Tips for Ironman hopefuls
You need to put in the time.
There’s no way around it. If you want to do well in a long distance event, you have to do the long distance training. You need to be able to commit 1-3 hours each day during the week and longer blocks of time on weekends. If you don’t like to do the long 4-6 hour bike rides, then Ironman training and racing may not be for you.
Consistency.
It may sound obvious, but consistent training, day in day out, is better than periods of heavy training followed by gaps in your training log. With a consistent training approach you do not need to do training volume that takes over your life! Many Ironman athletes have achieved their goals on 8-10 hours of training per week. Consistency is king!
Seek out expert knowledge.
Training for an Ironman is a significant investment in time and energy. You might want to consider finding / creating / buying a structured training plan to help reduce the anxiety of “What am I supposed to be doing?”
Discussing your anxieties or concerns or asking for advice from experienced Ironman athletes will help enormously. They will be able to provide you with their experience and advice on issues such as nutrition, pacing and preparation.
You don’t need a £3,000 bike.
There are many athletes who complete Ironman events on standard road bikes that they train on day after day. You might find it useful to add a set of clip on aero bars and carry out some tweaks to bike positioning.
It’s a long day. Pace conservatively.
There are many Ironman tales of ‘I had a great swim and bike but it went wrong on the run’. It’s a long day and you need to spread your energy out over the whole race. Leave your ego behind, resist the temptation to push hard early on and build into the race so you are still running strong in the last few miles of the run. Those people who you let pass early on the bike will be struggling at mile 16 of the run as you pass them by.
Find compatible training partners.
Make the most of the availability of high quality training partners within Mersey Tri. You will have support and company during long sessions on the bike, assistance with technique at swim sessions, motivating and inspiring athletes to follow and experience to call upon. It will make a difference to your training and your racing.
