half ironman training -- week 2

here is the breakdown from week 2 of my half ironman training. 

Week 2 // April 29-May 5

29 Swim 800 yards w/ main set:3x100 race pace, RI =15 Run 4 miles moderate

30 Bike 40 minutes w/ 6x30 second sprints scattered

1 Swim 800 yards w/ main set: 8x25, RI = 20 Run 4 miles moderate w/ 4x10 second hill sprints

2 Bike 40 minutes moderate w/ 5 minutes comfortably hard

3 REST (or) Strength Train

4 Swim 1000 yards moderate Run 7 miles moderate

5 Bike 30 miles moderate

monday breakdown: what a day! this is what training feels like. the weather was great (sunny and 70!) and i finally got my pass to a local facility where i can get my swim sessions in. monday i did my swim workout after work and it went great. i definitely felt it in my arms since i haven't done much upper body work in the past months, but the workout itself went well. for my run i put together a 4.2 mile route around the town where my gym is and knocked that out in 33:02. i was dehydrated and didn't fuel properly pre-workout and paid for it on the run. i took a mental note and used it as a learning experience. gatorade was AMAZING when i got home!

tuesday breakdown: another good day of training! first thing i noted: sprints are HARD! my quads were burning. it didn't help that i was dealing with about a 20 mph wind out of the south, but it was nice when i did one of my sprints with a tail wind going over 30 mph! 

wednesday breakdown: holy summer, batman! may came in with a boom. over eighty degrees and lots of sun on wednesday. i had a pretty difficult swim session and found out how difficult sprints are when they're added in to a workout. i apparently misread my schedule because i ended up doing 850 yards with my main set being 10 x 25 yard sprints with a rest interval of 20 seconds. i tried to stay hydrated all day and even in between my swim and run, but i still felt dehydrated during my run. the run was tough! i was upset with myself for being dehydrated (again!) and just wanted to be done. i held about a 8:00/mile pace and then went home and mowed my lawn. great finish to a long day. not. (remember when saying not at the end of things was funny?) 

thursday breakdown: wow...i had a pretty great ride on thursday morning. i went out for 40 minutes right at sunrise and it was gorgeous out! i was out just after sunrise and felt great my whole ride. a bit chilly to start, but finished feeling great!

friday breakdown: rest days are amazing! it felt great to not have to worry about any workout. honestly...i ate great all day and felt relaxed.  

saturday breakdown: friday was better. :) i swam just over a 1/2 mile in 1000 yards in a little over a half hour. i ate a normal breakfast before and drank a lot of water. after my swim session i ate a banana and drank more water and went out for my 7 mile run. i took a GU with me and did 7.15 miles in just barely over an hour. i honestly felt pretty decent throughout most of the run. i had really bad stomach cramps during the first 2 miles but thankfully that went away. i had my training done by 9:00am so it was a great way to start a saturday. 

sunday breakdown: sunday's workout was a big one for me personally. i went ahead and completed my 30 mile ride from last week since i had to bail on it last week. it felt great to ride the longest i ever had and i finished in 1:40:11, so i was pleasantly surprised. my legs felt real heavy the rest of today, but i woke up today feeling great!


week 2 weigh-in:  184.0 on 4/29/13
previous weekly weigh-in:    187.2  
difference:   - 3.2  

half ironman training -- week 1

here is the breakdown from week 1 of my half ironman training. like i mentioned before, i have to switch some days around due to my work and/or life schedule.

Week 1 // April 22-28

22 Bike 40 minutes w/ 8x30 second sprints scattered

23 Swim 900 yards w/ main set:12x25, RI = 20 Run 4 miles moderate w/ 6x10   second hill sprints

24 Swim 900 yards w/ main set: 3x200 race pace, RI = 15 Run 4.5 miles moderate

25 REST (or) Strength Train

26 Bike 40 minutes moderate w/ 8 minutes comfortably hard

27 Swim 1200 yards moderate Run 8 miles moderate

28 Bike 30 miles moderate

monday breakdown: i completed tuesday's workout due to my work schedule. the 56 mile bike portion of the tri is honestly probably my biggest concern at this point. i've never pedaled over 30 miles, so my mental endurance has a long way to go during my training. i felt okay throughout most of the ride with a minor battle with the wind during some parts, but completed the 40 minutes. my legs definitely felt heavy after. scattered sprints are something i've never done before, too. now i know why. :)

tuesday breakdown: since i haven't quite worked out the swim details of my training i went ahead and did the run workout from wednesday. i have a good 4.15 mile route with some hills so i was able to add in the 2 x 10 second hill sprints which were in fact brutal. still finished in 33:39 holding about an 8:00/mile pace. i did this workout in the morning before work which is always a great way to start the day. my body felt okay with the obvious fatigue post-workout. i hope to get my swim workouts nailed down by next week so i'll have a place to swim. fingers are crossed!

wednesday breakdown: i skipped the swim workout and knocked out friday's scheduled workout. i had a pretty good run (4.15 miles) in the sunshine with some decent wind finishing in 32:21. my calves were definitely feeling it from the 7:47/mile pace, but all in all it was a good day of training.

thursday breakdown: this was the best day of the week so far: rest day. honestly, i tried to fit in a swim session in the morning, but it just didn't fit into my work schedule. it was nice to take it easy....especially before a hard weekend of training.

friday breakdown: wind. wind. wind. almost 20 minutes of my ride was straight into the wind so that was very defeating. it made it a TON better when i hit my turn home and started cruising with the tail wind. friday's 40 minute ride was much better than monday's. i was also more hydrated and fueled better.

saturday breakdown: no swim (boo), but i'm starting swim sessions in week 2 (yay!). there is a lake in a nearby town that's pretty close to where my parents live and it just so happens the outer loop is close to 8 miles. i asked my dad if he was up for running it with me a couple days before saturday and like the awesome father he is said, "sure." he was worried he'd slow me down, but he held an awesome pace and we finished 8 miles in 1:08:33 and almost had to fight off a German Shepherd. almost.

sunday breakdown: the farthest i've ever pedaled is about 26 miles. the bike leg is easily the part of the tri i'm most nervous about and i know it's because of my lack of experience "in the saddle" as the cycle-heads would say. i'm well aware that some days will just be "off" when it comes to training for a race. today's workout was awful. like i said, i was already nervous about pumping out thirty miles for the first time, but mentally i was actually in it. unfortunately around mile 7 or 8 my seat shifted and i found myself sitting too far back. it was uncomfortable, and of course i didn't have tools, so i just kept going. i took a quick 3 minute pit stop at the half way point, ate a few Clif Shot Bloks (thanks for the recommendation Josh!), and drank some water. i was feeling great and finally hit a groove and then it happened: flat tire just passed mile 21. i was devastated. i knew at that point i was going to finish feeling great and of course i didn't have a spare. i had to call Emily, wait in the cold, and come home early. oh well though...i finally got over it (only took 5 hours!) and now i'm ready for week 2!


week 1 weigh-in: 187.2  on 4/22/13
previous weekly weigh-in:    N/A 
difference:   N/A  


Week 2 // April 29-May 5

29 Swim 800 yards w/ main set:3x100 race pace, RI =15 Run 4 miles moderate

30 Bike 40 minutes w/ 6x30 second sprints scattered

1 Swim 800 yards w/ main set: 8x25, RI = 20 Run 4 miles moderate w/ 4x10 second hill sprints

2 Bike 40 minutes moderate w/ 5 minutes comfortably hard

3 REST (or) Strength Train

4 Swim 1000 yards moderate Run 7 miles moderate

5 Bike 25 miles moderate

half ironman triathlon training

holy crap y'all...it's been way too long. seriously, the last time i posted anything in the blogosphere was thanksgiving 2012!?! ok, that's not entirely true. i've done several posts over here, so there's the proof i haven't been entirely lazy.

more proof i'm not entirely lazy? i'm starting to train for my first half-ironman distance triathlon. that's a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike ride, and then a 13.1 mile run to top it off. 70.3 miles of endurance fun. you might remember that i completed my first ever triathlon last summer and absolutely loved it! the difference between last summer's tri and the one i'll be completing this summer? approximately 40 miles. wowza! it's all good though. that's what training is for!

as i did when training for my first marathon, i'll be using my blog as a super original, never thought of before, way to track my training progress. i'll post weekly updates and post details on workouts, how i'm feeling, and probably tracking weight. i mean, obviously i have a TON of followers here on my blog and i know you are all anxious to see how it goes. put your seat belts on friends. it's going to get interesting.

below is the training plan i'll be using to train for the race i'll be doing. i have to switch some days around to fit with my work/life schedule better, but you get the idea. i'm excited about the race selection itself since it's within driving distance from our house, should be a relatively flat course, and it's just under 16 weeks away.

16-Week Half Ironman Training Plan

Week 1
Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 40 minutes moderate with 4 x 30-second sprints scattered.

Wednesday: Swim 800 yards total. Main set: 8 x 25 yards, rest interval (RI) = 20 seconds. | Run 4 miles moderate + 2 x 10-second hill sprints.
Thursday: Bike 40 minutes moderate.
Friday: Swim 800 yards total. Main set: 3 x 100 yards race pace, RI = 15 seconds. | Run 4 miles moderate.
Saturday: Bike 20 miles moderate.
Sunday: Run 6 miles moderate. | Swim 800 yards moderate.

Week 2

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 40 minutes moderate with 6 x 30-second sprints scattered.
Wednesday: Swim 850 yards total. Main set: 10 x 25 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 4 miles moderate + 4 x 10-second hill sprints.
Thursday: Bike 40 minutes moderate + 5 minutes comfortably hard.
Friday: Swim 850 yards total. Main set: 4 x 100 yards race pace, RI = 15 seconds. | Run 4 miles moderate.
Saturday: Bike 25 miles moderate.
Sunday: Run 7 miles moderate. | Swim 1,000 yards moderate.

Week 3

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 40 minutes with 8 x 30-second sprints scattered.
Wednesday: Swim 900 yards total. Main set: 12 x 25 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 4 miles moderate + 6 x 10-second hill sprints.
Thursday: Bike 40 minutes moderate + 8 minutes comfortably hard.
Friday: Swim 900 yards total. Main set: 3 x 200 yards race pace, RI = 15 seconds. | Run 4.5 miles moderate.
Saturday: Bike 30 miles moderate.
Sunday: Run 8 miles moderate. | Swim 1,200 yards moderate.

Week 4 (Recovery)

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 40 minutes with 6 x 30-second sprints scattered.
Wednesday: Swim 800 yards total. Main set: 8 x 25 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 4 miles moderate + 4 x 10-second hill sprints.
Thursday: Bike 40 minutes moderate + 5 minutes comfortably hard.
Friday: Swim 800 yards total. Main set: 3 x 100 yards race pace, RI = 15 seconds. | Run 4 miles moderate.
Saturday: Bike 25 miles moderate.
Sunday: Run 7 miles moderate. | Swim 1,000 yards moderate.

Week 5

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 45 minutes with 8 x 1-minute hard efforts scattered.
Wednesday: Swim 1,000 yards total. Main set: 6 x 50 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 4.5 miles with 6 x 30-second hard efforts scattered.
Thursday: Bike 40 minutes moderate + 8 minutes comfortably hard.
Friday: Swim 1,000 yards total. Main set: 2 x 200 yards race pace, RI = 30 seconds. | Run 4.5 miles moderate + 4 x 10-sec. hill sprints.
Saturday: Bike 35 miles moderate + 10-minute transition run at moderate pace.
Sunday: Run 9 miles moderate. | Swim 1,400 yards moderate.

Week 6

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 45 minutes with 6 x 2-minute hard efforts scattered.
Wednesday: Swim 1,100 yards total. Main set: 8 x 50 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 4.5 miles with 6 x 45-second hard efforts scattered.
Thursday: Bike 40 minutes moderate + 10 minutes comfortably hard.
Friday: Swim 1,100 yards total. Main set: 3 x 200 yards race pace, RI = 30 seconds. | Run 4.5 miles moderate + 4 x 10-second hill sprints.
Saturday: Bike 40 miles moderate.
Sunday: Run 10 miles moderate. | Swim 1,600 yards total. Main set: 1,000 yard time trial.

Week 7

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 45 minutes with 4 x 3-minute hard efforts scattered.
Wednesday: Swim 1,200 yards total. Main set: 10 x 50 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 4.5 miles with 6 x 1-minute hard efforts scattered.
Thursday: Bike 40 minutes moderate + 12 minutes comfortably hard.
Friday: Swim 1,200 yards total. Main set: 3 x 200 yards race pace, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 5 miles moderate + 4 x 10-second hill sprints.
Saturday: Bike 45 miles moderate + 15-minute transition run at moderate pace.
Sunday: Run 11 miles moderate. | Swim 1,800 yards moderate.

Week 8 (Recovery)

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 40 minutes with 6 x 1-minute hard efforts scattered.
Wednesday: Swim 1,000 yards total. Main set: 8 x 50 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 4.5 miles with 6 x 30-second hard efforts scattered.
Thursday: Bike 40 minutes moderate + 8 minutes comfortably hard.
Friday: Swim 1,000 yards total. Main set: 2 x 200 yards race pace, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 4 miles moderate.
Saturday: Bike 35 miles moderate.
Sunday: Run 9 miles moderate. | Swim 1,400 yards moderate.

Week 9

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 50 minutes with 6 x 2-minute hard efforts scattered.
Wednesday: Swim 1,300 yards total. Main set: 6 x 75 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 1 mile easy, 8 x 600m at 5K race pace with 400m jog recoveries, 1 mile easy.
Thursday: Bike 40 minutes moderate + 15 minutes comfortably hard.
Friday: Swim 1,300 yards total. Main set: 2 x 300 yards race pace, RI = 30 seconds. | Run 5 miles moderate + 4 x 10-second hill sprints.
Saturday: Bike 50 miles moderate + 20-minute transition run at moderate pace.
Sunday: Run 12 miles moderate. | Swim 2,000 yards moderate.

Week 10

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 50 minutes with 5 x 3-minute hard efforts scattered.
Wednesday: Swim 1,400 yards total. Main set: 8 x 75 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 1 mile easy, 6 x 800m at 5K race pace with 400m jog recoveries, 1 mile easy.
Thursday: Bike 40 minutes moderate + 18 minutes comfortably hard.
Friday: Swim 1,400 yards total. Main set: 2 x 300 yards race pace, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 5.5 miles moderate + 4 x 10-second hill sprints.
Saturday: Bike 55 miles moderate.
Sunday: Run 13 miles moderate. | Swim 2,000 yards total. Main set: 1,500 time trial.

Week 11

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 55 minutes with 4 x 4-minute hard efforts scattered.
Wednesday: Swim 1,500 yards total. Main set: 10 x 75 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 1 mile easy, 5 x 1,000m at 5K race pace with 400m jog recoveries, 1 mile easy.
Thursday: Bike 40 minutes moderate + 20 minutes comfortably hard.
Friday: Swim 1,500 yards total. Main set: 3 x 300 yards race pace, RI = 30 seconds. | Run 6 miles moderate + 4 x 10-second hill sprints.
Saturday: Bike 60 miles moderate + 10-minute transition run at race pace.
Sunday: Run 14 miles moderate. | Swim 2,200 yards moderate.

Week 12 (Recovery)

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 45 minutes with 5 x 2-minute hard efforts scattered.
Wednesday: Swim 1,300 yards total. Main set: 6 x 75 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. Run 2 miles easy, 1 miles at 10K race pace, 2 miles easy.
Thursday: Bike 40 minutes moderate + 10 minutes comfortably hard.
Friday: Swim 1,300 yards total. Main set: 2 x 300 yards race pace, RI = 30 seconds. | Run 5 miles moderate.
Saturday: Bike 45 miles moderate.
Sunday: Run 10 miles moderate. | Swim 2,000 yards moderate.

Week 13

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 20 minutes easy, 20 minutes comfortably hard, 20 minutes easy.
Wednesday: Swim 1,600 yards total. Main set: 6 x 100 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 2 miles easy, 2 miles at 10K race pace, 2 miles easy.
Thursday: Bike 45 minutes with 5 x 2-minute hard efforts scattered.
Friday: Swim 1,600 yards total. Main set: 2 x 400 yards race pace, RI = 30 seconds. | Run 6 miles moderate + 4 x 10-second hill sprints.
Saturday: Bike 50 miles moderate + 10 miles race pace + 15-minute transition run at race pace.
Sunday: Run 10 miles moderate + 2 miles race pace. | Swim 2,200 yards total. Main set: 500 yards race pace.

Week 14

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 20 minutes easy, 25 minutes comfortably hard, 15 minutes easy.
Wednesday: Swim 1,800 yards total. Main set: 8 x 100 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 2 miles easy, 3 miles at 10K race pace, 2 miles easy.
Thursday: Bike 45 minutes with 4 x 3-minute hard efforts scattered.
Friday: Swim 1,600 yards total. Main set: 2 x 400 yards race pace, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 6 miles moderate + 4 x 10-second hill sprints.
Saturday: Bike 45 miles moderate + 15 miles race pace + 20-minute transition run at race pace.
Sunday: Run 12 miles moderate + 2 miles race pace. | Swim 2,400 yards total. Main set: 600 yards race pace.

Week 15

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 15 minutes easy, 30 minutes comfortably hard, 15 minutes easy.
Wednesday: Swim 2,000 yards total. Main set: 10 x 100 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 2 miles easy, 3 miles at 10K race pace, 2 miles easy.
Thursday: Bike 45 minutes with 8 x 1-minute hard efforts scattered.
Friday: Swim 1,600 yards total. Main set: 2 x 400 yards race pace, RI = 30 seconds. | Run 4.5 miles moderate + 4 x 10-second hill sprints.
Saturday: Bike 40 miles moderate + 10 miles race pace + 10-minute transition run at race pace.
Sunday: Run 12 miles moderate + 2 miles race pace (beat last week’s time). | Swim 2,400 yards total. Main set: 600 yards race pace (beat last week’s time).

Week 16

Monday: Rest.
Tuesday: Bike 10 minutes easy, 10 minutes comfortably hard, 10 minutes easy.
Wednesday: Swim 1,300 yards total. Main set: 5 x 100 sprints, RI = 20 seconds. | Run 2 miles easy, 1 mile at 10K race pace, 2 miles easy.
Thursday: Bike 45 minutes with 5 x 30-second sprints scattered.
Friday: Swim 800 yards total. Main set: 400 yards race pace. | Run 3 miles easy.
Saturday: Swim 10 minutes easy with 4 x 30 seconds at race pace. | Bike 10 minutes with 4 x 30 seconds fast. | Run 10 minutes with 4 x 20 seconds at 90 percent effort.
Sunday: RACE!

Source: 16-Week Half Ironman Training Plan