23 Training Tips For Ironman Triathlon
Taking part in an Ironman (whether it’s a 140.6 or 70.3) event requires a great deal of preparation and determination. That’s an understatement, right?
Race day should be the finishing touch of the long hours spent honing one’s skill, however, it is a drawn-out day so one should be prepared for any number of possible outcomes. You must be prepared for the unexpected!
These recommendations for Ironman competitions will assist you in succeeding.
1. Get to the start line rested
This one seems so simple, but it’s often overlooked.
Give yourself a pat on the back for your hard work and remind yourself that you are ready for any difficulty that comes during the race. It’s impossible to make any progress in terms of physical fitness in the last week of training–however, you can negatively affect your alertness and readiness. It is preferable to be slightly unprepared rather than overly conditioned in the last few weeks before the most important race.
Athletes often start questioning their preparation and physical condition during the reduction in their workload and try to fit in one last exercise session to be in the best condition possible before the competition. Don’t be “that” athlete. Exercise should refresh and energise you, not make you feel worn out and exhausted.
Steer clear of strolling around the exhibition or meandering through the town a lot. When you find yourself in an amazing place, it can be hard to resist the urge to go out and explore. Rather than exhausting your energy before the race, arrange to take a few days off afterwards so that you can explore. And remember: the expo is open after the race.
Do not fret too much about your slumber the night before – it is not uncommon for people to have poor sleep the evening before a competition. It is essential to be well-rested for two nights leading up to the race.
2. Mentally prepare
Competing in Ironman events is demanding, which is precisely why it’s so appealing – it provides a great sense of accomplishment. The day of the race will challenge you both physically and mentally.
Make a compilation of the motivations that are causing you to complete the Ironman race, you will require these motivations for inspiration during your competition.
It is possible that you may abandon your efforts if the reason behind them is uncertain when the task becomes difficult. It is not essential to explain your motivations, yet they should derive from genuine emotions and be important to you.
You’ll feel some apprehension before you start, which is a sign that you are prepared to begin. Find a secluded area to ponder just before the starting gun is fired to remind yourself why you started the race and think back to the days when your practice and competitions went perfectly.
Convince yourself that you are prepared and will succeed. Having these optimistic reflections will come in handy during the race.
Keep your thoughts positive. When the pessimistic ideas arrive, recognise them and then combat them with your encouraging statements. You may also need calories! Indications that you need to eat are feelings of negativity, indifference, or anger – so don’t hesitate to refuel!
Imagine the key portions of your race often in the days leading up to the event. Create a vivid image in your mind containing your ideal race, finishing with a desirable result, as well as any potential difficulties that could still arise and the strategies you will use for overcoming them.
Once you are comfortable with the transition areas, imagine yourself as if you are going through every single one.
If you adjust your mental attitude regularly and thoughtfully, your pre-race anxiety will go down because you have already taken into account all of the things that could go wrong.
This will essentially take away any unforeseen events that could arise such as a puncture in your tire, forgetting to bring something vital, or even accidentally leaving something behind, giving you the ability to be on top of every eventuality. This activity can increase the probability of you achieving your objectives on race day.
3. Be grateful
Offer up a short expression of thanks before the race starts for being able to make it to the beginning line unhurt and being able to take part in such an amazing event.
Seeing the big picture aids in keeping your cool. According to Mike Reilly, running back a marathon is like having a long workout session, surrounded by 2000 of your friends.
Make sure to express gratitude to the volunteers, which will give you a positive attitude if you’re dealing with difficulty. And let them rub sunscreen on you. Enjoy your day! Now is your opportunity to demonstrate the results of your diligent preparation.
At times, participating in a race can be arduous rather than entertaining, sparking a domino effect of pessimistic views that exacerbate an already sensitive situation. One strategy for ending the repetition is to give a grin.
It may be the least attractive option, but act as if you’re okay with it! Wear a broad grin and keep it on your face for some time. The stiffness in your shoulders will dissipate, and you’ll stand up feeling much more relaxed.
An unconscious connection exists between grinning, joy, and having a positive feelings. It’s hard to think and feel differently than how your body appears to be expressing.
Investigations have shown that forming a grin modifies the circulation of the blood in the cerebrum and releases particular chemicals into the neurological system that create a tranquillising effect. It requires 43 muscles to make a frown and only 17 to make a smile.
The audience will be delighted if you have a beaming smile. Allow other competitors and spectators to motivate you with their beneficial spirit. High-five kids, kiss babies, etc.
You have the option of being morose or making the most of it – even if you do not perform your best, you can use the opportunity to chat more with any challengers or aid somebody else to finish.
4. Have A, B, and C goals
Most of your competitions are not going to turn out to your liking, so it is essential to be able to adjust your expectations and have alternate aims.
The position you attain in a race can be different based on who is competing, so it’s best to focus on goals you can regulate, such as the length of time it takes you to finish (which may be impacted by weather, technical issues, etc.).
If it looks like you won’t reach the personal record or ranking that you were hoping to get in your age group, make other objectives such as finishing the race or keeping good posture even when you start to become fatigued. Establishing aims like these can help you stay on track and in some cases get you back in the game.
- A goal = qualify for Kona
- B goal = top 5 in AG
- C goal = go under 11 hours
- D goal = finish
5. Stick to your nutrition plan
On race day, stay with the same food choices you made the day before any long training sessions. For breakfast, don’t change it up by trying something new. And don’t overeat.
If you are going to the bathroom more frequently than once an hour, cut down on the amount of water that you are drinking in favour of a sports drink. But if you aren’t peeing at all, increase hydration!
Note down the number of calories you eat and be aware of how your body is feeling. Symptoms such as belching, sickness, throwing up, inflammation, belly pain and so on might be due to not taking in enough liquid, so make sure you are consuming a sufficient amount. Iced drinks have been established to exit the stomach quicker, and they might be more attractive.
The swim
Don’t burn all your matches in the first leg! Coach and Ironman pro-Mark Threlfall has these tips
6. Don’t waste energy on nerves
Many triathletes find the swimming portion of the event intimidating, particularly if they must go in open water and contend with a large number of starters. Feeling anxious is a definite way of expending energy as fear can be surprisingly exhausting and impact your overall performance significantly.
The beneficial outcome is that you can prevent this from happening by being ready. The more you swim in the open water, the calmer and more secure you will feel when the competition begins.
Attempt swimming in the open water with others, and become accustomed to taking advantage of one another’s wake. Taking advantage of the motion of different swimmers is a great way to conserve your energy and provide an extra resource for race day!
7. Pace the swim leg evenly
It’s essential not to expend too much energy at the start of the swim race. This implies not surpassing your predetermined running speed too often. Aim to keep a steady pace throughout your race.
It may be useful to start a bit faster than your goal rate to get ahead.
To reach your goals, it is wise to integrate some quick bursts of exercise into your training. It’s essential to not go all out right at the beginning, because you will battle to recuperate for the remainder of the competition.
The bike leg
You will be riding the majority of the race. Pro rider Matthew Bottrill helps you make it easier
8. Prepare for the challenge
It is essential to have a pacing plan to make sure that you do not expend all your strength on the bicycle.
It is not only about generating X energy for Y time but also about being mindful not to overdo it when going up the hills and about not pursuing speed and power more than necessary when going downhill.
9. Mix it up in training
Rehearse your timing during your workouts when doing endurance and tempo exercises. The basis of your preparation regimen should be both constant state trips and interval-based occasions to guarantee your perseverance motor is uncrushable.
Incorporate different paces of running into your fitness program to not only boost your healthy heart but also to strengthen your muscles. You can add more challenging interval exercises to what you already have to help increase your strength.
10. Get a bike set-up
Ensuring that your bicycle saddle is at the proper height and positioned correctly to support your stride while pedalling will help you save energy for the last leg of the race.
It will also assist you in finding harmony between relaxation and wind-resisting capability. It’s not advantageous to try to be aerodynamic if you can’t keep the posture up, and it’s also not a good idea to be so comfortable that you’re as inefficient for flying through the air as a brick.
11. Take on some fuel
The bike is perfect for stocking up on energy to make sure you are ready for the remainder of the competition. You should consume enough to stay energised for the rest of your bike ride and to be ready for the run.
12. Keep aero tucked
Stay aero as much as possible.
If you find yourself needing to sit up or extend your back throughout your training and fuelling strategy, then make sure to plan for it. For every fifteen minutes, fill up with fuel and then stand up in your saddle for twenty to thirty seconds. This way you are coordinating activities, reducing any aerodynamic losses to the minimum.
Turbo Tips
13. Save time
It’s an efficient way to train without being impacted by climate, traffic, or technical difficulties.
14. Ride consistently
If you plan on 1 hour of training at a steady pace, that is the exact amount of time you can stick to, without having to slow down for obstacles like roundabouts.
15. Keep constant
Some athletes are often taken by surprise at the amount of pedalling required when they use a turbo. The undulating nature of the road creates many small pauses.
16. Practice fuelling
The turbo is a secure place to experiment with things, such as adding energy while maintaining an aerodynamic stance.
17. Mental strength
Having psychological stamina is an essential ability – particularly when tackling a 70.3 or Ironman triathlon, so this could be seen as an opportunity to hone your skills!
18. Learn to pace
Concentrate on your timing strategy and perfect it, utilizing whatever your most loved instrument is (stride length and so on).
The run leg
The bad news? Tri coach Mark Livesey maintains that it is impossible to get incredible run endurance through dishonest means. But smart progression will see huge improvements
19. Take your time
It can take quite a while to enhance your ability for long-distance running, so there’s no way to cheat or find an easy fix. Athletes should build up their running gradually and steadily as time goes on.
Once that’s been sorted, fortunately, there are steps you can take to achieve progress.
You should be realistic when increasing the size and intensity of your workouts; however, it should still be powerful enough to foster your personal peak physical performance within the allotted time frame.
Be cautious when attempting to practice regularly for triathlon as the biggest danger is injury, and most overexertion injuries come from running, so it’s sensible to be careful.
20. Use brick sessions wisely
Developing your running skills off the bike can be achieved through attending a brick training session, which involves biking followed by running.
Nevertheless, there is a small difference between the desired level of exercise that you strive to attain and the muscular or skeletal harm you can expect after a long stretch of exercise. Think about how much time you need before you can give another training session.
21. Training for short course
Along with regular runs that last between 45 and 75 minutes, your shorter brick workout should involve 400m/800m or 1km repetitions at a faster pace than you would typically be running a 5km or 10km.
By decreasing the gap between runs, one can guarantee that proper running form will be held to, as well as lessening the possibility of damage, while still facilitating necessary evolution.
22. Training for long course
Achieving negative splits in Ironman distance races is rare and usually comes down to who can slow down the smallest amount. Sarah Piampiano was the only professional sportsperson, of either gender, who managed to go faster in the second half of Kona 2016 than in the first half (according to Triratings.com).
Adding functional running strength training to your current routine of running will help you accomplish this goal. Doing supplemental balance and proprioceptive exercises, such as single-leg strength training, can help advance your running abilities because it will allow you to stay stronger for a longer period.
These exercises can be used as part of a running routine.
23. Smile across the finish line
You’ll probably buy your finisher photo, so SMILE! No matter how the competition went, be thankful for what has gone well and be in good enough condition to participate in such a fantastic event.
Give thanks to your support staff – even though participating in a triathlon may appear to be an individual endeavour, it truly requires a group effort.
You should be sure to show gratitude to your loved ones who assisted you throughout your preparation and contests up till now, including your special someone, parents, and training buddies. Take advantage of the break in the season to appreciate them and give them extra attention.
Think about your race. Analyse what went right and what went wrong. Create a play-by-play account of the event so that you can go back and review it later. Don’t be hard on yourself when you don’t perform well in a race and everyone experiences a race where they don’t do their best, it could get worse with experience and more races.
