An Intro and a question

[Tri Girl]

Yup- that's the one. I'm not sure of the reasoning for the Sunday run sandwiched around the bike. I know that I liked that format, especially because I have signifigant knee trouble when running long distance and since the runs were always split up by a bike, I never had any knee trouble during the whole training program. I felt like it gave me the time investing in running, but reduced the risk of injury. Don't know if they did that to keep your legs fresh and from over-running, but it was nice for me. It also made sure that I could do a long run off the bike. Perhaps that was the purpose?
The bike workouts that were really detailed with lots of drills/intervals/sequences etc I did around a local lake. It's a 10 mile lake so I could do my workouts relatively traffic free. Beat being on the trainer (something I dread although some people like it). I would put the workout on a sticker and put it on my aerobars so I could see it as I'm riding. Wasn't too big a deal for me. Now the long rides on the weekend I just did those out on the long stretches of country roads. As I recall- there wasn't too much of a set workout- just get the mileage in. And yeah, as the training progressed- my weekends were simply work that I wasn't getting paid for (8 hours on Saturdays sometimes- between the swim, bike, run and transitions driving to and fro) and 3-4 hours on Sundays. It was soooo worth it tho!!!!

If you have any other questions about the program, let me know. A friend of mine also did the Trifuel program at the same time as me and she did well. Also you can e-mail the guy who did the program and ask him questions too. I did that once and he was super helpful! Again- I'm by NO means an expert and I am not some super athlete. Just a slow,fat triathlete (from Jayne Williams' book) who likes to play the game.

[SBR]

I did e-mail the guy who wrote the prgm. and , if you're interested, this was his response to my question about the Sun. run/bike/run:

...the bike ride in between the two runs (also called a "bike
sandwich" by some) is designed to give you the feeling of running
later on in an aerobic effort, while minimizing the banging on your
legs. If, for example, you run for an hour, then bike for an hour,
then run for 30 min, that last 30 min will "feel" a bit like running
from 2-2:30 of a long run. I'm just trying to get you to feel that
sensation without having to put all that pressure on your legs. Hope
that's clear.

I'm sure I'll have more questions along the way

[Wahine]

SBR - I do my own programs based on Joe Friel's book "The Triathlete's Training Bible." It's not hard to use but does take a lot of time and thought. You can buy prepackaged programs for various triathlon lengths at:

http://www.trainingpeaks.com/trainingplans/joefriel/

For my first attempt to qualify for IM Can I used a program form Triathlete mag called "13 weeks to a sub 13 hour IM". It was OK. It got me in shape but not as well as a custom program based on my strengths and weaknesses did.

This book also looks like it would be pretty good and it's not too expensive:

http://www.amazon.ca/o/ASIN/19313829...researcher1-20

Good luck with your training.

[Nic]

Hi

I found a book called Going Long by Joe Friel and Gordo Byrn to be really useful. I also liked the Triathlete's Training Bible but found Going Long was more distance specific and contained heaps of other advice that I found useful. I've also seen some useful DVD's by Friel along the lines of the Trianing Bible and it was a good way to take info in.

I went with a friend on a recovery day to Borders book store, settled in with a coffee and reviewed a few triathlon books. it was a nice way to spend some time and I was really happy with the books I chose.

Good luck with your ironman.

[Tri Girl]

I found a book called Going Long by Joe Friel and Gordo Byrn to be really useful.

That book was instrumental in helping me get the nutrition part of my training down-pat (the before and after eating w/long workouts, etc). LOVED that book!!! So much helpful information!!!!


Thanks, Colleen, for posting what he said about the bike sandwich. Makes a lot of sense, and it certainly worked that way for me. I LOVED those Sunday workouts because I never pounded my knees like I do when I train for a marathon and get into long distances (anthing over a 2:30 run just kills my knees). I'm glad you posted that- it was great to know the reasoning behind it!!!!

[knapplaura]

Hi!
I read (and re-read almost weekly) Going Long by Gordo Byrn and Joe Friel to prepare for IM Arizona (both times).

Also, read gordo's website (www.coachgordo.com) on his 'tips' page. He has an article called Coaching Long-Course Athletes that is awesome. Combining his 'basic week' structure w/the recommendations from Going Long is how I planned out my training.

Another great resource is cruciblefitness.com. There are free article there too and the coach is on the same wavelength as Gordo.

To pare down the advice, suggest you structure an achieveable 'basic week' plan and progressively increase your long workouts so that you can accomplish a long run of 2.5 hour, long ride of 5-6 hrs followed by a 30" run, and a long swim of 4000M. These are your endurance goals, and you want to be able to hit them at least once before IM, but ideally several times (starting in FEB) to prepare. All other workouts are scheduled around the key three.

Good luck!
Laura

[SBR]

it's 11 months away and I'm already excited, LOL!