JP - your dogs are so cute, the pics on fb always make me smile.
Slim- I am sure that the rides will get better. I have had some really horrible rides, cold, wet, punctures etc. However, the last two rides have been much better so I am finally starting to enjoy them.
Ladyfe - have a lovely time with you daughter, I'm off to Guildford tomorrow to have lunch with mine
Ridge - Thx for the comments, it makes me feel better to realise that its completely normal to be nervous. I hadn't really thought about it like that!
Today I managed 56 miles in 4 hours 5 minutes.. I was very pleased, its my longest ride yet and my speed is gradually getting better (still would like it to be a lot quicker!). Off to a hard session of boxercise this afternoon.
Andy - so sorry about Corky. You will be missing him, but I hope your ride today lifted your spirits a bit.
JP - thanks for the encouraging words. I felt starving on today's LBR, which is a good sign, I think, that I'm able to digest on the move!
PTL - good bike session, in a very good time. Still 5 months to go, too.
It's got a bit windy round here this afternoon. I'd planned to go for a short run soonish after getting back on the bike but legs felt trashed so I had a huge amount of food instead. Now I'm wondering whether to run at all today - maybe just save myself for tomorrow's LSR (then only 3 weeks until marathon taper - it can't come soon enough!)
just out for a few hours on the bike after a relativly lazy recovery week after grizzly then I have a whole afternoon of upper body workout chopping logs at a friends farm
Out at 7am for 3 hrs and 15 mins on bike. Very testing as I had to use my heavy commuting bike and there just seemed to be endless long inclines of various gradients throughout . A good workout though and good weather. Plenty of runners and cyclists out and about this morning. Got back and found daughter had just literally woken up
Next time I will try to aim for 6am start as that extra hour really does make a difference in terms of amount of traffic on road.
Off to pool a bit later. Daughter is now not going back to Uni until tomorrow which means we don't have to cram everything in!
Just wanted to sign on and join in the chat as I have also signed up for this years UK Ironman. Good to read comments from plenty of others with the same fears as me..... mainly will I make it out of the swim??
Did the London Triathlon last year and enjoyed it then after a few too many Christmas beverages decided that Ironman this year was a sensible move... didn't feel quite the same when I sobered up
I am also running the Brighton marathon in five weeks. Running is fine and managed 20 miles Saturday. Also up to about 2k on the swim. Slow but I am having lessons which are helping. To be honest just aiming to be out of the water in two hours.
A little behind on the bike as, unfortunately, I had an operation to remove an abscess six weeks ago. Lets just says it was in area that left me unable to ride a bike for a few weeks !!!
Been no more than 25 miles so fay but am planning to try and go and break the 50 mile mark this weekend - although got to fit it round my daughters 4th birthday party
Just wondering how many miles most people on here are racking up a week on the bike at this stage and what your longest rides so far are? What do people plan to do as their longest session at the peak of training? Will it be a long bike then run brick session? How many miles will you cover?
Hope everyone elses training is going well.... I will no doubt be on a lot now to share the pain and look for tips and advice
Hi Iron Newbie, welcome to the madhouse. Personally i've been taking it easy on the bike and only doing upto about 30 miles. i was supposed to be doing a long (60+) at the weekend but my dog passed away and my heart just wasn't in it...so i only did 22 (though it was on the imuk course and it was a hilly 22). you're on target i'd say so don't fret.....see how you get on a weekend and if you break the fifty you'll be fine with plenty of time to get more miles in.
my training went to pot end of last week (due to my aforementioned dog) and i totally have zero enthusiasm to get back on the horse this week but i'm going to have to pick myself up somehow and crack on with a run tonight.
Re the bike - I've been following Don Fink's Ironfit schedule almost to the letter with regards to the bike in particular...so have been doing 'time' rather than distance. My longest has prob only been about 40 miles ish. Am looking forward to getting out for a longer bike ride very soon...now that the weather is improving
Mid week with commuting, together with the two shorter bike sessions I average about 50 miles ( this is minus the longer weekend ride).
I have twice swam 70 lengths which is 1.75 K ......my longest ever. My next swim target is a 2.5 swimathon on April 18th . I wished I could have aimed for the 5K target but thats beyond me at the moment
Andy- you mentioned "IMUK course and "hilly" in the same sentence
Nutrition is going to be a key thing..........I'm like primitive caveman after swimming with food.......gobble, stuff, slurp......so hungry. The thought of cycling 112 miles after a 2.4 swim is....well....mind boggling.
Andy - really sorry to hear your news. As has already been said you do get attached to the little uns. i reckon you'd feel better for getting out in the fresh air for a good blast out.
Thanks everyone for the encouragement r.e the swim. I reckon your right. I have been given a plan and so long as it is followed and I can meet the targets I will get there. 'There' just feels like such a long way off
run and bike is going well. Lots of long steady and easy miles. feeling really strong compared to how i have always trained in the past for other sports i have been involved in, (hard, fast, pushing myself and being knackered all the time!)
looking forward to my wetsuit arriving and starting with the open water swimming. I think the extra bouyancy round the mid section and legs will help no end!
R'max- you look like your enjoying the grizzly. 'Nice pics'
what program are you following? at the risk of sounding like a stuck recordfor a first timer Iron fit by Don Fink will tell you all you need to do to crack your first IM most of us are coming to the end of our base periods building the foundations as it were to start building the volume safely,
personally I am doing 2-3 hours cycling in the week in 2 sessions and fitting a 2 to 2 1/2 hour long ride on the weekend . 2 hour ish weekday runs and a 1:30 -2 hour run at the weekend swim 3 30 to 40 min sessions based soley on technique I will build the volume when I can get out of the hell that I find the pool and into the sea (April/May ish).
Glad to hear everyone is going well how is everybody feeling at the end (ish) of base hopefully fired up, used to training twice a day and feeling that its not so impossible a task after all
Who has started eating for two and going to bed at early like a naughty four year old?
cheers col...yeah i reckon i'll be reet once i've been out tonight.
Ladyfe...dont kid yourself its not hilly hun...it is...and you have to go up sheephouse lane 3 times and once is bad enough....best you be prepared i think...after that theres no killers though and its not a long climb. i'll be doing some recce laps with the bcttt, in the spring and will post it up here so you're all welcome to come along (i'll get my mrs to do bacon butties for our return) so you know what to expect.
IMUK is hilly I am afraid thats the run as well as the bike, but for me Sheephouse and the support up it and the descent of it was the highlight of the whole course hills are fine as long as you dont live somewhere flat and never get to practice them and mentally get your head round them, the hillier the course the better for me Oh Outlaw is flat so I had better pedal faster
Silverstone half completed yesterday in 1hr 51 which was much better than I ever imagined. The best thing was I felt fresh throughout and ran my final mile in the quickest time This base training has worked after all!.
Weather looks as though it will be getting milder but wetter - I dont mind so long as we get rid of that biting cold!
have a good weeks training everyone and welcome to Iron newbie
Slim well done cracking result, i mentioned near the start of this thread that we would all be fizzing after base training, the good news is you will get stronger and stronger, plus the mental strenght gained from completing IM has given me the confidence to realy push my shorter races to a new level resulting in a 1/2 mara PB from a stuck in a rut for years 1:40 ish to 1:25 (on a tough course) at 49 it realy does change the way you view your limitations
Andy - Really sorry about your dog. Hope you managed to get yourself out for a run tonight and it helps give you a lift. Good to know that I am about on track at this stage. The size of the event makes me feel like no amount of training will be enough !!!
Ladyfe and Ridgebackmax - Up to now I have been following a marathon training plan but adding two cycles (one indoor) and two swims a week. I plan to increase the time on the bike once the marathons over though. On your advice I will order the Iron fit book. Defo helps me to have a plan to follow.
I definately know the feeling of post swimming hunger !!! I don't think i'll loose any weight during the training as the more the distances go up the more I want to eat. I will try to start trying to be more sensible with food choices now as I could definately do with loosing a few pounds... got to make life a little more comfortable on the day
Re the hills on IMUK course. Of course I was expecting some lumps and bumps......are we talking long long uphills or shorter sharper gradients? Unlike you Rmax I'm still a bit of a woos when it comes to downhills...(although I'm getting better.) But I do tend to be a bit brake happy on the downhill
Slim - excellent result
I know that I'm getting stronger with my press-ups anyway! On week 3 now
Also Ladyfe - Great effort on getting the 70 lengths in the pool done. No doubt you'll be fine for the 2.5k come April. Is this an open water event? If so and your in a wetsuit this will also help. I was amazed last year while training for London how much help a wetsuit gives !!!
Well done at Silverstone, Slim - that sounds like a really great run.
I Newbie - I'm another vaguely using Fink as a guide, but am also marathon training at the moment and finding it hard to get the bike/run blanace right. I've done a couple of 60 milers but they've been very start-stop, so will be looking forward to testing myself a bit with a 100k sportive in a fortnight. I'm also planning to do a 100-miler in June and think it will take that long to ease up to the distance.
Max - I never really understood the "hungry all the time" talk until now..... and I'll be in bed within the next half hour, too!
Had a bit of a Wiggle at the weekend, so looking forward to starting to get used to Tri bars fairly soon .
Sorry Iron N - our posts crossed! . No- the swimathon is a pool event. - organised for Marie Curie Cancer Care during weekend of April 16-18 around the country.
I hate swimming in a wetsuit- I think thats the problem. I feel restricted. I didn't find it helpful at all and was really disappointed! Its just because I'm not used to it thats all. The greatest confidence booster for me will be simply to get to some open water and just swim. Just keep at it until I'm really used to the feel of it. I will be looking at the London lidos...yukky I know
no really long climbs...sh lane is the worst of it and as has just been said theres a llot of support...only a couple of miles...bit steep at the very top but a dip in the middle to recover. you'll be fine
Sorry if I set in a IMUK hill induced panic you will all be fine come race day as you will all be trained to the hilt and hyper fit like never before but there is no getting around it the course is undulating with some steady climbs on the bike and run to put it in perspective I got a much higher placing at Bolton than at the previous course at Sherborne (which was considered tough) but was 25 mins slower so there are definately some lumps there but nothing extreme, menatally get your head round the fact you are in for a tough day and as a Andy said you will all be fine........promise
Well, I have taken the advice and just ordered my copy of Iron fit. Out of stock at Waterstones at the mo so I will have to wait about ten days to receive it. Given this - does anyone following the plan mind giving me a rough idea of this weeks schedule? This weekend I am planning a 20 mile run Saturday and then a 50 mile ride Sunday..... both will be v slow as all I want to do it get used to covering the distance !!!
Joddly - I know what you mean about the bike run balance. I think after this weekend I am going to start really working harder on the bike and following the long weekend ride with a short run to get used to moving from the ride to run. I had ambitions at the start of going for a marathon PB but am now looking at it more of a fun training run wihtout killing myself to make a certain time and then being to tired to train for a week afterwards. Good luck with building the bike milage. Will be keen to know how you get on with the 100k sportive.
Iron Newbie - a 20 mile run is TOO far at this stage, you are asking for injury, General advice is no more than 1hr 30 min run at this stage. It is the bike that counts. You need to be able to get off the bike, capable of being able to run.
There is no point in being able to do a sub 3 or whatever marathon IF you cant run when you get off the bike.
I would actually do them the other way round, long bike saturday, either 50 miles or 3hr30 and then follow that with a 1hr 30 run on the Sunday.
I would also try and get your nutrition right NOW. IF you have not used gatorade before then start using it asap, its the race drink (and in 2009 was considerably stronger than normal) and I know several people who had stomach cramps on the bike which then affects the run.
Hi JPenno - Thanks for the advice. The reason I am up to 20 miles on the run already is that I have the Brighton marathon four weeks Sunday. This will be my last run of this length pre marathon. After this then I will defo take your advice and reduce the running miles but increase the bike.
Thanks for the tip re gatorade. I will start using this now. I remember during the London Tri last year suffering a bit with whatever sports drink they provided (I can't remember now what it was though).
Would you recommend any brick sessions at this stage or just stick to a long ride Saturday and then a run on Sunday?
JP gives great advice, but it's hard when you want to perform reasonably well in a marathon. My millstone is a 3.30 target, which is going to be a real challenge, and I really don't feel I can afford any shortcuts in the marathon schedule. It should be easier in 3 weeks when the taper starts.
I've been doing long rides (50 -60) on Saturdays, trying to follow with a short (4 miles, feels like 40) run, and then long run on Sundays (20 for the last few weeks). It's worked out that way because the only day a club ride is slow enough for me is the Saturday. I think that way round is better for Tri training, but worse for marathon training (injury risk). The Fink programme has much shorter long runs at the mo, and your marathon training will be about double what's scheduled at present.
The swims in Fink move from 2 to 3 per week about now, and go up to 3km. Bricks are scheduled from now also.
Joddly, I will be starting cycling with the local club a week on Saturday so at that time will probably go with the same sort of plan as your following. To be honest i'll be glad when the marathon is done now so I can focus on the bike and brick sessions !!!
The only marathon I've run before was Edinburgh a few years ago and I managed 3.50. Was hoping to improve on that but had to have a month out due to an operation. I'm ok getting the miles done but am a bit slower than I would have liked to have been due to the break. 3.30 will be awesome if you can do it.
I think i'll struggle to make 3k on the swim right now. I'm up to 2k. I'll aim to add 250m a week for the next month. Just back from the pool as it goes.... could do with a sleep now and am so hungry I could eat my desk !!!
i'm not doing 3k yet swimming...i'm mostly doing drills and i'll ramp up distances once i can do open water swimming..i do about a mile in my sessions but i might go further tonight.
ex spartan....i live close to the course (less than 3 miles from SH lane) so i'll be up for laps...i reckon they must be close to finalising it now.
I think a few of us on here are in the same position regarding an imminent marathon - hence the long runs. I too will be doing a 20 miler this weekend . * prepares for a berating from JPenno..*
Actually, I know I'll recover more quickly from the marathon if I prepare properly for it. I didn't for my first one in 2006 and suffered terribly during the marathon ...and afterwards as well. However, I did do an autumn marathon in October and did more long runs in the build up and enjoyed it much more...and recovered pretty quickly as well. I won't however be looking for a great time....I haven't put in the speed work due to the base phase training for the Ironman as that is my main goal.
Did a 5 mile run home this evening. Wonderful to be leaving work in the light!!!!! Got a nice run into work in the morning and then bike session in evening. I will be able to do a swim this Thursday evening as not teaching the class this week. Yay!
Joddly - re the order of the long runs and rides- pre marathon I am now doing long run on Sat and bike on Sunday. But after marathon I too will swop.
No berating from me. If you have marathons planned then you have to do the long runs, if not then you are risking injury with the longer runs.
After the marathons are done then I would concentrate on the bike getting upto 5/6 hr ride with a 1hr run off the bike and then a longest standalone run of 1hr 30 to 2hrs.
Its best to do the bike then run as that is the way they are on the day and you will need to be able to run off the bike, doing the odd one the other way round does give you the benefit of learning to ride with tired legs.
Andy - I thought they had finalised the bike course, not sure how it compares to last year but it must not go as far out towards southport as last year before returning back towards the A49
Comments
JP - your dogs are so cute, the pics on fb always make me smile.
Slim- I am sure that the rides will get better. I have had some really horrible rides, cold, wet, punctures etc. However, the last two rides have been much better so I am finally starting to enjoy them.
Ladyfe - have a lovely time with you daughter, I'm off to Guildford tomorrow to have lunch with mine
Ridge - Thx for the comments, it makes me feel better to realise that its completely normal to be nervous. I hadn't really thought about it like that!
Today I managed 56 miles in 4 hours 5 minutes.. I was very pleased, its my longest ride yet and my speed is gradually getting better (still would like it to be a lot quicker!). Off to a hard session of boxercise this afternoon.
Hope everyone's weekend goes OK.
Andy - so sorry about Corky. You will be missing him, but I hope your ride today lifted your spirits a bit.
JP - thanks for the encouraging words. I felt starving on today's LBR, which is a good sign, I think, that I'm able to digest on the move!
PTL - good bike session, in a very good time. Still 5 months to go, too.
It's got a bit windy round here this afternoon. I'd planned to go for a short run soonish after getting back on the bike but legs felt trashed so I had a huge amount of food instead. Now I'm wondering whether to run at all today - maybe just save myself for tomorrow's LSR (then only 3 weeks until marathon taper - it can't come soon enough!)
Out at 7am for 3 hrs and 15 mins on bike. Very testing as I had to use my heavy commuting bike and there just seemed to be endless long inclines of various gradients throughout . A good workout though and good weather. Plenty of runners and cyclists out and about this morning. Got back and found daughter had just literally woken up
Next time I will try to aim for 6am start as that extra hour really does make a difference in terms of amount of traffic on road.
Off to pool a bit later. Daughter is now not going back to Uni until tomorrow which means we don't have to cram everything in!
Hi all,
Just wanted to sign on and join in the chat as I have also signed up for this years UK Ironman. Good to read comments from plenty of others with the same fears as me..... mainly will I make it out of the swim??
Did the London Triathlon last year and enjoyed it then after a few too many Christmas beverages decided that Ironman this year was a sensible move... didn't feel quite the same when I sobered up
I am also running the Brighton marathon in five weeks. Running is fine and managed 20 miles Saturday. Also up to about 2k on the swim. Slow but I am having lessons which are helping. To be honest just aiming to be out of the water in two hours.
A little behind on the bike as, unfortunately, I had an operation to remove an abscess six weeks ago. Lets just says it was in area that left me unable to ride a bike for a few weeks !!!
Been no more than 25 miles so fay but am planning to try and go and break the 50 mile mark this weekend - although got to fit it round my daughters 4th birthday party
Just wondering how many miles most people on here are racking up a week on the bike at this stage and what your longest rides so far are? What do people plan to do as their longest session at the peak of training? Will it be a long bike then run brick session? How many miles will you cover?
Hope everyone elses training is going well.... I will no doubt be on a lot now to share the pain and look for tips and advice
my training went to pot end of last week (due to my aforementioned dog) and i totally have zero enthusiasm to get back on the horse this week but i'm going to have to pick myself up somehow and crack on with a run tonight.
Hi Iron Newbie - this is a good place to be .
Re the bike - I've been following Don Fink's Ironfit schedule almost to the letter with regards to the bike in particular...so have been doing 'time' rather than distance. My longest has prob only been about 40 miles ish. Am looking forward to getting out for a longer bike ride very soon...now that the weather is improving
Mid week with commuting, together with the two shorter bike sessions I average about 50 miles ( this is minus the longer weekend ride).
I have twice swam 70 lengths which is 1.75 K ......my longest ever. My next swim target is a 2.5 swimathon on April 18th . I wished I could have aimed for the 5K target but thats beyond me at the moment
Andy- you mentioned "IMUK course and "hilly" in the same sentence
Nutrition is going to be a key thing..........I'm like primitive caveman after swimming with food.......gobble, stuff, slurp......so hungry. The thought of cycling 112 miles after a 2.4 swim is....well....mind boggling.
Hi all.
Andy - really sorry to hear your news. As has already been said you do get attached to the little uns. i reckon you'd feel better for getting out in the fresh air for a good blast out.
Thanks everyone for the encouragement r.e the swim. I reckon your right. I have been given a plan and so long as it is followed and I can meet the targets I will get there. 'There' just feels like such a long way off
run and bike is going well. Lots of long steady and easy miles. feeling really strong compared to how i have always trained in the past for other sports i have been involved in, (hard, fast, pushing myself and being knackered all the time!)
looking forward to my wetsuit arriving and starting with the open water swimming. I think the extra bouyancy round the mid section and legs will help no end!
R'max- you look like your enjoying the grizzly. 'Nice pics'
Keep up the good work all
welcome Ironnewbie
what program are you following? at the risk of sounding like a stuck recordfor a first timer Iron fit by Don Fink will tell you all you need to do to crack your first IM most of us are coming to the end of our base periods building the foundations as it were to start building the volume safely,
personally I am doing 2-3 hours cycling in the week in 2 sessions and fitting a 2 to 2 1/2 hour long ride on the weekend . 2 hour ish weekday runs and a 1:30 -2 hour run at the weekend swim 3 30 to 40 min sessions based soley on technique I will build the volume when I can get out of the hell that I find the pool and into the sea (April/May ish).
Glad to hear everyone is going well how is everybody feeling at the end (ish) of base hopefully fired up, used to training twice a day and feeling that its not so impossible a task after all
Who has started eating for two and going to bed at early like a naughty four year old?
Ladyfe...dont kid yourself its not hilly hun...it is...and you have to go up sheephouse lane 3 times and once is bad enough....best you be prepared i think...after that theres no killers though and its not a long climb.
i'll be doing some recce laps with the bcttt, in the spring and will post it up here so you're all welcome to come along (i'll get my mrs to do bacon butties for our return) so you know what to expect.
right well i'm off for a run.
Hi all,
Silverstone half completed yesterday in 1hr 51 which was much better than I ever imagined. The best thing was I felt fresh throughout and ran my final mile in the quickest time This base training has worked after all!.
Weather looks as though it will be getting milder but wetter - I dont mind so long as we get rid of that biting cold!
have a good weeks training everyone and welcome to Iron newbie
Thanks for the welcome all.
Andy - Really sorry about your dog. Hope you managed to get yourself out for a run tonight and it helps give you a lift. Good to know that I am about on track at this stage. The size of the event makes me feel like no amount of training will be enough !!!
Ladyfe and Ridgebackmax - Up to now I have been following a marathon training plan but adding two cycles (one indoor) and two swims a week. I plan to increase the time on the bike once the marathons over though. On your advice I will order the Iron fit book. Defo helps me to have a plan to follow.
I definately know the feeling of post swimming hunger !!! I don't think i'll loose any weight during the training as the more the distances go up the more I want to eat. I will try to start trying to be more sensible with food choices now as I could definately do with loosing a few pounds... got to make life a little more comfortable on the day
Hi guys.
Re the hills on IMUK course. Of course I was expecting some lumps and bumps......are we talking long long uphills or shorter sharper gradients? Unlike you Rmax I'm still a bit of a woos when it comes to downhills...(although I'm getting better.) But I do tend to be a bit brake happy on the downhill
Slim - excellent result
I know that I'm getting stronger with my press-ups anyway! On week 3 now
Hi all - busy here tonight!
Well done at Silverstone, Slim - that sounds like a really great run.
I Newbie - I'm another vaguely using Fink as a guide, but am also marathon training at the moment and finding it hard to get the bike/run blanace right. I've done a couple of 60 milers but they've been very start-stop, so will be looking forward to testing myself a bit with a 100k sportive in a fortnight. I'm also planning to do a 100-miler in June and think it will take that long to ease up to the distance.
Max - I never really understood the "hungry all the time" talk until now..... and I'll be in bed within the next half hour, too!
Had a bit of a Wiggle at the weekend, so looking forward to starting to get used to Tri bars fairly soon .
Andy - hope things pick up a bit soon.
G'night
Sorry Iron N - our posts crossed! . No- the swimathon is a pool event. - organised for Marie Curie Cancer Care during weekend of April 16-18 around the country.
I hate swimming in a wetsuit- I think thats the problem. I feel restricted. I didn't find it helpful at all and was really disappointed! Its just because I'm not used to it thats all. The greatest confidence booster for me will be simply to get to some open water and just swim. Just keep at it until I'm really used to the feel of it. I will be looking at the London lidos...yukky I know
Well, I have taken the advice and just ordered my copy of Iron fit. Out of stock at Waterstones at the mo so I will have to wait about ten days to receive it. Given this - does anyone following the plan mind giving me a rough idea of this weeks schedule? This weekend I am planning a 20 mile run Saturday and then a 50 mile ride Sunday..... both will be v slow as all I want to do it get used to covering the distance !!!
Joddly - I know what you mean about the bike run balance. I think after this weekend I am going to start really working harder on the bike and following the long weekend ride with a short run to get used to moving from the ride to run. I had ambitions at the start of going for a marathon PB but am now looking at it more of a fun training run wihtout killing myself to make a certain time and then being to tired to train for a week afterwards. Good luck with building the bike milage. Will be keen to know how you get on with the 100k sportive.
Iron Newbie - a 20 mile run is TOO far at this stage, you are asking for injury, General advice is no more than 1hr 30 min run at this stage. It is the bike that counts. You need to be able to get off the bike, capable of being able to run.
There is no point in being able to do a sub 3 or whatever marathon IF you cant run when you get off the bike.
I would actually do them the other way round, long bike saturday, either 50 miles or 3hr30 and then follow that with a 1hr 30 run on the Sunday.
I would also try and get your nutrition right NOW. IF you have not used gatorade before then start using it asap, its the race drink (and in 2009 was considerably stronger than normal) and I know several people who had stomach cramps on the bike which then affects the run.
Hi JPenno - Thanks for the advice. The reason I am up to 20 miles on the run already is that I have the Brighton marathon four weeks Sunday. This will be my last run of this length pre marathon. After this then I will defo take your advice and reduce the running miles but increase the bike.
Thanks for the tip re gatorade. I will start using this now. I remember during the London Tri last year suffering a bit with whatever sports drink they provided (I can't remember now what it was though).
Would you recommend any brick sessions at this stage or just stick to a long ride Saturday and then a run on Sunday?
Iron Newbie, I'm in the same position as you.
JP gives great advice, but it's hard when you want to perform reasonably well in a marathon. My millstone is a 3.30 target, which is going to be a real challenge, and I really don't feel I can afford any shortcuts in the marathon schedule. It should be easier in 3 weeks when the taper starts.
I've been doing long rides (50 -60) on Saturdays, trying to follow with a short (4 miles, feels like 40) run, and then long run on Sundays (20 for the last few weeks). It's worked out that way because the only day a club ride is slow enough for me is the Saturday. I think that way round is better for Tri training, but worse for marathon training (injury risk). The Fink programme has much shorter long runs at the mo, and your marathon training will be about double what's scheduled at present.
The swims in Fink move from 2 to 3 per week about now, and go up to 3km. Bricks are scheduled from now also.
Joddly, I will be starting cycling with the local club a week on Saturday so at that time will probably go with the same sort of plan as your following. To be honest i'll be glad when the marathon is done now so I can focus on the bike and brick sessions !!!
The only marathon I've run before was Edinburgh a few years ago and I managed 3.50. Was hoping to improve on that but had to have a month out due to an operation. I'm ok getting the miles done but am a bit slower than I would have liked to have been due to the break. 3.30 will be awesome if you can do it.
I think i'll struggle to make 3k on the swim right now. I'm up to 2k. I'll aim to add 250m a week for the next month. Just back from the pool as it goes.... could do with a sleep now and am so hungry I could eat my desk !!!
ex spartan....i live close to the course (less than 3 miles from SH lane) so i'll be up for laps...i reckon they must be close to finalising it now.
I think a few of us on here are in the same position regarding an imminent marathon - hence the long runs. I too will be doing a 20 miler this weekend . * prepares for a berating from JPenno..*
Actually, I know I'll recover more quickly from the marathon if I prepare properly for it. I didn't for my first one in 2006 and suffered terribly during the marathon ...and afterwards as well. However, I did do an autumn marathon in October and did more long runs in the build up and enjoyed it much more...and recovered pretty quickly as well. I won't however be looking for a great time....I haven't put in the speed work due to the base phase training for the Ironman as that is my main goal.
Did a 5 mile run home this evening. Wonderful to be leaving work in the light!!!!! Got a nice run into work in the morning and then bike session in evening. I will be able to do a swim this Thursday evening as not teaching the class this week. Yay!
Joddly - re the order of the long runs and rides- pre marathon I am now doing long run on Sat and bike on Sunday. But after marathon I too will swop.
No berating from me. If you have marathons planned then you have to do the long runs, if not then you are risking injury with the longer runs.
After the marathons are done then I would concentrate on the bike getting upto 5/6 hr ride with a 1hr run off the bike and then a longest standalone run of 1hr 30 to 2hrs.
Its best to do the bike then run as that is the way they are on the day and you will need to be able to run off the bike, doing the odd one the other way round does give you the benefit of learning to ride with tired legs.
Andy - I thought they had finalised the bike course, not sure how it compares to last year but it must not go as far out towards southport as last year before returning back towards the A49