Athlete Series: IM Base Training
Jason’s Ironman training is officially underway. After the set back of having Covid plus a brief overseas trip, Jason is now doing all the things in preparation for his Fall Ironman. Let’s talk through the last couple of weeks of training.
Base Phase Training
We kicked off Base Phase training three weeks ago with a bang. The bang was a FTP test and a 1000 yard TT to set new training zones. Since Jason had been doing a lot of running, he already had a run test under his belt so we did not do one at that time.
After being off of the bike completely for about nine months, we both knew this would be a challenge and that his power would be a good bit lower than we hope to raise it to over the next several months. I opted to give Jason the more traditional FTP test:
Warm Up: 30 minutes in zones 1-2.
Main Set: 1 x 5 minute all out effort followed by 5 minutes of easy spinning. 1 x 20 minute time trial.
Cool Down: 20 - 30 minutes of easy riding.
As expected his power came in relatively low in comparison to what we both know he is capable of. However it was a great test as a launching point for the upcoming sessions. Jason also performed the test well. He had great 5 minute power which put some fatigue in the legs for the 20 minute effort. He then rode to his ability and left nothing in the tank.
His swim time trial went well also. Again, he had not been swimming at all. I gave him a few swim sessions beforehand so he could get a feel for the water and we made sure his stroke felt fine before a big effort. We both knew his threshold pace would be slower and it was. However it was pretty solid despite the time off and a great starting point for training. With those tests out of the way, we could begin honing in his training to work more efficiently in the pool and on the bike.
The Training Schedule
Due to his work schedule, he works four 10 hour days, and family time, we do his long days on Sunday and Monday versus the more standard Saturday and Sunday. A training week looks similar to most, just the workouts are shifted slightly. Base training has Jason doing a lot of aerobic work in the pool, a mix of aerobic and tempo work on the bike and run, and strength training to keep the body healthy and strong.
Here is how a typical week is structured:
Monday - Long Ride + Swim
Tuesday - Strength + Maybe an easy run
Wednesday - Mid Distance Run
Thursday - Mid Distance Ride
Friday - Swim + Maybe a ride
Saturday - Short Swim
Sunday - Long Run
I don’t give Jason a rest day until his recovery week but the intensity of his days vary so he is still getting active recovery sessions in the mix. We’ll be sitting in Base for several more weeks as he builds volume and his aerobic endurance. Once we have a good few blocks we will move on to our Build Phase.
In the short term, Jason will keep plugging away!