So you signed up for the big one?
If you are racing an Ironman this year you will likely know by now. Having to sign up for a race a year in advance insures of that. Barring any unplanned circumstances, this gives you no excuse to not be prepared. Many of you are working on your ATP (Annual Training Plan). I would like to share my view on training for an Ironman.
You should plan your season like you pace your races. Start out easy and finish strong. As an athlete training for an Ironman it is very important that you stay focused on your long term goal. If this is your first year preparing for an IM then you will soon know what I mean. There will be many times during the season where you will have to decide between short term satisfaction and long term development. That max effort group ride or run may be fun, but it should not make up the bulk of your training. Ironman is a 10-17 hour day of steady aerobic exercise and the majority of our training should reflect this.
Right now is the perfect part of the season to just get moving again. Since the weather is turning cold, now is a good time to start your early season base preparation. This phase of your season should be about preparing yourself for the upcoming spring. Following this protocol will allow you to take your fitness to the next level and avoid early season burnout. It is very easy to bring your fitness level back to par with the previous year. My goal is to move past that level of fitness and beyond.
Your main focus should be on improving flexibility, strength, and run durability.
My protocol for strength training has two parts and will have various phases as you move through your season. I will talk about periodization at a later time. The two types of strengthening that I like to use are traditional weights and functional strength. Traditional weights should be done 2 times per week and is a full body workout targeting all major muscles in the body. Functional strengthening (core, balance, cords) focuses on eliminating weak links in the body and strengthening areas that are not aesthetically seen. Functional strength should also be done 2 times per week, preferably the day after traditional weights. When you begin to lift, start out embarrassingly light. We are not trying to become bodybuilders, and each workout should take under an hour.
Flexibility is often something that we as athletes over look. If time is limited and something needs to be cut out of the workout, it is stretching. During the off season is a perfect time to give stretching a little more attention. Improving one’s flexibility will reduce injury (not scientifically proven, but makes sense), allow you to stay in the aero position longer, achieve a better bike position, and enhance over all mobility through all athletic movements.
On the running front, increasing run frequency is by far the best way to improve run durability. Running more often instead of longer is a far superior protocol for IM run training. Right now, my goal is to run 6 times per week for 45-60 minutes. I am not doing a long run at this time. Based on your experience and suseptability to injury, either decrease duration, frequency, or both, when comparing you early base running to mine. Start at three to four runs per week at 20-30 minutes and then add a fifth run. Once you have been able to add another run, increase the duration of one of the days. This way you can ease your way into more running and avoid injury due to overuse.
I have also set a HR cap on all of my training during this phase. I am following the approach of Mark Allen, who has won the Hawaii Ironman 6 times. I feel that aerobic thresh-hold or AeT is most viable when training for Ironman. If anyone can justify how training at or above Lactate Threshold for extended periods of time, translates to Ironman, I would love to hear it. I will admit that there are times at which this type of training adds to fitness, but should be used sparingly. Mark Allen addresses this issue in his AeT article that I have linked above.
I also recommend swimming on a regular basis during this time. I will just be focusing on getting in the water and swimming with proper technique. Without proper technique, you are wasting your time in the water. Try and find someone that knows what perfect swimming looks like and have them watch you swim—underwater swim analysis is best. In case you were wondering, here is a video of Grant Hackett swimming with proper technique. Work on building your swim endurance while holding perfect form. Be careful when swimming in a group environment. Athletes tend to forget about swimming correctly and focus on just swimming fast. Master’s can either be great for your swimming or detrimental, leaving you smoked while reinforcing poor technique.
Cycling should be done only on a frequency basis. No main sets other than bits of steady (no lactate threshold work right now). This last week I rode the trainer four times for an hour and inserted 1 x 20 min. (127-135 bpm, for me) steady within that hour. I will slowly increase cycling volume after my 8 weeks of early base preparation.
This will be the first in a series of articles on Ironman training. In the next article I will discuss setting up the next part of your season, and will also answer any questions that I have recieved on this article.
Remember, "the struggle is sometimes hard to see because it is not a struggle between good and evil as much as it is a struggle between the good and the best. The good is always an enemy of the best because the good is so good; it has the feel of good, but ultimately it is less useful because it is not the best."
