So I did Ironman UK on the 2nd of July, it was my first full distance and found it a very tough day out. It’s a hard course anyway but the wind on the day made for a brutal experience.
Now 4 weeks on I’m only able to complete basic recovery rides, any intensity and I just can’t finish the workouts. 4 minutes at sweetspot feels like. V02 max.
Do I just need to be patient and wait for my 45 year old body to recover?
Yep! Everyone comes along at a different rate, but also if you’ve been doing nothing or nothing but zone 1 spins, you have probably lost some fitness, which is OK.
Maybe consider a “training reset” where you train endurance pace stuff for a week, then test and reset your power and pacing benchmarks?
Thanks 
yeah I don’t mind losing a bit of fitness as I’ve only got a fun race/event coming up.
I like the training reset idea, I’ll carry on this week ticking over then I’m on an active holiday next week paddleboarding. Then I’ll retest when I get back
4 weeks on from July 2nd Ive started MV HD Build.
There’s a thousand reasons why we’re in different spaces, but at the end of the day your body needs to recover.
After my first I stopped for six months before the addiction set in again. 
I prefer to have a weekly structure but lose all intensity and time goals until I’m ready. Walk instead of run, ride outside for the sunshine, etc and come back to intensity when I want to. Come back to a training plan later still.
I spent the last four weeks focussed on sleep and nutrition.
Well done for getting back to it so soon. How did you get on at IMUK?
I like the structure too which is why I want to get back to training it’s just my legs don’t want to 
good job I didn’t qualify for Nice!!!
Hopefully a week in the Norwegian fresh air on Fjords will re-energise me.
I was at Frankfurt the same day as UK. Was doing well until I fell apart. ;). Same story for everyone!
Everyone is different obviously, but when I was doing full Distance IM I would take whatever my time was and turn that into days.
So if it took my 11hrs say, I would do absolutely nothing workout related for 11-days.
This helped me recover faster, when that time was up I would slowly roll back into my regiment.
Hey @davidsparkinson
Kudos for completing the Ironman UK! What a beast! 
Recovery after a full Ironman, especially a challenging one, can take some time so it’s not uncommon to need several weeks to fully recover. Giving your body the time it needs to heal is a crucial part of training to make you stronger.
So, like everyone has already mentioned, make sure to listen to your body and not rush back into high-intensity training. During this recovery period, focus on light activity and make sure you’re also getting plenty of sleep and eating a balanced diet to help your body recover.