the only part on my schedule that plan out in advance, on paper, are my tapers. If I ever do an ironman I might do the same for my biggest build weeks.
In the past I have worked off a 3x3 schedule and once my workout pattern is established I tend to follow it the remainder of the year. So by default that sets a pattern for me to work off of. I incorporate blocks where I am either lifting volume or lifting intensity, and I also schedule rest periods that revolve around planned races, I will usually have one or two prime races that my season and training will revolve around.
My season does feather from general training to specific training as it glides along.
Each year I try out one or two new things, as my physical and emotional tolerance to increased training loads matures. So, last year I focused on my swimming and doing more consistent long bikes and runs. This year I will continue with those, actually increase the length of my long rides (but do fewer), incorporate more frequent race oriented/pace, mid length brick workouts.
So to answer your question I have a global plan and method I am attempting to execute, and I have a consistent pallet from which I work, but the definition of the plan execution is flexible.
I like coaching myself, and figuring out what works and what doesn’t. Sometimes I imagine I am stumbling around in the dark, but I have been happy with the results, thus far.