Or is it my second?
Ok, to be fair, this is my second Ironman distance training plan. I got through -- as in doing -- most of the base portion of my first attempt when my back went out. I was not very pleased with it anyway -- too much activity for a senior athlete -- so I chucked it and started over. This one covers twenty-four weeks. Twelve base, nine build, two peak, and race.
I find much in common with writing training plans and composing music for ensembles. There are myriad details to keep track of. I have to use my imagination a lot, holding a bunch of stuff in my head as I imagine how it will progress, aided by scribbled notes and cross-checks. I feel like this one is almost done. Will it ever be done? I think not. Like a score, it is the starting point for a new round of exploration.
This plan follows advice from Joe Friel in his book Fast After 50. For example, a typical week is built around this framework:
Monday - Strength Training
Tuesday - Aerobic Capacity Intervals
Thursday - Lactate Threshold Intervals
Sunday - Aerobic Threshold (long, slow, distance)
Throughout the plan the relative strength of these workout types varies. For example, at the start of the plan strength training is maximal while aerobic capacity work is minimal. By around nine weeks in these are reversed. The framework stays the same, but the relative intensity changes.
Everything else is low intensity, and when in doubt, rest. As we age our bodies require more recovery time. There will be times when you can recover on the bike or in the water, but if you feel bushed, take a break. Listen to your body, and when you do, park your ego.
I made it a point to include regular, short flexibility workouts. For these I use a YouTube video channel called Yoga by Adriene, who happens to be the most popular yogi on YouTube. A weekly yoga class is great, but not enough to offset twelve hours of triathlon work. Better to spread a little bit out over multiple sessions per week.
Another important piece missing from most training plans is core flexibility work. Strength training can cover some of this, and so can yoga. What works best is a simple daily routine that takes no more than thirty minutes, done first thing in the morning, every morning. I see no point in adding it to this plan as it will just clutter up the calendar. Every day is every day. If is isn't short and simple it won't get done.
Friel's book feels like it was written for cyclists. He does mention triathlon, but leaves it to the reader to work out how to distribute the three activities -- swim, bike, and run -- across that framework. My solution is to alternate focus between run and bike in the first two weeks of each three week mesocycle, and to alternate the testing the same way. Swimming gets treated mostly as recovery time, with one lactate threshold swim per week. Let's be real, for age group athletes the goal is to swim efficiently, and what is needed most is time in the water with a focus on technique.
In my first plan I tried inserting race-like activities on some of the weekends during the build phase. I think I'll do a version of this new plan that uses that format. Should be fun.
