Plan on working up to 20 hours per week. I'm not sure training for Boston Simultaneously is a great strategy. That's not much recovery time between late August IM and early August marathon. I'm doing Louisville as well and have a similar occupation. That said, I've been able to pull it off, but it is definitely a big demand on your time (especially the 12 weeks leading up to the event). Check out the ultra distance plan on opentri.com. I've used it twice and found it to be a solid plan. You definitely won't run 70 miles per week while doing IM training. Good luck.

I am in the same boat as you. But I have heard of people getting by on 15 hours. Seeing as you are already coming from a strong endurance program, you might be able to work on shifting things over to a triathlon training program with minimal issues, and you have a better idea of what a couple of extra hours/week is like. Though I would agree with trismitty on the 20-ish hours a week. You could also try to plan in some "epic weeks" to get in volume when you can.

A good way to visualize [i]weekly[/i] training load is to look at it from a macro-level [i]annual[/i] view, work backwards, and break it into chunks. It is of no value to say, “You need to train X number of weeks. Period.” Which weeks do I need to do that? All of them? Going into specifics - you need X number of miles here, Y number of meters here – is also rather worthless when trying to make generalizations. Instead, to answer your question, let's take a retrospective approach and look at training volume from an annual perspective. You'll need at least 250 hours of training just to finish, with probably 350 and possibly up to 450 hours per year to reach your potential ("training" means swim, bike, run. Nothing else is considered in these figures). Don't fall into the trap of thinking, "Oooh, 350 hours a year, divided by 50 weeks . . . that's only seven hours a week?! Easy." That's not how it works. Which leads to my second point . . .

Next, divide the Ironman race year into two parts: Base and Race Prep. Most of your training volume is back-loaded in the four months leading up to the event – the Race Prep phase. Approximately half of your annual training volume is lumped into the last four months of the training season. The [i]other[/i] half is dispersed among the [i]first[/i] eight months of the season – the Base phase. These are generally your base-type training months with low intensity, moderate speed and distance. To help visualize this, let's work backwards and assume you will end up with around 400 hours of training and I'll deconstruct how you'll get there. I'm confident in saying that if you look at many people's annual training figures and graphed them, they'd look similar to this in terms of periodization. Meaning, most people aren't training 16-20 per week, [b]every[/b] week - just a few weeks leading up to the race preceeded by months of modest 10 hour weeks.

So, you end up with around 400 hours of annual training which means during the first eight months you would total about 200 hours of training, or about six to seven hours per week [i]on average[/i]. Then, during your actual race prep phase - the four months prior to the race - you'll probably amass the other half of your training volume. The remaining 200 hours / 16 weeks gives you an average of 12 to 13 hours per week. Again, don't fall into the super-obvious trap of thinking, "My longest week will only be 12 hours? Easy." Yes, you can finish an Ironman with as little as 12-13 hours per week. Gail Bernhardt has a great program called [url=http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~rpitch/IMNZ/13%20Weeks%20to%20a%2013-Hour%2..."13 weeks to a 13 hour Ironman"[/url] and her program never calls for more than 13 hours of training per week. It may be a marketing gimmick, but it's very possible to finish well with 12-14 per week tops. Typically, however, some weeks will be 10-12 hours; others will be 16-18. You're most interested in what most weeks will look like, right? You may or may not ever get into the 20+hour range, but just like marathon training where you only do one (or few) 20-milers, and rarely if ever does a program call for full 26.2 training run, you'll only spend two to three weeks in the upper teens to 20 hours per week range – if ever. If someone quotes you a really high number, like "OMG you must train ___ per week," keep in mind it's not every week.

Finally, how much of these hours will be spent on each discipline? A general breakdown is 50% of the [i]time[/i] on the bike; 30% on the run; 20% in the water. Some people can get by with more or less in each one, but generally cycling takes up the majority of the training time, followed by running, with swimming getting the smallest portion. Using this training ratio and the weekly volume during race prep (200 hours over 16 weeks = ~ 13 hours per week), this would approximate to 6 hours per week on the bike; four hours on the run; and about 2.5 hours in the pool. Drilling down even further, an 18mph bike avg gives you about 120 miles per week; an 8:00 min mile gives you about 27-30 per week; and if your swim pace is 1:50 per 100m, that's about 7500m per week - all of which if enough to get you across the finish line. (Remember that you can take 2 hours for the swim, ride at 14.5 avg for the bike, and walk most of the marathon and still make the 17hr cutoff for north American Ironmans). To further illustrate, if you keep the 50% bike/30% run/20% swim ratio and extrapolate that over the mythical 20 hour week, that's 4 hours/12.5 [b]kilometers[/b] in the pool; 10 hours/180 miles on the bike; six hours/45 miles on the run. As you can tell, putting up Herculian numbers like this doesn't happen often. So if someone tells you they do 20 hour week all the time, they're either pro, amazingly slow, or – shall I say - prone to exaggeration?

The time commitment for an IRONMAN will vary by what your goal for the race is. If you just want to finish you do not need to log 16 to 20 hour weeks. If you want to qualify for the big show or have a certain time goal (which I do not suggest for a first IRONMAN) I would recommend you get a coach and let him or her determine your weekly training schedule based on your current fitness and goals.

I have done it both ways. This last year I trained for IM FL with a very low training volume. My longest training week was 12.5 hours and my shortest week was 5 hours. I finished and had a respectable time of 12:28:52. Three years ago my longest training week was 22 hours and my shortest was 13 hours. I set a PR of 11:05:33.

I do agree with TriSooner that when you hear about the people doing 20 hour weeks all the time they are exaggerated.

I also think he posted a while back the averages for each discipline to finish in 17 hours and is the times were somewhere along the lines of a 2 hour swim, 13 mph on the bike and walking the marathon. So depending on if you know how to swim and based on your running background you could realistically go out next week and finish in under 17 hours.

Good luck training

[quote=DSmith]I also think he posted a while back the averages for each discipline to finish in 17 hours and is the times were somewhere along the lines of a 2 hour swim, 13 mph on the bike and walking the marathon.[/quote]

I got tired of people saying certain times were fast or slow without any real sense of what a median finish time is. So I compiled all of the results (located [url=http://www.ironmanusa.com/results/index.php] here[/url])from Ironman Arizona (6 year's worth); Coeur d'Alene (7), Florida (11), Lake Placid (11); Wisconsin (8); and Louisville (1), which include data from 44 races and over 80,000 finishes:

[img=700X112]http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x158/endurasports/IM_data.jpg[/IMG]

Also, the cut-off times are Ironman North American races are Swim: 2 hours and 20 minutes, Swim/Bike: 10 hours and 30 minutes (IM Florida ONLY is 10 hours and 15 minutes), Swim/Bike/Run: 17 hours. Again, that's also kinda worthless unless you put a pace behind the numbers.

Swim: 2h:20m to swim 2.4 miles is a 3:41 per 100m pace
Bike: To make the 10 hour 30 minute cut off, you have 8 hours 10 minutes to cycle 112, which is a 13.7mph avg
Run: To finish by midnight, the run needs to be under 6h:30m, or a 14:53 per mile.
[size=10]Note: I didn't include transition times. Make a ballpark guess about transition times and adjust accordingly.[/size]

Welcome to Trifuel. Of course if you ask the opinions of a community of triathlon geeks we're going to encourage you to pull the trigger on the IM.

Can you elaborate or what your expectations are for the IM? If you are looking for a 10 hour finish and top 10 in your age group, then it's really hard to reach that in year one, no matter how many hours you train. Not impossible obviously, and I think Red5 or some other trifueler did it. However, if your goals are more modest, and you want to finish in the top half of your age group, it's probably a lot easier than you think.

I'm close to your running fitness (only one 3:09, and not 70 miles/week) and I finished my only IM 15 minutes short of 90 out of 180 in my age group (12:30 would of been 90th in M30-34). For the 36 weeks before the race I logged 8.1 hours per week of training (25 miles running and 81 miles biking avg per week). If I had trained 14 hours instead of 8 every week, I'd assume 11 hours would of been a goal instead of "just" finishing. However, sub 10 and a Kona spot seems so far off for a first year IM.

Last piece of advice. Just because you can knock out 7:15min/mi in an open marathon doesn't mean you get a free 3:40 in the IM run. Plan on lots of biking.

I have nothing to contribute. I'm just here to watch Sooner bust out the graphs.

[quote=redskin56]My goal would be a top 50% in my age group. I am 26 (27 on race day)... I would like to come in under 11hrs...[/quote]
In 2009, an 11:00:00 finish would place you at 31 of 232 in men between 25 and 29. Just to give you an idea. I think 11 hours is an achievable goal given your history and planned time commitment. You'll have an even better idea after logging a century or two.

[quote=redskin56] I am most concerned with the biking portion.. i have a decent bike, and really do not want to commit to buying a very expensive bike... [/quote]
You will see plenty of people with road bikes that look like they would sell for $300 on eBay. Some of those guys will be passing $5,000 bikes, and some will be looking to finish on a bike they have logged lots of miles on and are very comfortable with for 112 miles.

[quote=redskin56] if any of you married... has your training affected your time away from your significant other [/quote] Not trying to oversimplify, but I'd say 14 hours/week of your current marathon/weight training is about the same as 14 hours of swim/bike/run.

[quote=redskin56] never really biked much though...[/quote]

Setting time goals before you've really done much biking is premature... it's about 50% of your day, get out and find out how fast you are. I know one guy who is a fast runner, Boston qualifier, but on the bike he's nowhere.

jono

I'm doing IM Louisville in 2010 too! This will be my first IM! I am so stoked but nervous, because I want to make Kona, soooo bad!

I am on the swim team on my school, the cycling team, and I run at least four times a week. Since collegiate road bike season is starting rather soon, my training hours will be in the 20s, which is not really a lot for me because thats close to what I have been doing for the past couple months.

Can'twait til IMLouisville!
See you all there!!!!! :)

Not much else to add...but I'll be there (Louisville) doing my first as well...shooting for similar time goals...in your AG (25-29)...I am normally also one to harp don't set aggressive time goals for your first attempt at a new distance, but I'm making the same mistake.

So, come on...pull the trigger...we can motivate one another by making it a competition.

goal--- sub 10 for first IM... :)

Alright!...congrats on pulling the trigger.

We should probably start some kind of training support group...I officially start my structured training next week.

And Mikrosoft, you sound pretty quick...my goal is sub 10:30, but I feel it may be a reach...GL

[quote=jsk85]Alright!...congrats on pulling the trigger.

We should probably start some kind of training support group...I officially start my structured training next week.

And Mikrosoft, you sound pretty quick...my goal is sub 10:30, but I feel it may be a reach...GL[/quote]

It would be fun to have a thread for all of us doing our first IM in 2010...share training stories, keep each other on track. Any takers?

That's what I miss - the excitement of doing it for the first time.

You lucky bastards.
:)

PoC

[quote=TonisTri][quote=jsk85]

It would be fun to have a thread for all of us doing our first IM in 2010...share training stories, keep each other on track. Any takers?
[/quote]

I like this idea

[quote=mikrosoft077][quote=TonisTri][quote=jsk85]

It would be fun to have a thread for all of us doing our first IM in 2010...share training stories, keep each other on track. Any takers?
[/quote]

I like this idea[/quote]
+1

Great. I'll start a thread tomorrow for anyone doing their first IM.

sounds great!

I'm in. Training for IM WI!