Coach responds:
Ok, recapping your great notes above…
IM Run Race Lessons
– Early miles matter for HR
– This is 2x in Kona along Ali’i drive.
IM Run Training Lessons
– Target is 25 to 28 mpw, which translates to 30 mpw give or take into the race.
– Flat running is critical for mileage and run “Safety”
– Recovery is essential.
In addition to the above, I would add:
- I’d prefer cruise intervals (4 x 1k) for “work” on the run vs any hill work whatsoever. I’ll flat running please.
- We have to keep the run / walk going for the longer stuff. It’s great practice for Kona on both discipline and hydration. And I think that it will help you build safely.
- I don’t want to miss out on the bike stuff as well…there should be on really long ride day in there, but easy. You are doing great hard work, but we need one day of easy riding but a long day…has to be flat. What would this look like for you and when could it fit? This big aerobic dose is a great low-cost boost to your fitness.
- One key workout I like folks with run focus to do into Ironman is modifying the traditional Sunday ABP ride to be 90 minutes, and then do a longer race pace brick off of it of 8 to 10 miles.
I am just putting that out there ^above^ , I am not sure how it would fit and I don’t want to jeopardize the great flow you’ve established. Perhaps our next talking point?
And I write back:
Thanks for zeroing in on the key points I was learning from my data dive.
Regarding the suggestions:
• I’m lovin’ the cruise intervals – they are just the right speed and length to provide work without excess stress. Those plus a day of 8 strides provides all the speed fix my brain needs from running. Both those are on the track or other wise on the flats.
• Long bikes: the IM plan over the next four weeks had five long rides: 4.5, 5, 5, and one week of 2 x 6 hours. Are those the long bikes you are highlighting? Or are you suggesting I add another long bike somewhere, or that I should lengthen one or more of those? Otherwise, I’ll just be following the plan as it’s written.
• Also, I think you are highlighting that I need to get at least some time on the TT bike, and thus the “on a flat course” comment. When I get to Colorado, I have the opportunity to put in 6 hour/100 mi “flat” rides from Aspen-Vail the “flat” way on a regular basis (that’s 1-2% down for 35 miles after the initial drop from home, then 58 miles 1-2% up until the final 11% hill to friends’ condo.) I’ll need to be goaded into doing those earlier long rides on flat courses exclusively, the ones during the upcoming 4 weeks, as it’s (a) incredibly boring to me, (b) I’d have to do it alone, which I hate and (c) it would be in addition to the mountain rides I’m already planning on weekly here over the next four weeks.
• Shortening the ABP ride and adding a 90′ brick after sounds good to me – how does that fit with the long run in the week I do it, and how does it impact the other run days that week. Like you, I seem to have a weekly run mileage max I can handle, and I don’t want to overshoot.
Coach answers back:
1. Yes, we continue to cruise. It’s perfect.
2. I meant in place of those long rides…riding in the hills makes you stronger for sure, and the social aspect matters. But Kona isn’t hilly hard, it’s mentally hard. And flats are mentally hard. They are boring, solo and can be soul sucking…remind you of an island in October??? Seriously though, those aerobar rides are good, and even better, we can do them with little cost (lower VI, lower HR) than a traditional ride. I would be okay with a September trip down there. So mountains now, but flats to come (in some aspect)
I don’t know how you feel about bike volume, but for any other person I would have them doing CAMP WEEK as two back to back long ride days for that aerobic volume boost. Let me know what you think of it. If you did that in SEPT, then you could do 1 flat ride in first weekend, then normal week of hills, then 2x flat rides in weeks 3 (week 17?) as the final RR part.
3. Re the ABP plus long brick, this is tough because you have built a great week with rest and recovery. I almost feel as though this would mean too much damage to your week. Perhaps a good compromise is to go brick run of 30’ off of your ABP ride instead of later in the day? Would that alone challenge you enough / help you enough to prepare for Kona? Ideally yes as it would give you more time for recovery between that AM session and the following day (no PM run). Thoughts?
Also, this week looks like a good “re entry week” so lets roll with it.