2016 IMLP Training – WEEK 7

WEEK 7 – February 8, 2016 – February 14, 2016

If you are at all curious about what a typical training week would like for someone training for an Ironman, I thought I would show you a day by day example of this week.  I think you will see that it isn’t all that bad.  It’s just daily exercise of about an hour that is preparing you for a goal.  I really believe anybody can build to this.

Monday – A rest day!  But since I have a running streak going, I did a two mile run on the treadmill.

Tuesday’s are swim and run workouts.  For the swim, here is the workout that I did:

• 300 w/u = 300 yards of swimming to warm up
• 8X50 drills  = This means you do 8 reps of 50 yards each.  For my drills in the first set I did a high elbow drill that emphasizes getting my elbow high, and a drill that emphasizes glide and kicking.
• 16X25 @ 10 secs = This is a set of 16 total 25 yard swims at a high intensity, with a 10 second rest between each rep
• 1X400 @ 60 secs = A set of one 400 yard swim with a minute rest at the end
• 16X25 @10 secs = same as above
• 8X50 drills = another set of drills, this time I did 4X50 fist drill, where you use your fist instead of an open hand to make sure you are using your arm fully to move you through the water.  And a 4X50 of fingertip drag, a drill to essentially teach you hand position in and out of the water.
• 200 c/d = 200 yards of easy swimming to cool down

The swim took me just under an hour to complete.

The run for Tuesday was a 60 minute comfortable run, which I did on the treadmill and was able to cover 7 miles.

Wednesday is brick day.  A brick is where you do a back-to-back workout, typically a bike and then run.  The plan called for 45 minutes on the bike and then a quick change to a 15 minute run.

Back to the pool for Thursday.  The workout is as follows:

• 300 w/u, 8X50 drills (fists, and finger drag for drills)
• 1X300 @40 secs, 3X200 @30 secs, 1X300 @40 secs
• 8X50 drills (high elbow, glide/kick and kick board drills)
• 200 c/d

The Thursday swim was done in 55 minutes and was followed up with a 60 minute 100 rpm bike spin, and a slow 1 mile treadmill run once I got home.

Friday called for 1 hour and 15 minutes of Zone 2 running.  There are four zones based on heart rate, with Z1 being easy, Z2 having normal effort, Z3 pushing it somewhat, and Z4 reserved for race effort or in some cases all out.  Z2 is what I do most of my runs at, but they usually end up being Z3 because I can never hold back, especially when I am outside and in control of the pace.

I planned my run on a route that is about 8.5 miles long, but I needed some extra running to hit the 75 minutes.  So I went a little farther.  A little too much farther I guess, and ended up running 9.85 miles in 1 hour and 22 minutes.  No big deal, except it was brutally cold out.

Saturday was a day I dreaded all week, because I knew it was going to be too cold to ride outside, and the plan called for a 2.5 hour Z2 ride.  To the basement I went and did the ride on the trainer.  Thanks to my iPad, with the Facebook and Scrabble apps, and the Kentucky vs. South Carolina basketball game (Go Cats!), the time flew by much quicker than I anticipated.  I got in an estimated 35 miles, and then did a quick 1 mile run on the treadmill.

Sunday was a repeat of Friday, only much colder.  It was about 12 degrees out when I left the house.  A couple of my fellow Gunners always run outside, so I felt some inspiration to run outside too.  Had it been that cold in December, I probably would have stayed inside.  But living in the midwest, I always seem to get acclimated to the cold by February.  I’m starting to get the hang of layering my clothes well, and wasn’t really bothered by the temp.  My right eye really starts watering as soon as I get into the wind and cold, and that is bothersome, as the tears stream down my cheek and almost give me frostbite.  I have some issue going on with that eye, and I am planning a trip to the eye doctor this week.

So there you have it.  A typical week of swimming, biking, and running in 30-week plan that will prepare me for the Ironman distance.

WEEK 7 TOTALS:

Swims: 2 total, 2 hours, 5000 yards

Bikes: 3 total, 4:15 hours, approx. 60 miles

Runs: 7 total, 4.5 hours, approx. 33 miles