I emailed Steve prior to purchasing the training plan and he responded quickly with really sensible advice based on my triathlon history and current training volume. Of course being an 45 going on 12 year old age grouper I ignored all sensible advice an purchased the only plan that gives me any remote, long shot of getting to Kona….I’ve just finished my first month of the base phase and despite pushing through a couple of those weird one-day training head-colds due to the increased volume, I’ve loved every minute so far.
Having read and enjoyed Friel’s Training Bible I was still left with just a big empty spreadsheet and too many decisions to make for myself. I’m a normal bloke for god’s sake, tell me what to do or I’ll just sit and watch the Discovery Channel!
Steve’s plan takes away all the science, mathematics and preparation that a triathlete with a full-time job just doesn’t have time for. Once the testing phase is done, each session is is concisely described, training zones set and drills presented via video links etc. where appropriate. For bike sessions I don’t need to know any more than I have a bike session today, once I fire up Zwift, some black-magic means Steve’s session is already there in front of me and ERG means I’m training at exactly the prescribed power throughout, brilliant!
Moving sessions around the plan to fit in with other work commitments is easy and intuitive and for some reason I’m actually motivated to stretch for the first time in 25 years because it’s on the plan. Well I say stretch, think Uma Thurman in Kill Bill trying to wiggle her big toe, but hey, I’m trying.
In all seriousness, having debated throwing a few quid at a properly structured, proven plan for the price of a decent pair of runners, I now couldn’t recommend highly enough. Absolutely fantastic value for money
I am really happy about the program that you built for me.
Two weeks ago, half marathon in less than 2h and last week-end, this beautiful race IronMaori (quarter) in 2h42 swim 1km 18min bike 45km 1h32 run 10km 47m. Unexpected!
Training is hard but good. My body changed a lot! Skinner than usual but I feel a big change in my mobility and stamina.
So thank you so much again. You made miracles even if I know that the most difficult part is not happened yet.
Switched over to a smartensurdance plan for my next upcoming IM and so far it has been night and day with other plans. Two biggest benefits so far are firstly the zone and output effort variations are keeping me fresh and continuously improving my metrics while allowing recovery at precise times, and secondly it has taken all of the guess work out of my mind as the analysis provided in the scheduled trainings are granular in design yet simple to follow and my gains very traceable.
I bought the 24 week Olympic training plan and it has exceeded my expectations.
Not only are the workouts clearly defined in Training Peaks with usefully notes, but the additional support via email has been excellent. Any issue or concern I had was quickly responded to with a helpful answer.
I bought the plan with hopes of a PB and ended up knocking 10% off my overall time 🙂
I used Smartendurancesolutions for my 1st full Ironman this year, I can’t recommend Smartendurancesolutions enough, Steven took me from very low levels of fitness to completing an Ironman in a time I had only dreamed of. There is great feedback on all sessions. It is easy to see all sessions have a purpose and tie into the overall plan. Heart-rate controlled sessions, which make it all easier on race day to stay on target in zone and in control. The added advantage of having a coach who is very experienced and accomplished long distance racer, is great for bringing a calming effect, for those times of pre-race panic
Hi Coach Steve, first I am super happy with your training plan. It really helped me to be prepared for an Ironman.
Had a great time at my Guelph Lake Sprint, it was helped that the odd distances off 750/30/7 really suits my strengths and weaknesses 😉 Was able to snag my first AG win! Looking forward to my A race coming up though!
I’ve just finished an excellent 70.3 training weekend in Youghal with Steve and Mark.
They took us round the course (including the infamous Windmill Hill!!!) and gave us lots of advice on the course itself, training, nutrition etc .
At best I’m average and I’ll admit I was a bit anxious that the weekend might have been too fast and more for stronger athletes but I was thankfully wrong- we divided into groups and worked together and it was great. And really good fun!!!!!
I had the pleasure of racing Barcelona Ironman with Steven in 2019. I knew him through friends but he went above and beyond to make me feel welcomed as part of his training group.He gave a lot of very valuable advice in the build. I smashed my PB by 1hr and 30mins doing a sub10hr ironman, 9hrs 30mins to be exact which qualified me for a PROFESSION TRIATHLETE LICENCE!!! After Barcelona, I signed up to his coaching with the intention to race at Ironman South Africa and through a top 6 finish there qualifying for Kona, Hawaii the Ironman World Championships, the Holy Grail of Ironman. Over the 3 months leading up to the race, Steven had me in amazing shape. I never felt so prepared and ready to race. I was sure I would qualify based on my training numbers and the confidence he had given me. I continue to train with Steven waiting in the long grass for the next opportunity for Kona qualification. For anyone looking for a Triathlon coach long or short course Steven is your man, I can’t recommend him enough. He can be funny too at times but most of all I just enjoy beating him 🙂
Gearing up for my first 70.3 in Feb and am enjoying Steve’s program. Very easy to understand and follow and he’s happy to chip in and give in some guidance along the way too! Money well spent.
Thanks very much for the plan – I’m doing the BEGINNER Time crunched IRONMAN 36 week plan – I’m really enjoying doing it and looking forward to Septembers iron!
I’m really enjoying your plan, exactly what I needed. From my previous 70.3s, I feel that a lack of volume in training was my downfall. I was just making it up as I went along so this is a good change.”
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