IMCA is on October 22, 2023, and I want to figure out a training duration to ensure I'll be fresh and frisky on race morning. Meaning not over-trained and burnt out. If anything under-cooked. 6 months, 7, 8, 9 months?
Part of putting a pin on a training start date involves considering a few other races I do every year and do not want to miss. This includes San Diego Marathon which I’ve done 14 total, and 11 consecutive, as well as the Black Mountain 50K just a few weeks after that which I’ve done the past 3 events.
The San Diego marathon is a fun local race along a beautiful route that I run with my son, and the 50K is a beast of a race that I find a significant challenge I have yet to figure out how not to finish in a miserable state. Both races are 20 weeks and 18 weeks out from Ironman. And in both races, I want to be in good running shape to attempt personal records.
The question then is how to train effectively for all three and back that into a timeline? The current idea is to begin training on February 6. This is 9 months or 36 weeks to Ironman. Too much time? I would take a 2-week recovery break after Black Mountain then resume training for Ironman on July 3rd, 4 months or 16 weeks before the race. This block will be more dedicated to swimming and biking as my running should be dialed in.
The other option is to give me 12 weeks of marathon training and 32 weeks of Ironman training. Probably take a short recovery break giving for 20 weeks of dedicated training for Ironman. This would have me start on March 6th.
I have a few weeks to figure this out. No stress.