What's the plan, Phil?

I need a plan.

My two-week break is almost over, and I have yet to choose a training plan for IMTX. I have narrowed it down to two plans: a free one from beginnertriathlete.com (we’ll call this one “Freebie from BT”), and a not-even-in-the same-zip-code-as-free one by David Glover on trainingpeaks.com (we’ll call this one “Expensivie from TP”).

I’ve made a list of pros and cons of each plan. It goes like this:

Freebie from BT:

·         Pro: It’s FREE.

·         Con: I can’t import it into my TP account; I can only print it out on paper. I’ll have to manually enter each workout into TP.

·         Pro: I used a BT plan to train for my first 70.3, and it got the job done. I stayed injury-free and finished my race in 6:10 – not bad for my first, I guess.

·         Con: While my free 70.3 plan from BT was sufficient, there were some vague workout descriptions, and I didn’t think its long bike segments were long enough (so I added to them, which ended up being a good call).

·         Pro: There is a huge support community on BT, so I can probably find others online doing the same plan at the same time for the same race.

·         Con: There is no coach to email if I have questions about the plan.

·         Pro/Con (I’m not sure): It’s a 20-week plan, so it starts Dec. 30^th.

Expensivie from TP:

·         Pro: It will automatically populate in my online TP account.

·         Con: It costs a good chunk of money.

·         Pro: I can email the coach with questions about the plan (this is not the same thing as having a coach).

·         Con: The support community on TP is nil.

·         Pro: It includes information on tri-specific strength training and has strength workouts included in the plan.

·         Pro: It has supplemental video clips. (I found this to be enjoyable and informative with the Dave Scott plan I did for Augusta 70.3.)

·         Pro/Con: There are two plans I could choose from: A 24-week plan (begins Dec. 2^nd) and an 18-week plan (begins mid-January; it costs a little less, but I’d have to make my own ramp-up plan for December.)

·         Pro: This plan is supposedly tailored for my particular race, with bike workouts that pertain to IMTX terrain (flat to gently rolling hills).

Of course, no matter which one I choose, I still have to make my own plan for November. I know what some of you are thinking: This is the off season. You don’t need a plan. Do other stuff. Do what you feel like. But I know myself, and if I don’t have a plan and a goal, I won’t do ANYTHING. And while two weeks off is good, six weeks off is not. So even if I’m hula-hooping five hours a week, I need to plan where and when to do it.

If you have trained for an Ironman without a coach, I would love your input: What plan did you use? How many hours were your average and peak weeks? Did your plan include recovery weeks, and how often? What was your longest ride? What was your longest run? Did you feel adequately prepared? Would you recommend your plan?