Ironman – Don’t make the same mistakes as me
As well as learning from successes, I believe you can learn as much – if not more - from your mistakes. As more and more people are undertaking the challenge of the Ironman, I thought I’d share some of the mistakes I’ve made over the last 9 years of Ironman racing, and what I did to correct them. Hopefully, you can avoid the same mistakes and enjoy one of the best days of your life.
Training
Long, slow distance only achieves so much
In the early years I was convinced I had to train for hours on end, week in week out at a steady effort as the Ironman was a very long race. This builds base fitness but you don’t get quicker.
Solution: my best results were when I included quality sessions.
Too much too soon
For a summer Ironman I used to fit in as much volume as possible over the winter, riding for 5-6 hours in January and February. By the summer I was overtrained and tired, often with disappointing results.
Solution: Work on strength and speed, then introduce longer sessions nearer to the race.
Swimming isn’t that important
It accounts for a small percentage of the race, and - unless you’re a weak swimmer – shouldn’t take up too much of your training time. By increasing my swimming from twice a week to three, I reduced my swim time from 59 minutes to 58.
Solution: that extra session should have been spent on the turbo as at least 10 minutes could have been taken off my bike time. Swimming once a week will still enable me to complete the swim in 60 – 61 mins. I firmly believe improved cycling is the key to a successful Ironman.
Train for the surface
During my build up to Ironman Lake Placid, I was going through a phase of treadmill running. Almost everything – including the long run – was completed on a treadmill. The run course at Lake Placid has steep descents in it and is completely run on concrete road. Subsequently, my legs took a battering as they hadn’t been acclimatised to a hard running surface, and the second half of the run took forever.
Solution: find out what surface you will be running on during the race and build up your long runs on a similarly hard surface.
Rest during the taper
At Club La Santa in Lanzarote they have numerous events every week including a half marathon. Getting caught up in the atmosphere before Ironman Lanzarote in 1998, I ran it about 10 days before the Ironman, and also biked a fair amount as I had so much time on my hands, not to mention unspent energy. Result – tired legs and a crap race. I did the same the following year!
Solution: you MUST rest and cut back during the taper. The hard work has been done and you have to be confident in what you have achieved during your build up.
Beware bullshitters
Iron week is the best place in the world. The energy is amazing, people are checking out each others legs, there are hundreds of Germans in tight denim shorts, and everyone adopts a thousand yard stare. There is no place like it. However, triathlon – especially Ironman – attracts a certain amount of bullshitters who are determined to let you know how inadequate you are. If someone tells you they train 30 hours a week, and has loads of sponsors, they are either a)professional, b)completing loads of pointless junk mileage, or c) full of shit.
Solution: You are there to enjoy it and these people should be avoided at all costs. You will most likely pass them on the run anyway.
Equipment
112 miles is a long way
My first 2 Ironmans were completed on 650mm Zipp wheels with 19mm tubulars. The result? An unbelievably hard, unforgiving ride. My back was in agony during the bike and my run also suffered.
Solution: You MUST be comfortable. 22 - 23mm tires with latex inner tubes will give a much more forgiving ride without compromising performance.
Get your bike set up correctly
You can get away with a bad cycling position over shorter distances, but Ironman is less forgiving. It was only when I saw the post race photos at one race I realised how bad my position was. My seat was too high and I was over reaching on the tri bars.
Solution: I corrected the position afterwards, improved my cycling and felt more comfortable. Ask someone to photograph/video you while on a turbo.
Race Day
We are not camels
I used to pee up to 8 times on the bike and a similar amount on the run. One of the reasons turned out to be that I drank at least 1 litre the morning of the race. I then read Mark Allen say you should only drink 500ml of isotonic drink up to the start.
Solution: It worked. 500ml can be absorbed and hydration can begin properly during the bike.
Isotonic drinks might not work
Another reason I used to pee so much was not that I was drinking so much during the race, but that it wasn’t being absorbed. I had fluid sloshing around inside me all day and it seemed to pass directly through me. I tried different brands and concentrations and nothing absorbed properly.
Solution: I added half a teaspoon of salt to each bottle and I now expect to go 1-2 times on the bike.
The Ironman swim can be traumatic
2000 people starting the swim together (there are no wave starts in Ironman) can be a scary experience. You don’t know where you are, which direction you’re swimming, and it can get fairly aggressive. If you stop (or start too far forward you your ability), a lot of people will swim over you.
Solution: I always swim at the far side of the group around 3 rows back, and keep out of trouble. If I have a problem I swim further out to open water. The gains or losses you will make during the swim are small, so just relax and stay out of trouble.
Calm down on the bike
The atmosphere at an Ironman is unbelievable and can’t be over exaggerated. When you eventually finish the swim, thousands of people are cheering and clapping, including your friends and family. You’re relieved you’ve survived the swim and full of adrenalin as you start the bike. The downside of all this is that your perceived effort changes dramatically. I’ve looked at my HRM in the first 10 minutes of the bike and realised I was at anaerobic threshold, and it felt easy. When the race settles down and the adrenalin wears off, you have a long way still to bike and run, and you will not maintain a high intensity without blowing.
Solution: relax during the first few miles to let the body adapt to the bike and maintain a realistic pace.
Don’t get penalised
At Hawaii 2002 I was pulled over by a marshal during the bike. I wasn’t drafting (I couldn’t keep up) so I had no idea what I’d done wrong. It turned out I had dropped an empty gel wrapper and he had seen me. I received a standing stop and a 3 minute penalty at T2.
Solution: know the rules. You can also be stopped for blocking which is very hard to avoid if the course is congested. The athletes’ briefing should cover these and similar violations. |
