As I mentioned in last week's Random Friday Facts, I will be straying from the team training plan since I am participating in a race that the rest of the team is not.
The way Team Z works is that you follow a "track" such as Olympic focus, 70.3 focus or Ironman focus. You are then given a training plan for the track you are following. The tracks usually have 2 "A" races for the season. Since I am following the Ironman track we have a 70.3 as our first A race of the season and then Ironman Cozumel as the big kahuna A race.
My issue is that I signed up for Eagleman 70.3 before I joined the team and their 70.3 A race is 5 weeks after Eagleman. I couldn't just follow the Team's plan or else I would be in the middle of a build cycle when June 12th came around. So I improvised...
I took the knowledge I have learned from being an athlete, the books I have read about triathlon training, online 70.3 training plans and made my own plan for the next 7 weeks. (holy crap only 7 weeks until my first 70.3...) I think it gives me plenty of long rides, long runs, recovery days and even a nice little taper before the race. I think it is a good plan, but since I am pretty new at this I have no real idea!
But I made a detailed plan that I think is going to work for me and I am going to trust that I know enough about myself and my abilities and follow the plan. I need to not freak out in 3 weeks and stray from the plan...that would be no good.
Are you guys self-coached? If so, how do you design your plans? Do you ever question yourself?
The way Team Z works is that you follow a "track" such as Olympic focus, 70.3 focus or Ironman focus. You are then given a training plan for the track you are following. The tracks usually have 2 "A" races for the season. Since I am following the Ironman track we have a 70.3 as our first A race of the season and then Ironman Cozumel as the big kahuna A race.
My issue is that I signed up for Eagleman 70.3 before I joined the team and their 70.3 A race is 5 weeks after Eagleman. I couldn't just follow the Team's plan or else I would be in the middle of a build cycle when June 12th came around. So I improvised...
I took the knowledge I have learned from being an athlete, the books I have read about triathlon training, online 70.3 training plans and made my own plan for the next 7 weeks. (holy crap only 7 weeks until my first 70.3...) I think it gives me plenty of long rides, long runs, recovery days and even a nice little taper before the race. I think it is a good plan, but since I am pretty new at this I have no real idea!
But I made a detailed plan that I think is going to work for me and I am going to trust that I know enough about myself and my abilities and follow the plan. I need to not freak out in 3 weeks and stray from the plan...that would be no good.
Are you guys self-coached? If so, how do you design your plans? Do you ever question yourself?
I tell this to a lot of people who are training for their first 70.3. Race day is NOT the day to be figuring out nutrition. (been there! done that! it went horribly!). Unlike an olympic or sprint where you can get away with eating nothing, nutrition can make or break your day in a 70.3.
ReplyDelete7 weeks out you should be doing some longer rides now and it is on those longer rides that you figure out your race nutrition since it is the longest element of the race (hopefully!). What you eat and how you pace yourself on the bike will set you up for a good run. Think of the bike as the anchor point in the race.
Basically if you can do a 56 mile training ride at your race pace, then run a 5K brick and only then need to take food and you still feel strong, you know you have eaten and paced yourself well on the bike. This strategy has worked very well for me leading up to a 70.3
Good luck! 70.3 is a VERY addicting distance.
I am a store bought plan guy
ReplyDeleteCan you ride 50 miles around 3 hours and have done a couple long 10 miles run recently? If so, 7 weeks will be fine for your 70.3 in my opinion with focus of long rides and runs on the weekends working on nutrition.
Good luck
thanks for your help guys! I have already done 3 rides around 60 miles, my 4th being this weekend and several more of about 50 miles. I am up to 10 miles on my runs.
ReplyDeleteWell, I don't do tris...yet. (Did I tell you I bought a fitness bike to see if I could even stand biking enough to go for a sprint tri? Well, that's not its only purpose, but is one.) Anyway-- even with running, I don't self-coach. I work with a coach I like who makes my training plans, and then he and I communicate regularly about how my body is feeling, etc. There is flexibility in the plan so I can adjust as needed. I like it this way, because I don't have to think about how much and at what pace I should run at and I still get to have input in to my training plan based on my races/have a customized plan based on my races.
ReplyDeleteWhat can I say? I guess I'm a lazy athlete...so to speak?
I have yet to do my first tri, but have my first one coming up in June. I have been thinking about joining the DC TRI Club, but haven't yet, so I have been doing all my training on my own. I have looked up some training plans online, but for the most part I'm just winging it. Not sure if this is a good idea or not? I guess I will find out.
ReplyDeleteI actually made up all my training for the 70.3, and until this past winter with CAR, have never used a coach. But I get injured and I'm slow, so clearly this is not the right way to go.
ReplyDeleteI'm self coached and I did what you did - took my knowledge, along with that found on the internet and in books and mashed it all together. It's worked for me so far! You'll be fine... be confident!
ReplyDelete