Sub 12hr Hawaii....10hrs/week Peak Training
A standard m2 Training Tenet is that it is more important the kind of training one does,
think architecture, than the volume of training, think amorphous mass. All people can agree
that Ironman events such as Kona provide a harsh testing ground and validation of the soundness
of one's preparation.
I begin with every athlete by explaining that if they do the workouts as written, with
attention to detail, and are generally consistent, they will have no choice but to make
enormous strides toward realizing their goals of becoming stronger, fitter, and faster.
Ohio-based athlete Mark Gorriss and a first-time Ironman candidate was a model student.
Mark hit all of his key workouts, provided weekly feedback, trained consistently, and is
still walking on air after his inspiring Kona performance.
As you will read, armed with the right tools, you can indeed chase IM goals without
extreme sacrifice to other important parts of your life, such as career and family.
By any "conventional" standard, Mark's training would be viewed as woefully inadequate,
but once again, the result speak for themselves...and then some.
An exerpt from Mark's over the top race report to me:
"I've done it, I am an Ironman! 11:53:49 with a 3:52 marthon to finish! YEAH
...Here is the amazing part of all of this [and I know you've heard this before].
I went back and looked over my training log since we first started working together
back on Dec 1st 2003. In the first 36 weeks we worked together, I averaged a
grand total of 7:15 per WEEK training.
...During the final 9 weeks leading up to Kona, I averaged a grand total of, get this,
10 HOURS PER WEEK. My longest run was 2:15, my longest ride, 100 miles. I counted
a total of 6 long rides: 100, 80, 70 [2x's] and 55 [2x's] My long runs were 13, 14,
14.5 and 16. I am still happily married and I still spent a lot of QT with my two year
old son while training. No IM is worth losing your family, THANK YOU - THANK YOU -
THANK YOU.
The book I received when I was selected in the lottery suggested that I needed to
train 17 hours, swim 7-8 miles, ride 250 miles and run 40 miles per week.
Yeah right, what about my career and family?
...Sure, it got tough at times, but your coaching drills and workouts had me ready
and prepared. I wonder how many other athletes out there trained as few hours as
I did, raced as well as I did given my ability and had as much fun? To be honest,
when I finished I was tired but it really wasn't as hard as I imagined.
Thanks again for helping my dream become a reality!"
Sincerely,
Mark Gorriss
Mark's e-mail:
Mark Gorris, You are an Ironman!
How sweet it was to hear those words. I am still in disbelief at what has
transpired over the past week, the past few months and the past year.
Let me begin by saying "Thank You" to you for helping this 38 year old age
grouper realize a dream 20 plus years in the making. I first witnessed the
Ironman as a 16 year old kid. I vowed that one day I would do "the race"
that I had just witnessed on TV.
It took me almost 20 years to actually take up the sport of triathlon, although
running has been a passion of mine for a number of years. So after only 3 years
in the sport of triathlon I have finished what many agree is the toughest IM race
on the planet.
Here is the amazing part of all of this [and I know you've heard this before].
I went back and looked over my training log since we first started working together
back on Dec 1st 2003. In the first 36 weeks we worked together, I averaged a
grand total of 7:15 per WEEK training. During those 36 weeks I set a PR for a
marathon 3:04:21, raced in 2 Intl Distance Duathlons and 4 Olympic Distance Triathlons.
I just missed my Duathlon goal of 2:10:00 by 5 minutes on a very tough course.
I also just missed breaking the elusive 2:15:00 in an Olympic Distance Triathlon.
Where I really noticed improvement was in the longer races. In my first 1/2 IM ever,
I almost broke 5 hours and qualified for the US 1/2 IM Championships. The thing I
noticed most was my ability to hold a strong pace on the bike. Again, referring back
to the short courses, my bike splits did not improve as dramatically as perhaps I would
have liked, but I was more than happy and surprised with my ability to carry the same
output over the longer distances, despite not having radically increased my training
time.
Which brings me to Kona. First off, what an incredible experience to be in such a
beautiful place with so many elite triathletes. I've never seen so many ripped and
fit people in one place. I was scared sh**less all week, but my wife kept reminding
me that these were the top triathletes in the world. Many of the elites I race
against back home could not even qualify for this race. I needed to keep in perspective
that I was merely a lottery pick, racing against these folks was out of the qustion.
I must also admit that I was concerned about my total training volume. In the weeks
leading up to Kona I kept questioning whether I was doing enough. Of course, your
steady hand kept the keel even. The fact that you called me twice the night before
the race was proof to me that you really care about your athletes.
So let's review my goals before I get to the details.
Goal #1- Finish the race happy while enjoying the day/experience.
Goal #2- Break 12 hours while keeping the same mental approach of enjoying the
day/experience.
Goal #3- If everything went perfect, the conditions were perfect, the planets all
aligned, break 11 hours in my first ever IM on one of the toughest courses in the
world.
How did I do.......drum roll please....11:53:49! I came in 854th place, I finished
just about in the middle and I improved my race position after each leg. Not too bad
for a lottery pick. As I am sure you are aware, the conditions on the bike were very
tough. Not the worst Kona has seen, but certainly one of the tougher day's in Kona.
My wife commented that the announcer's made note of the brutal conditions on the bike
many times throughout the day. On to the race.
The Swim: 1:19:23 My goal was 1:15 to 1:30 so I hit it dead on. I was amazed at how
my fears of the open water chaos never came to fruition. I owe this in part to your
words of wisdom- "stay away from the pier, keep to the left about 3/4 back and take
your time swimming to the bouys" That is exactly what I did and I was only "hit" once
the entire swim.
BTW - your advice on overhydrating/the sky is falling mentality in Kona proved invaluable.
My problems with having to use the restroom 8-10x's that plauged me on some of my longer
rides vanished in Kona. I did as you suggested, MODERATION, and only used the restroom
2x's, both in transition.
The Bike- My goal was between 5:30-6:00. My training rides / 1/2 IM set these goals
for me. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other ideas. The winds on the Kohala Coast
were brutal as were they on the 20 mile trip up to Hawi. I ended up finshing the bike
in 6:27:18. As you suggested, I started out in an easy gear, stayed within myself etc.
I could not believe the number of athletes pounding the big ring up the Kuakini Hwy in
the loop through town during the first 6 miles. Funny, Dave Scott wrote an article for
Inside Triathlon where he suggested the same thing you've suggested to me all year.
Negative split your ride, he even suggested taking it easy up to the airport as this
section is deceptively uphill.....sounds like M2!
Once I realized that the weather would not cooperate, I decided to take what was given.
I kept the cadence high/gear low on the climb to Hawi, but I also followed your "stand
when the gear becomes tough." It worked wonders for the legs and the average speed, as
well. On the Queen K heading back to Kona, we hit brutal headwinds 5 miles before the
airport and then all the way in. Funny how I kept falling back on many of the PE drills.
The result- Fresh Legs for The Run.
Sure, I could have knocked 15'-20' off my time by pushing too big a gear [an M2 no no], but
the result would have put me past LT for too long and that would have ruined the rest of the
race.
One final note: You may have remebered the "bonk" that occured this summer on my first
ever 1/2. Being a short course racer I was not aware of the caloric requirements of such a
long event.
Your advice on fueling was invaluable out on the lava fields as I neverfelt sick or ready
to bonk the entire day!
The Run
Now I am getting close to Kona, I can feel it. I run down Palani Rd, past Marc
Herramens who is giving it his all trying to get his wheelchair UP Palani Rd.
Talk about an inspiration!
I make the loop through town then make that final turn onto Alii Dr. I've been
dreaming about this since I was 16 and I am gonna enjoy every minute of it. I
high five everyone and anyone who puts a hand out. That final turn where the
flood lights are shining down on the street [of course, you finish when it is
still light out] and there I am on the jumbo-tron. I cross the line, pump my
fist and give my wife the biggest hug ever.
I've done it, I am an Ironman! 11:53:49 with a 3:52 marthon to finish! YEAH
Here is the best part: During the final 9 weeks leading up to Kona, I averaged
a grand total of, get this, 10 HOURS PER WEEK. My longest run was 2:15, my
longest ride, 100 miles. I counted a total of 6 long rides: 100, 80, 70 [2x's]
and 55 [2x's] My long runs were 13, 14, 14.5 and 16. I am still happily married
and I still spent a lot of QT with my two year old son while training. No IM is
worth losing your family, THANK YOU - THANK YOU - THANK YOU. The book
I received when I was selected in the lottery suggested
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