Fink for Outlaw 2012

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  • Bburn, Re losing running fitness, don't worry about it. I've read a few times that cycling helps running, but running does not help cycling, and I believe it, esp if you spin on the bike, and get your legs used to a quicker turnover.

    Also its non impact so you reduce your chances of injury.
    If you train to HR bear in mind that typically your HR zones will be lower on a bike than on the run. I think Friel or Fink say in the region of 5%.

    I have the Fink plans on Excel if anyone wants them (doesn't have the swim sets in, or the great content, so please still buy the book) but PM me if you want the plans themselves.

    This year for my first IM I tried to follow Intermediate for a while but soon realised that with a 9-7 job and 2 young kids it wasn't going to happen, so went for a 6 day a week plan, being 2 swims, 2 runs and 2 bikes, with one run and one bike being long (er) than the other!

    I averaged 6.5 hours over the 30 weeks and finished in sub 13 hrs. I'm a firm believer in consistency over distance / anything else.

    Also, I didn't put in the intensity the plan suggested in the final phases. I wish I had, it might have helped a little, although come race day aside from the bike climbs I didn't go over Z2 on either bike or run. IM is not about training hard, its about training looong!

    Enjoy, it's gonna be fun. Still hoping I can join ya'll!
  • Gladys what where your long runs/bike plus what distance was your shorter run/bike.
  • ST - You probably weren't, but don't be lured into thinking  you can get away with not doing too much - as tempting, and reassuring as it might be to hear that someone did really well on not much training.  We're all different and, although it pains me to say it image Gladys must be talented to achieve what he did on the relatively low amount of training he was able to do .  It's bloody annoying really. If he was able to put in the hours he'd be dangerous. He did do a half the year before and did a fair bit of training the year before so i suppose that shows that consistency and building a good base is key.

    There are plenty of stories in pirate lore of people who have had complete nightmare training periods yet still pulling off amazing races and doing really well. But there are other tales of people who for whatever reason couldn't train much and came a cropper - had a horrible experience or DNF'd. Even a few who did train and still found it really tough. It's just not fair.

    What I'm bossily saying is - there are no short cuts. You have to put the miles/hours/effort in.  But if you DO put the hours in - it's completely and utterly doable. Train hard, race easy.

  • JEvaNsJEvaNs ✭✭✭
    Well, since I am not doing the bike bit, I will devote that time in the schedule to my polystyrene... I could name them all after peeps on this forum and work on them proportionate to the training effort image
  • Oh God, I agree with Henny (aside from the but about me having any talent etc) please don't look at me as any sort of role model. All I did was do as much as I could as regularly as possible. And as Henny says I did do a half the year before, so I had some sort of base.

    In answer to ST however, in the 9 weeks of June and July I did (in reverse order) 52,53,89,100,65 mile rides. In the same period my runs were all over 5 miles (aside from the occasional brick session), with the longest 3 being 9,8,13. Which wasn't enough I don't think. Next time I would like to do something like 13,15,18 as my longest 3 runs, as the wheels came off after about 16 miles on the run, as much as anything I think because I was mentally telling myself this was uncharted territory. I also did a 4:1 run walk which gave a first half mara in 2hrs 10, and the second was 2hrs 40, so a big difference.

    I also only did one Half IM (at the end of May) as a warm up, I'd ideally liked to have done 2 like many of the others did.

    Hope that helps, happy to share my experience, but don't rely on me for any good advice other than "Be consistent"!
  • Keeeeeeeeep Mincing   image
  • gordo tips - all good reading......

    gordos golden rules

    4 pillars

    basic ironman week

    gordo tips index

    Other essential listening for newbies......imtalk

  • I see from the plan that it recommends a half ironman beginning of may are there any in UK around that time i know it is a long way off but in my job i need to plan. I know date are not out yet just wandered if anyone aware of one.
  • Marshman!

    It coincides nicely with the usual family weekend away. We're staying in Hastings or thereabouts.

  • brill thanks i will have a look at that.image
  • Artful Hen  wrote (see)

    ST - You probably weren't, but don't be lured into thinking  you can get away with not doing too much - as tempting, and reassuring as it might be to hear that someone did really well on not much training. 


    imageCautionary tale:-

    My first IM was NZ which happens in early March so required training through the winter. 

    • I come from a running background so am happy to run in any weather - except icy/snow. 
    • I like swimming so having to do all my swimming in the pool, while boring as hell, was not a problem. 
    • The bike is my weakest discipline.  I am a fair weather cylclist and absolutely hate cycling when it's cold and/or wet.  I am also inherently lazy and lack the disclipline to spend more than 1hr on the turbo.

    So, I swam and ran regulary and happily.  If it was dry and not too cold I pedalled, mostly 30-50 miles. I managed about two 1hr turbo sessions.  I never rode more than 70 miles and only did that once (the Hell of the Ashdown sportive - it snowed!)

    Result - Swim was great. On the bike,I was fine up to about 65 miles then suffered big time, not helped by allowing my nutriton plan to go out of the window. Only two things kept me going: one was thinking of the virtual support from friends, pirate and otherwise, who would be tracking my progress online; the other was the knowledge that, as long as I made it inside the bike cutoff, I could complete the run leg within the 6.5hrs remaining to the 17hr cutoff.  I finished with 25mins to spare, too mentally and physically tired to really enjoy the achievement.

    My second ironman was Challenge Roth (July) with a more challenging bike course. In training I did about the same amount of swimming, quite a lot less running and, along with fairly regular 30-40mile rides, completed four 75-80 mile sprortives.   My swim quicker, bike approx 45mins faster and significantly more comfortable and run was about the same. With less time wasted in transition, I knocked an hour off my finish time and was able to enjoy the experience much more.

    Moral: concentrate on your weakest disclipline and don't skimp on the long sessions on the bike - unless you enjoy pain and suffering image.image

  • So many pearls of wisdom here already. Thanks Trogs.

    I'm starting to wonder how anyone does the IM distance without all of this help and advice. We are very fortunate to have Pirates on our side. Pirates rock! image

  • Interesting thread.

    Just a word for all those who are doing this as their second IM - I found number 2 much harder than the first as I had lost that fear factor and thought having done it, then it would be OK on slightly less training. Nope, t'was harder and was a real wake up call. So for Outlaw I am upping the training........will go with Fink intermediate as long as I can then if needs be drop down. But whichever plan I do I will try and stick to Fink's Intermediate cycling plan.       

  • You won't need to drop down, Bedders. image
  • Marshman is likely for me ... mother lives in Hastings so I have no reason not to!!

    Bala could be well placed as well Phil dependant on where you are in the world, May time may be ideal but I would say as long as it is not less than 4 weeks out then you should be ok
  • Marshman sounds ideal, but is a very long way from home for me.

    When are they likely to publish the date for Bala, and does it sell out quickly - thinking about funds! I have already spent a fortune recently on a new bike and Outlaw entry!! Not sure I can get away with much more before Christmas.

    Ohh, Bala looks hillyimage

  • Bala is hilly but its a beautiful course

    They will all sell out quite quickly and get quicker each year but as far as I can remember Bala wont open til after Christmas
  • O.rangeCannon... wrote (see)

    gordo tips - all good reading......

    gordos golden rules

    4 pillars

    basic ironman week

    gordo tips index

    Other essential listening for newbies......imtalk

    Great stuff here, OC.  Love Gordo.
  • Bala is open for entries    image
  • OC....thanks for the links mate.....makes sense...image
  • Been thinking of my goals for the Outlaw next year, this year was my first iron distance so although great fun was a massive eye opener. I think my targets will be

    Swim 75 mins (87 in 2011)

    Bike 6hrs (6.27 in 2011)

    Run 4hrs (4.43 in 2011)

    So with T1&2 included should bring me in around 11.30-11.45 taking roughly an hour off this years time of 12.50.

    Need a better start in the swim, not mess around in T1, sort my bike position out and i'm considering turning every 2hr+ bike into a brick with at least a 15 min run.

    75.6.4 is easy to remember for me too.

    Oh and beat Gladys

  • image For me thinking goals will be to be able to crawl the whole swim a sub 7 hour bike and a 4 to 5 hour marafun. Targetted a sub 12 for regensburg this year before had to pull out so thinking it's perfectly possible but might be hard going.

    Still think I'm an unknown to myself in IM distance stuff. Didn't really get the chance to train well before 2010 because of a conbination of bad luck and stuff outside off off training and know I can do a lot better than I did in the end.

     Also something for folks to think about is I normally don't use gels and stuff because I like the mental battle of the wall (know thats strainge but so I'm I) for the run in 2010 I hit a wall becasue of not taking enough on the bike that was like nothing I've found in a marathon. If you havn't throught about it yet I would take some time and plan your race nutrition nearer the time. It's going to hurt a little. Luckerly I know a good nutriionalist bookworm so can plan it out this time. I'm sure she won't mind given anyone else advice.

    Post outlaw targets 10 pints of Gunniess and a bottle of rum. image

  • M,oFoM,oFo ✭✭✭
    I've got to have a look at the plans that Gladys sent me as I don't know whether to use the "just finish" or intermediate one. I did the Vitruvian this year in 6:44 on the back of almost no training - 4 open water swim sessions, longest ride of about 40km aside from one 100km sportive back in March and longest run of 10 miles after a HM in May.

    I realise I'll DNF without sticking to a proper training plan, and hopefully doing that will help me lose some weight which will help as well.

    Apart from finishing in one piece as my goal I don't know what times I should be aiming for.
  • I think everybodys goal should be to beat Gladys




    Keeeeeeeeeeep Mincing  image
  • Finish in one piece, 16.59.59 will do for me!! That's my only goal
  • TJ1004TJ1004 ✭✭✭
    Simple goal for me - just bloody finish inside cut off with a smile;)
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