I am somewhat of a novice triathlete, 2 sprints and 1 Olympic under my belt. My goal for my first half ironman in May is 6:30-7x. I run a 1;45-1:50 half, I average about 17-18 MPH on the bike but my swim is my weakest discipline I would think its going to take me almost the entire 1:10 cutoff right now. I am getting swim lessons with a pro triathlete starting in January. I am thinking an hour on the swim, 3:30 on the bike (thats a 16 mph average but the course is brutal so I took some off knowing how tough the hills are, depending on the toughness of the course I could very well even come in at 4 hours) and 2-2:30 on the run as I am clearly not going to run my best half after a long tough bike leg.
So what is a good beginner half ironman plan. I have a decent base of 35-40 MPW week running, 50-80 MPW biking and 1-2 miles swimming right now, I know not the best base but not the worst either.
You can always use one of Gale Bernhardt's programs, but I find I need more structure with the swim workouts
I used the beginner triathlete one last year for my 1st HIM:
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/Scott%20Herrick/halfim/preparing_for_your_first_half_ir.htm
This one is also decent:
http://www.trinewbies.com/tno_trainingprograms/tno_HIM.asp
Swim , Bike, and Run A LOT
I bought "Going Long" by Joe Friel when I decided to do longer distance racing. By reading his book, you'll get a great framework for what you need to do to prepare to do the distance and adapt your body to going long.
Based on your run time and your bike pace, you should be able to be faster than what you wrote. But, I don't know. I have similar bike and run times as you.
Regarding the swimming, focus on 3 swims per week (or more) if you're struggling. Take a look at swimsmooth.com and subscribe to their weekly emails and / or facebook updates. They have great information. You'll need to focus on technique, and start from the basics if you think you'll need 1:10 for the swim. I'd venture to guess that you'll be faster than that, but you haven't yet been able to figure out the endurance side of swimming. If so, think slow.
Cheers,Brian
Life Goals:
#1: Do what I can do
#2: Enjoy life
First off, if you open your log up to the public or at least to user groups you belong to, the answer you get should be a little better if we know what and how much you are doing and have done.
If you are actually running 35-40 mpw, biking 80 and swimming 2 your putting in alot of time right now and I not sure there will be many beginner plans that will get you training more then you are now. You will get more structure I suppose. There are quite a few free plans on the net if you do some searching.
I'm more like Brian in that I also have Friels books (Going Long and The Triathletes Training Bible) and will end up putting something together on my own.
The pain that hurts the worse is the imagined pain. One of the most difficult arts of racing is learning to ignore the imagined pain and just live with the present pain (which is always bearable.) - Jeff
2014 Goals:
Stay healthy
Enjoy life
I agree. You're there in terms of volume.
You (sirdizzy) may have intensity or focus modifications, but not volume or hours of training. After my posI earlier, I think I read that you're biking into work, and depending on the distance to work and number of trips to get you 80 miles / week, there's likely adjustments. But, I'm jealous of your volume and wish I could do that weekly.
MTA: Oh, and you'll learn about nutrition for racing. That's really important for a full, and pretty important for a half as you tease yourself with the concept of a full.
Yes I get about 50 miles of my biking a week from commuting to work. I found it works well for me to get mileage in and I rather bike then drive in. Typically I pack all my lunches for work on Mondays with all my change of clothes and take them in the car. That allows me to commute Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Its 18 miles round trip to and from work if I take the short route (takes me about 30-35 minutes biking and 15-20 driving each way so I don't really lose that much time biking) I can also take the longer routes that can give me 20-22 miles. I like to run in the mornings before my bike and swim on Fridays and Wednesdays. I then take all my clothes home on Friday and it works well. My rest day is Monday when I do nothing, Friday is just typically swim only. I also like to do a brick after work like once a week so instead of running before my bike I run right when I get home.
I was just think more structured workouts with a plan, like speed work days and intervals and a good swim plan.
If I don't have back surgery this winter, this is the plan I was going to use for a spring Half IM. I can't vouch for it's effectiveness (since I haven't used it yet) but I really liked the simplicity.
http://competitor.com/2010/09/sports/triathlon/super-simple-ironman-70-3-triathlon-training-plan_6442
veggies on the run
IMKY13 finish!!
I am somewhat of a novice triathlete, 2 sprints and 1 Olympic under my belt. My goal for my first half ironman in May is 6:30-7x. I run a 1;45-1:50 half, I average about 17-18 MPH on the bike but my swim is my weakest discipline I would think its going to take me almost the entire 1:10 cutoff right now. I am getting swim lessons with a pro triathlete starting in January. I am thinking an hour on the swim, 3:30 on the bike (thats a 16 mph average but the course is brutal so I took some off knowing how tough the hills are, depending on the toughness of the course I could very well even come in at 4 hours) and 2-2:30 on the run as I am clearly not going to run my best half after a long tough bike leg. So what is a good beginner half ironman plan. I have a decent base of 35-40 MPW week running, 50-80 MPW biking and 1-2 miles swimming right now, I know not the best base but not the worst either.
My training coach said when developing a HIM training plan is to remember the "rule of 3's". Each week do 3 of each discipline (swim 3x a week, bike 3x a week, and run 3x a week).
Fitness/weight goals for 2014
1) STAY INJURY FREE!!!
2) Get to 189 lbs by the end of July 2014...and stay there (as of 4-25-14 was at 203 lbs)
3) Complete Ironman Chattanooga in under 14 hours
4) Break 4 hours in a stand alone marathon (Goal race=Rocket City 12/13/14)
5) 4,500 total overall miles for the year:
Swim: 100 miles
Bike: 3,000 miles
Run: 1,400 miles
There is no way in hell I could limit myself to only 3 run workouts a week and have any success at all racing a triathlon at any distance. I would lose all my running endurance that I've worked hard to build over the last few years. For me its more like 6 days of running with 3-4 swim and bike workouts mixed into the week.
I would agree more with Pablo than BT.
With a "Beginner" half ironman, the run, although important, is almost an afterthought. (I probably didn't word that properly... but please read on for clarification).
The biggest challenge with a 70.3 or a 140.6 is endurance, and I believe that bike focus and swim efficiency are essential for you to get to the run feeling fresh. By having longer workouts biking and getting the seat time and endurance, you prepare for the first hours of the event.
The problem (from my perspective) with a run focused Ironman training program is that when you get to the run, you'll be so fatigued that the run will suffer.
Summary: I think 6 days of running is not required for a good beginner half ironman training plan (but I understand BT's comment regarding the base he's built up over the years).
(And yes, I know that running is the key differentiator for Ironman performance, and a master of the ironman can perform well in the run).
Pablo was replying directly to the OP and I'm not sure that would be a good plan since the OP already is running 35-40 mpw, cycling 50-80 mpw and swimming 1-2 mpw. If you look at the beginners HIM plan that was linked, it appears the OP would actually be training less then where his current level is at.
I would advise the OP to look at the structured bike and swim workouts and impliment them into what he is already doing. I don't feel that cutting back to three days a week for the run is going to help at all since he is already biking anywhere from 3-4.5 hours (50-80 mi @ 17.5 mph) and in the pool at least 2 hours a week. It really looks like the swim will be the key to success and he should get in the pool as much as possible while maintaning his run and bike.
OP, you really need to open up your log book (at a minimum to this user group) if you want any real advice about where to go with your training. Also if you are going to get some swim instructions from a pro triathlete, I'm not sure why you wouldn't hit them up for some training plan advice instead of a bunch of ametuers on a running forum?
Swim 3x, bike 3x, and run 3x a week should be the minimum. We're not pro, so up to the individual how much time they want to invest in each sport. Start with # of hours you can train/week, then breakdown that time for each of the sports. Pros train each sport 5-6x a week for longer durations
I did start a log book but just put some data in it from this week.
Sirdizzy, I also used the Beginner Triathlete plan for my first 70.3. I am again using it as a base for my training but I also have the Friel book and am modifying the plan slightly to my needs. Your run and bike times sound solid. Any chance you are doing Raleigh 70.3? It's in May and also my next race. Good luck, 70.3 is a blast.
BexKix, Bagel Defender
Diz, swimming is still your weak spot. GL with the lessons, I think coming out of the water in good shape is going to help you more than you think.