Marathon w/Oly Training--Bike Q

Well howdy, and super good luck with your training and races!  Thanks for the reply.

ONLY as FYI for you and anyone else reading, and with lots of warnings and caveats about common sense, I'm attaching as a sample my training schedule, which was painstakingly prepared from:

1. own experience (BTW I already have and am continuing base building until July 2 where the schedule starts, and the marathon is seven weeks, not shown, after tri)

2. rough starting blend of 16-week run-focused plan here on BT and 18-week intermediate Oly plan on http://www.trinewbies.com

3.Friel, Triathlete's Training Bible; Edwards, Triathlons for Women; Williams, Slow Fat Triathlete

4. extensive reading of this forum, others, online tri articles, sites, etc.

5. running it by other experienced triathletes (including my marathon coach/tri mentor)

From the few posts I've seen so far from you, you seem pretty well in tune with the differing training ideas out there, so you should know that as with running, the way to get more proficient and stronger at something relies on more than just volume.

Volume, intensity, duration and frequency are keys to getting stronger/faster.

Volume = the overall combined amount that is done

Intensity = the effort level of the specific workout

Duration = the length of the specific workout

Frequency = the number of times you do that activity

In your case you have given yourslef about 50 - 60 miles a week to work with.  This is not a large volume per se, but should suit your goals with the marathon training at the same time.  The good thing you have going is that your running will help your cycling  out a lot as far as fitness goes while it would not help much in the other direction (if you were riding more than running it would not help your running much).  This is because of the physiological adaptations that need to occur with running colume that cannot be mimiced by any other activity other than running.

Assuming that you have a good base I would personally recommend one faster more intense session during the week and one long session on the weekend.  Ideally you would have at least one other riding day, but with what you have allocated that doesn't work.  By limiting your volume and frequency you can only start to address the intensity and duration.

I'm a firm believer in just getting out there and riding and using the route/terrain to make an effort more or less intense.  I'm lucky (or unlucky depending on how you look at it) to be surrounded by constant rolling terrain with flat areas interspersed which gives me the luxury of working on strength through hill climbing as well as sustained speed on the flats.  Not everyone has that luxury however.  But one of the fun things about riding is getting out there and getting "lost" and discovering new routes.

I'd really recommend adding another ride if you can, at least until the Oly. is done.  You'll still have two months after it to shift your full focus to the marathon.

Rick, thank you so much for your well-thought and well-crafted reply. I have found that no other sport is so accommodating and generous to newbies, and it is because of athletes like you that go out of your way to make it so.  I am going to take your suggestions back to my schedule and my coach and see how I might work them in.

doublej, thanks for your experience and the vote of confidence.  Lord knows I need it!

FYI I'm coming off a marathon early May followed by a sprint early June, but now kicking it up to an Oly that's before a marathon is just a different beast!