I am beyond excited to finally have my training plan for my 140.6, the Great Floridian, this October.
I’ve trained for and completed countless races, with my “training” usually consisting of no more than the digits and dates of my long runs jotted down on a Post-It note. A legit training plan scares me (especially for a triathlon- there are three sports to think about!) so I am extra excited to have found a base plan and modified it for my needs and schedule.
BACKGROUND
I am an endurance athlete/junkie/addict by blood. Even when not in “training” I’ve kept up long rides and runs every weekend and spent more hours sweating during the week than I care to mention.
In 2010 I finished the Great Floridian 140.6 in 17:22:36 without any specific training plan or goals. I didn’t even know there were cutoff times for each leg. I only completed one brick workout prior to the race. I know.. I know… I was in it to finish. And I did.
In 2011 I trained for the race again. Sadly, just a month shy of the race and the day after an awesome 18-mile training run, I had a terrible bike accident. I signed up for the next year the day registration opened.
Now it’s 2012 and I have my game face on. Same race- much different preparation and turnout. My goal is to finish in 15:30.
This is one of my favorite photos- taken right before the start of the 2010 140.6. I was crying and had just told my friend that I didn’t want to swim and thought I should just quit and go home. Ha!
THE PLAN
View the entire training plan here.
I based my own plan off this online program. Here’s how I made it work for me:
1. Mixed up the days. Mondays are always CrossFit/run day and Fridays are always my long run day. Old habits die hard so I totally mixed up the order of the workouts.
2. Rest day. I made my rest day Sunday but sometimes I may take a day off mid-week and shift the rest of the week’s workouts back to make up training on Sunday.
3. Made the runs slightly longer. Mileage is easy for me so I want to hold on to that to help me finish strong on the last leg of the race.
4. Starting out slower on swimming. Swimming is by far my weakest sport. I think I’m finally back in swimming shape and can start to focus on speed. Also, I’ll add a short easy swim in whenever possible.
5. Mixing in a few open water swims on the weekends. I am terrified of open water swims so once I feel stronger again in the water I’ll join in on a local public lake swim.
6. Longer endurance rides. I’m already riding 50-60 miles on the weekends so I’m taking advantage of that and jumping in to higher mileage endurance rides to prepare for…
7. Added two extra 100 mile rides. The plan called for one but I believe my three 100-mile rides served me well on the last race.
8. Need to squeeze in hill training. The bike course is particularly hilly so i will make my way over to Clermont (where the race is held) when I can for my long rides.
9. Open for flexibility. I’m going to try to stick to the outline of this plan (not skip workouts and always follow through with my endurance workouts), but as goes with life, this plan will be flexible. I plan on incorporating CrossFit and hot power yoga so sometimes my training plan will shift a little.
10. Train sans music. All of my rides and runs are completed with music in my ears. Suddenly losing the music for race day threw me off and slowed me down. I’ll complete some training rides and runs without the tunes to prep myself for race day.
11. Operation Anti Menstrual. In 2011′s 140.6, my cycle started the day before the race. Competing while dealing with cramps and tampons was hell and added a ton of time. If it looks like my cycle will start at the same time this year, I’ll take measures to change that.
I’ll recap the weeks training on the blog each week to share my progress and keep myself in check.
Would you change anything about my training plan? How do you come up with your own training plans?
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Yeah! Best of luck! Looking forward to following your progress, like always
You can totally hit that 15:30 goal.
lynne @lgsmash recently posted..Wedding Wednesday: Pre-Marital Counseling
I will interested is reading how you incorporate xfit and yoga into an IM training plan.
I remember when I was training for a HIM, I had a hard time being flexible. I had a plan, so I stuck to the plan. Then, I started noticing that my times at the pool were getting slower. So, I talked to a seasoned IM triathlete (he went to Kona severeal times) and he gave me the best advice: “there is no shame in a taking a day or even a week off if your body needs it!” I took several days off and, when I returned to the pool, felt like a fish again.
Good luck!
Susanna recently posted..Whole30 – Day 16
in IM training i make sure to never just do ONE thing. even if it is a 100 mile ride i would follow up with a 3 mile run – it really helps prepare your body. stuff like 2-mile swim, 40 mile bike… you get the idea. bricks are clutch! good luck!! you can do it!
christa recently posted..Music Monday – Skyscraper
Great tips!!
Believe in yourself, you deserve to train properly for this race – get after it! Training for an Ironman is all about consistency. Consistently pushing your body, your mind, your heart further than you ever imagined. Don’t miss out on those experiences by not training the way you know how! Also, bricks are AWESOME – the more you do, the merrier you’ll be on race day.
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Hi Ashley!
I am a relatively new reader (started reading right after your accident) and I am loving reading your blog! It is very inspirational! I actually had a thought about Operation Anti Menstrual. I bought the Diva Cup after I read about it on healthytippingpoint.com and found out I was going to be working at Space Camp. While Space Camp is not what you will be doing, it is so much better dealing with my monthly with the Diva Cup because around here you are not always given a chance to take care of business while running around with 16 10 year olds. Hope this helps!
Thanks for your comment! I actually use the Diva Cup but chose to skip it on race day because it can sometimes be uncomfortable and I knew I’d be using porta potties without access to fresh water. Sad face.
Stay always positive and focus on your goals and you will achieve your goals.
Natasha Wilson recently posted..http://centersforbodyenhancement.com
Hi Ashley, well done on putting a training plan in place. I find it helps just to keep you focused. And yes, you totally have to adjust it to fit YOUR life, whether that includes longer runs, more rest days, whatever. Nobody knows your body like you do, so listen to it. You can totally make the 15:30! Can’t wait to read more about it. Good luck and go get ‘em!!!
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This race should be great for you with all that training! And the added plus that you already know you can finish it just takes off that pressure. My eventual goals in like the next five years include competing in an Iron Man so I can’t wait to read about about your experiences.
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It’s good to have a plan. The biggest place to make up time is on the bike, and bike speed is all about volume. Good call getting three centuries in. Some kona qualifiers will make every saturday long ride 80 – 100 miles during the build phase. There’s also a 10% rule, where every bike ride should be followed by a run at 10% of the milage. So follow those three centuries with 10 mile runs and you’ll be in great shape there.
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Go Ashley, go! You’ve got this girl!
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I WISH I could be an endurance athlete! I tend to wig out early and get extremely antsy during anything past 5 miles. Sans music? I’d probably drop dead. Maybe I should try doing that from time to time.
I have to admist, sometimes my music feels too “loud” so I turn it off for a few minutes. Then 5 minutes later I have to turn it back on lol.
Sounds good Ashley!
As far as the period thing, I am LOVING my DivaCup, mostly because it only has to be changed every 12 hours. Plus, it’s just a matter of rinsing/wiping it out and putting it back in – no trash to deal with (and impossibly cheaper than constantly buying tampons).
Errign recently posted..Happy.
Good luck Ashley!!!!!!! Cant wait to see your training posts !
chelsea recently posted..Happy Thursday!
Have you tried using a Diva Cup before??? They completely changed my period-life. You can leave them in for 12+ hours (usually I just empty mine at night and in the morning, although it’s generally easier to take it out to poop) and I haven’t had any discomfort running or biking with one in. Seriously, so, so worth it. They last for years, too. I had my last one for 5 or 6 before I lost it and had to buy another.
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