Race Schedule

Hello

In the build up to an Ironman is it a wise thing to run a full marathon? I'm trying to sort out the events I'm interested in doing in the build up.

Cheers guys

Comments

  • AvalafAvalaf ✭✭✭
    Depends how long before and if you are going to put your all into it. As a good long training run it's probably ok a month or so before, but as a race, recovery will likely eat into your training weeks too much.
  • Id say its not a bad idea but ideally you need at least a 3 month gap between the marathon and Ironman. 3 months shouldnt affect you to much, the main issue that the 13 weeks prior to your Ironman (less the 3 taper weeks) you should be at peek training, marathon recovery may affect a number of these peek weeks?

    Unless your going for a seriously good time or Kona slot id not worry about it to much.
  • which ironman (ie when?)

    if you've never done a marathon before, get either a marathon or a 20 mile race in by late jan/early march

    as ava & barley say, doing a mara too close will just eat into your training time too much
  • Well I've run two maras, FLM and snowdon about 3 weeks ago, recovery from snowdon has been really good and having joined the uni swim team yesterday I ready to start training.

    I'm doing Switzerland which is 26th June
  • Sounds good, youve got the run endurance sorted then, and also strength which is important for Ironman.

    Ironman is all about the bike, well mostly as its over 50% of the time youll be competing so get plenty of bike miles in.

    Even a class runner can come a cropper if theyre not bike fit as they'll of spent so much energy cycling there will be little left to put in anything like a respectable run.

    bike, bike, bike, but keep the long runs ticking over i.e. 90mins - 2 hours once a week.
  • if you want to get round, that's fine. if you want to do well, you should continue running more than that.
  • I'm going to spend loads of time on the bike and in the pool up till christmas, my main aim is to try and get 100 miles out on the bike as soon possible. Although I feel confident in my swimming ability I need to get it up to scratch too. I will try and keep the running ticking over with runs to and from my swim sessions and what ever else I can muster. After Xmas I will start putting some real training plan together
  • Last year I ran London Marathon, got straight on a plane afterwards and cycled in Spanish mountains from Monday - Saturday never less than 50 miles in the day, with occasional after cycle 4 mile run. I would have to say in all honesty it was the most valuable piece of training i did for Frankfurt Ironman (my first).

    This year I will do a marathon no later than February in preparation for Lanzarote Ironman.

    I used to be a runner but have focussed recently more on bike than run. In hindsite should have kept up with more running as now running speed has dropped quite a bit and is taking a long time and hard work to get close to where I was.

    To highlight importance of bike - IM Frankfurt I was 1700th out of the water - and ended up being 843rd overall after bike and run!!
  • Probably just highlights what a crap swimmer I am!!!
  • Definately try to do more running than 2 hours once a week. A marathon is a long way and you can/will lose huge chunks of time if your legs haven't got the strength.

    At the Vit this year I was overtaken by FB and Lindi on the bike but breezed past them on the run because I had been doing so much run training.
  • Although I'm still figuring out my training plan was thinking something like

    - Two Swims with Uni Team (More speed based but will have some endurance based sets as well)

    - One swim on my own (just pounding out laps)

    - One long run (15 miles or more)

    - One short run (6 miles or less)

    - One long bike (not quite sure yet...)

    - Two shorter rides

    I understand these distances and times will change as I get fitter and have rest weeks etc, but that's the plan atm.
  • can you fit an extra run in per week? 2 runs per week doesn't sound like much.
  • sounds OK

    the run at switzerland is pancake flat.

    IMHO: i'd make your long run 18 miles or more, you shorter one an hour and turn one of your shorter rides into a brick session (maybe 1 hr ride/40 min run)

    get lots of climbing in your long bike, and one of your shorter ones

    otherwise it seems ok
  • Ok - I can't comment on swimming as mine is so bad - but it swimming looks ok to me. You need to run more - this year I'm going to aim for long run (over 13), 10 milers, no less than 6 mile tempo and one speed or hill session. Bike for me will be one long (50+ miles)at least one turbo and one other 20 - 30 miles. You really need to get the running miles in - I made the mistake of thinking I just needed to tick over with my running as that was my background, but in reality you really need to be training for a marathon and then fit bike and swim on top!

    There is a good chance I will end up doing more cycling and running.

    And yes, it does take up most of your life! My children have now got round to the idea of this is what I do.

    Last year I had to take time off work to fit in some training and as said before a week just cycling and running really helped!

    But I felt fine on the day of the race and I recovered well
  • AvalafAvalaf ✭✭✭
    You pootled round the marathon by your own standards though, so shouldn't have needed much if any recovery and you already had a solid base. If you treat it like a training run then it's fine, if you race it and know you won't need any recovery it's fine, if your going to need 2-3 weeks recovery from it then its lost training.
  • ditto for 1 weeks notice
  • Well the pool is 4 miles from my house so if I stuck a couple of runs after swimming that would give me two more shorter runs, which would be two dissimilar to my marathon training, a little less miles perhaps. For bike climbs I've got plenty of good routes, being near the peak district. I also rode Manchester to Leeds at the weekend as a bit of a test to see how my bike fitness was and that was pretty hilly, through and over the bottom on of the pennines, that's if my geography is correct
  • 1 weeks notice??

    wtf am i on about?

    i mean 3 weeks taper!
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