Alameda Runners – Get After It!

I have my events planned for this year.  I will be peaking in August for a Shasta Summit century followed by the Folsom International Triathlon two weeks later.  Then I will transition into marathon training for the California International Marathon.  I will rest up for a few weeks then The real work begins.  Training for a half Ironman next year.

This year I am building up my base for the half Ironman.  Next year I will be working speed for the Vineman in July.  It usually sells out fast so I want to be ready to do the Napa Valley Vintage Triathlon in May.  I prefer to do the Vineman because it is in July.

I like to take a break from cycling usually from October to February.  If there is a big triathlon in May, I will have to go ride my bike when it is cold out.  I like to maintain a base where I can train for a half Ironman in two months.  To maintain that type of base, I swim and run year round.  I also like to do a lot of cross training.  I can maintain a lot of strength and stamina by training twice a week in each discipline as long as I build strength through cross training.

I do a lot of different things throughout the year to maintain stamina and build strength.  I like to use bands for low impact training that holds each repetition for a 5-10 count.  I do every type of ab workout that I can think of.  Ab work is boring and painful. The more variations you can come up with, the more you are likely to do.  If you get lazy with the abs, you will pay for it on the really long (3 hours and up) efforts.

Be patient with your base training.  There is a good chance that it will take two years to build up a sufficient base to do a half Ironman.  If you are patient, the less chance you will have of getting injured.  Staying injury free is the best way to achieve your goals.  As you are building up your base, you will have to sacrifice one day a week for your long events.

I train for a 3 hour international distance triathlon and I spend 6-8 hours training on Saturdays during the summer.

I am in no hurry to transition from run to bike and bike to run.  It is all about building the endurance on a strong body.  I have my 2010 training schedule posted here.

As I transition to half Ironman training, I will add more details of my training.