Below is a starting place for Ironman race preparation. What follows isn’t the only, or even necessarily the best, way to prepare. There are many, many ways to train for an Ironman. If you were to talk to ten athletes who had their personal best Ironman races, you’d find they trained in ten different ways. There would be some similarities, but there are likely to be great differences. If you were to interview ten athletes who had very poor races, you may find that some did what the successful ten did and it didn’t work.
Successful endurance training is unique to the individual. We’re humans, not machines. So we’re affected by many individual variables such as genetics, unique diets, lifestyles, self-imposed beliefs, and much more. What works well for one doesn’t necessarily work for all.
What I outline below is the result of nearly 30 years of coaching Ironman athletes, reading the scientific literature, and talking with other coaches and athletes. It’s evolved—and will continue to evolve. I’m always testing different ways of training. Sometimes it works and I keep it; other times it doesn’t and so ends up in the trash. So the following is what 30 years has produced.
How to Have a Personal Best Ironman Race
Hire a smart coach.
Or, if self-coached, follow these guidelines:
Select a race that matches your strengths:
Course
- Hilly course = strong cyclist; flat course = strong runner
- Wetsuit = weak swimmer; no wetsuit = good swimmer
Conditions
- Consider typical temperature, humidity, and wind
- Avoid higher altitude (~1% loss of VO2max for every 1000 foot gain)
Training Overview:
- Philosophy: Ironman is a bike race with a swim warm-up and a jog to the finish (wrapped around an eating contest)
- Training stabilizes at ~15+ hpw by 15 weeks prior
- Plan weekly training time by sport starting from base of: Swim = 20%, Bike = 50%, Run = 30% (adjust for limiter)
- From 15-3 weeks prior, long weekly workouts are key sessions
- Do two “big days” ~11 and ~5 weeks prior to race day
- Recover for 3-5 days when the body says it’s time
Swim Training (last 15 weeks):
Swim 2-4 times per week depending on if swim is a limiter.
If the swim is not a limiter, do…
- 2-3 swims per week
- 1 long (~1 hour) swim
- 1-2 short and fast swims, preparing for start
If the swim is a limiter, do…
- Focus only on speed skill limiters: PDLC (posture, direction, length, catch)
- 3-4 swims per week
- 1 long (~1.25 hour) swim
- 2-3 x 30 min. workouts doing only “speed skill 25s” (focus on P, D, L, or C)
Bike Training (last 15 weeks):
- Determines outcome of the race
- Get a professional bike fitting prior to 15 weeks
- Get as fit as possible—then hold back in the race (must rehearse)
- Ride 4-6 times per week
Use a power meter.
- Determine appropriate race intensity factor (IF 65–75%)
- Do weekly long ride (5–6 hours + 15 min. run) focused on race IF
- Other rides are race conditions and terrain focused
- Steady Pacing—NO SURGING! (the most common cause of a poor run)
Run Training (last 15 weeks):
- Run 2–3 times per week depending on strength vs. limiter
- Weekly long, easy run of 2–2.5 hours
- Other runs are short: speed skills, conditions, and terrain focused
- Do intervals, no “speed work”—always comfortable (lots of Z2)
Nutrition:
- Eat the least amount necessary
- Too much food leads to bloating, nausea, DNF
- All you need is water and sugar—everything else is optional and likely to cause bloating
- The slower you go, the more you can take in
- Rehearse and refine eating on all long rides
