Ironman Kentucky training on 10 hrs a week?

I think I heard a saying before that it's better to be at a race undertrained, healthy and rested than overtrained, and injured...

I've been training pretty constantly and you will still finish before me..   

What is "over trained"? I don't think there can be such a thing? That would be like saying I practiced way too hard on my swim stroke or spent too much time working on hills. In my mind there is no such thing as OVER training. Under training, sure, but then just adjust your goals for your race and all will be well again.

Saying you're 1% over trained like is is a bad thing? I'd like to be 100% over trained for my upcoming IM, just not enough time, I also make sure I sleep / rest enough to recover!

I learned my lesson in 2006 with over training. I was training for a 1/2 IM and thought I was within my limits. Cardio wise I was well within my limits but a week before my first race was diagnosed with a femoral stress fracture.

When you're pushing limits training for IM races, it's easy to get caught up "having to get the workout in". I believe that is the "over training" what he was referring to.

That was a huge benefit I have found hiring a coach. He keeps tabs on whether I'm doing too much or not enough.

I agree that 'over training' is odd concept but I think 'over training' implies a degree of injury and/or putting your body in less than optimal condition.  Certainly if I followed an IM training plan for an Oly distance race, the denotation of 'over training' would apply....but I'd perform quite well in the Oly.  :-)

To the OP....I think we all have in mind the volume of training we think we need to do to get ready for an IM and then life happens.  Unless you are a pro and IM training IS your job, other priorities often trump trainng priorities.  I doubt you will find many people at IMKY who followed their training plans "to a T". 

~Mike

~Mike

well if your coach or training plan says to bike 4 hr's and you decide to bike 8 hrs would be one example..   I think the saying is popular since between the two choices of being healthy and not getting all your training in vs getting extra training in but being injured so you can't give a good  effort, most people would opt for not being injured.  IMHO  I honestly think that unless you are training 25+ hrs a week, it's very difficult to be overtrained. It's just a saying that gets thrown around some. I really think most people that have jobs and other things going in their lives are under recovered. which you also said about getting enough sleep so I can see your point.

Your body can do some incredible things but it needs rest.  Most people that are under recovered [over fatigued] for the next work out have a great chance of being injured if their body is trained in that state over time.  it's very easy for people to think that they over trained when in reality they never recovered from their last workout. It's a pretty fine line between the two I image.  This topic usually comes up when people are talking about their running for an IM as compared to a stand alone marathon.. usually for a stand alone marathon I'll be doing a few long runs in the 18-20 mile range. I think my longest run for this upcoming IM will be 16. & even after doing that I could tell it took a few days to get my legs back so the following days workouts suffered as a result.

You're doing IMCA right??  I looked at your training and I think you are doing great btw 

i've been doing about 10hr/wk for the most part and feel more than adequately prepared. i'm fitter, faster, and stronger than ever.  i have every intention of letting those 10 hours per week carry me to a sub-12 finish on 4th Street.  Like the OP, proper rest, recovery, and periodization has been the key to my success this far.

 Just one more month...

 ~B