Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas

This plan is for the intermediate to advanced triathlete with at least 3 years of steady training and competitive level racing under their belt. Before starting this plan, the athlete should have a well established foundation of aerobic base fitness, along with good general overall conditioning. The use of Spinervals Cycling dvds are recommended for this and all of coach Troy's plans, but is not a requirement. Done properly, this program will get the athlete to the starting line in peak form and injury free.

The workouts are given an intensity description by Zones. Advanced athletes can use heart rate, power (on the bike) or PE(perceived effort) to monitor their daily training intensities. In general, the intensities for this plan are as follows:

Zone 1: Recovery pace. Very low intensity active recovery 'shake the legs out'. Ideal after long/hard workout days and races. 'Noodle it'.

Zone 2: Aerobic/Blue pace. Low to moderate intensity training. PE of 7-8 (Scale 1-10, 10 being 100%). Steady conversation effort. HR is at least 10-25 beats per minute below LTHR (lactate threshold heart rate).

Zone 3: Aerobic Endurance/Gray pace. Moderate to hard training. PE of 7.5- 8.5. Harder efforts that can be sustained for long periods of time. HR 0-10 beats below LTHR

Zone 4: Threshold Training. Hard training at a pace sustainable for short durations. At and above 'race pace'. PE 8.5 - 9. Suffer a little. HR within 5+/- LTHR

Zone 5: V02max Training: Really hard training, PE 9-10. Suffer a lot. HR 10-20 bpm above LTHR

Prior to starting this program and again mid-way through the program, it is recommended that the athlete gets a metabolic test in order to set up target training zones effectively. If that test is not available or convenient, benchmark tests such as that found in Spinervals 27.0 (http://www.spinervals.com/products/item10.cfm), a 20 minute functional threshold test or for the run, a hard 3 mile effort (take avg. HR for the run) can be used to determine LTHR. (Example: If a 3 mile hard, race paced run yields an avg. HR of 150 bpm, this is your LTHR.)

Success in this and all programs is dependent on your consistency and focus on other variables including nutrition, recovery and your overall health. Try to maximize each of these for best results.

If you have any questions, please contact us for immediate attention at info@coachtroy.com. And for more information, visit www.coachtroy.com

Thank you.

This half Ironman Build and Peak period plan was designed by Joe Friel using the principles of his books--The Triathletes Training Bible and Going Long. All higher-intensity bike workouts are described using power. You must have a power meter and be familiar with using it. You will also need power zones (based on the Coggan system). To establish goals go to http://tinyurl.com/29t3q6m and under Joe Friel's picture you will see a PDF titled 'Using Heart Rate, Power & Pace.' Download that and follow the instructions for setting your power zones.
This plan is best started 11 weeks prior to your A-priority, half Ironman race. If you have been training consistently you may start at any point in this plan and still do well.
This plan is intended for the experienced, intermediate to advanced under-age-50 triathlete. To start this plan you should have completed a Base training period and be able to swim 1 hour, bike 3 hours, and run 2 hours. Weekly volume is about 13 hours per week with 3-4 swims, 4 bikes, 4-5 runs and 1 strength session. The exceptions are the R&R weeks every fourth week with volume significantly reduced for 4 to 5 days and self-testing at the end of the week to measure progress. There are also fitness-building race-simulation bricks every week. The last 3 weeks of this plan taper and peak you for the race.
The plan uses common language to describe the workouts and is easy to follow. By the end of 11 weeks you will have excellent half Ironman race fitness.

This plan was designed for the advanced triathlete by Joe Friel using the principles of The Triathletes Training Bible. All higher intensity bike workouts are described using power. Before starting this plan you should have completed a Base training period and be able to train at least 16 hours per week. This 11-week plan includes two Build periods, two weeks of Peak period and ends with the week of your A-priority, half-iron-distance race. The key to the success of this plan is the race-specific intensity inserted at just the right times. This plan is intended for the under-age-50 triathlete who has been racing for two or more years but may also be used by older athletes who recover well within 48 hours and can train with 3 weeks of quality before taking a recovery period of 5 days. To start this plan you should have a powermeter and be able to swim 1 hour, bike 3 hours, and run 2 hours. Except for the R&R weeks which are about 9 hours, the Build training weeks are around 16 hours. Optional strength maintenance workouts are included as suggested in The Triathletes Training Bible. The plan uses common language to describe the workouts and is easy to follow as you may see by clicking the plan preview above. By the end of 11 weeks you will have excellent fitness and be ready for your A-priority, half-Ironman race.