More Q&A about IM training:
From an Endurance Nation athlete training for IM Canada:
Would love to have your thoughts….
I’ve been concerned that I’ve been overreaching/overtraining. I’ve been doing between 14-16hr/wk over weeks 5 thru 8 of IM 12 week plan. It has been very hot and humid here.
THIS WEEK IS MY 2.5 HR RUN (Planning it on Wed) and MY RR [Race rehearsal]#2 (planning it on Friday)…..
HELP………THOUGHTS…….IS IT OK TO BE OVERREACHING ON WEEK 9 OF 12 AND DO POORLY NOW…..JUST HANG ON OR DO I MAKE ANY ADJUSTMENTS. DONT WANT TO OVERTRAIN.
Response:
Just before I saw your email in my inbox, I had been looking at my Performance Management Chart, so I went back to May/June, in the time frame weeks 8-9 of my 12 weeks IM plan for IM CDA. I noticed several things which might help reassure you. First, weeks 8 and 9 were my hardest weeks of the year so far, in terms of total training stress. Second, the absolute low point of my training stress balance, and the absolute high point of both my acute and chronic training loads were the start of week ten, 20 days before the IM. And third, I took two whole days off at that point, nothing on Sunday, and weights for 30 minutes only on Monday evening. So, yes, you should feel like you are on the knife edge of being at the end of your rope, and you need to be very cautious about not overloading yourself at this point.
The long run and the RR brick are the two most important workouts in week 9, and the only ones that REALLY matter at this point. I found I had to back off in week nine, compared to the week before. By “back off” I mean I only did two swims of about 1700 meters each that week (9), and three runs: 2.5 hr long run, 3 x 1 mile intervals, and the 6 mi RR brick. I did two 35 mile rides in addition to the RR that week, both consisting of about a 6-10 mile climb @ FTP (I was in the mtns), and the rest either downhill or every easy. But I nailed the long run on Thurs and the RR on Sat, and then rested for two days.
So my recent experience in training for CDA was that week 8 was my heaviest week, and I eased up in week 9 on the swim and run volume and frequency in order to make sure I was able to get a good long run and RR in week 9. And then I rested for probably 48 hours, and then did a short weight session in the evening, before getting back to plan. Needless to say, it worked OK for me.
And yes, I had inner guilt pangs during week nine about not doing enough work, but I knew from experience that sufficient rest and the long run and RR were the only things that really mattered that week. Hope this helps.
Follow up query:
What you did was exactly my thoughts. I did a 2 mile walk/run Monday (inside….barely broke a sweat). Will concentrate only on the 3 key workouts this week only, then rest.
Final question….sound like you hit wattage and pacing targets, Im not even close….i.e. was 40 watts lower on the long ride. Really the length of the 2 key workouts are very important. I suppose it’s just a matter of getting whatever watts/pace I get….must do the length (volume goal time).
Thanks for the reassurance.. M.
And my reply:
The hardest part of the IM is performing on the run at the end of the day. “Execution”. Being able to complete the 2.5 hour run at a reasonable pace, and then nailing the nutrition and hydration on the long bike [race rehearsal] so you are able to do a reasonable pace on the 6 mile run to follow and not feel totally trashed while you are doing it are the essential training benefits of those two workouts. Your mind and body are learning what it takes to properly execute on race day. And part of that is learning the discipline to go STUPID EASY during the first 1.5 hours on the bike and the first hour of the run.
I agree, resting however much you need to set yourself up to successfully execute the long run and RR in week 9 is more important than doing each workout as written that week.
Here’s a swimming question, and my comments (not that I know anything about swimming; but I do know something about RACING!)
Posted By K. on 03 Aug 2010 03:09 PM
…My most recent outing was Arizona in 1:24….dropped my T-1000yard time from 18:00 down to 16:00 just prior to Arizona, but have not seen any improvement in open water.I’m not flailing in the IM swim, I usually finish feeling pretty relaxed …
No question that coaching with stroke analysis will help you. But the above numbers and comment suggest there may be a race execution issue as well.
I routinely do IM swims these days in 69-70 minutes (including the last two IM AZs.) My T 1000 time is 15:29 – and that’s done with a pull buoy; if I had to actually swim the thing, I would be closer to 20 minutes than 15 I suspect.
There may be some free speed awaiting you by learning how to race in the swim better. “The only way to find your limits is to go past them”. You need to get more tired while swimming in a race situation, so tired that you feel you need to slow down every now and then to, say do 10 strokes of breast stroke. Then, you’ll get a feel for where the edge of the envelope is, and what it takes to stay there. Swim at an effort level just below that edge. I think that’s what Rich means by advising us to swim at an effort level that allows you to hold form. It’s harder than easy/relaxed – you want to race just BELOW the effort level at which you start to lose form. An Olympic distance swim is long enough to be such a learning environment. And, surprisingly, you can probably go almost as fast in an IM swim as you can for 15-1900 meters. You can really tire yourself on the swim without jeopardizing your bike or run.
A good pair of feet to follow also helps, as well as the abilities to swim straight and not get freaked out in a pack.
……….
And, here’s my training log for last week (stop now unless you understand the lingo!):
This was a tough week for me at work, with a total of 64 hours worked, quite unusual for me, but better now than a month from now. Remember, this was to be my second of 3 weeks as a mini OS between recovering from IM CDA and 9 weeks of IM training for Kona
Two bike commutes, Mon and Fri, each about 22 miles, 1:30
Two swims, one of 2200 meters that I pulled from the OS, and the other an Olympic Race, 1750 meters, Tues & Sat
No weight sessions
Long Run of 1:49/13.1 miles on Thurs
Two Computrainer sessions, one FTP work, the other 30/30s on Tues and Thurs, 2 hrs total
One track interval session on Wed AM, doing 200s>>800>>200 @ faster than 5K pace – 1 hour
No long bike
One Olympic Race, 1750m/23.5mi/6miles in 29:54/1:08/42:54 >> 2:25 – Saturday
No workout on Sunday, as I was working for 24 hours.