10/20/09
How to Get on the Podium at Ironman Hawaii
On the 11th of October, I had the pleasure of watching one of my athletes on stage of the Ironman World Championships in Kona to receive an award for placing in the top of his age group. Luiz Topan was 4th in the M40-44 age group with a time of 9hrs27 (53:45 swim / 5hr08 bike / 3hr20 run). This article shows how setting up a plan with your coach can help you realize your dreams.
Category: Training
Posted by: editor
Personal Profile
Luiz is a lawyer and works about 30 hours a week. His work hours can be flexible which helps with some of his week-day sessions. He is married and has three teenage daughters. A common routine on Sunday morning is for Luiz to wake up at 4am, pick up his daughters from some party and then head straight out on his bike or to the pool for a workout. He aims to have all his training done before lunch time so he can spend the rest of the day with his family.
Luiz swam as a kid which definitely helps with his current racing strategy. But aside from that he did not do any competitive sports until his late 30s when he retired from his hobby of rock/ice climbing. He took his climbing seriously and holds the world record for climbing the Aconcagua which at 22,831 feet (6959 meters) is the highest peak in the Western hemisphere. (Luiz set the record on January 5, 2005, when he took 5hrs23 to climb the route from Plaza de Mulas Camp at 4300m to the top at 6959m.) Luiz still jokes that his past as a climber helps him with the logistics of Ironman races. “There is no such thing as aid stations or bonking in the mountains - if you make a mistake you die,” Luiz says.
Preparation Races
I scheduled two important races for Luiz. The first one was Brazil’s nationals, a draft-legal Olympic Distance event. I told him to pull out a “Craig Walton” on race day, that is, ignore the field and time-trial the whole way. Only one younger athlete was able to stay with Luiz on the bike but Luiz had a huge lead by T2 and won easily. The reason for that strategy was that Luiz tends to play it a bit too conservative on the bike, and in Kona there is no room for weak riders. He has the strength but was previously lacking the confidence that he could do a fast run after a time-trial bike effort.
The second race was a half Ironman in conditions similar to Kona: hot, windy, ocean swim, rolling hills on the bike. My instructions were the same as for the previous race - ride like hell and place Top 5 overall at that race including pro athletes. The reason for that strategy was to set his standards of competition very high because it was Luiz’s last race before Kona. I knew that if he was able to race Brazil’s top triathletes, he would have the confidence to place in Kona. Luiz finished 6th, only a few minutes behind one of Brazil’s top ITU athletes and beating many pro athletes.
Kona 2007
It is very hard for any age grouper to do well on their first appearance in Kona. Most are already happy to just finish the race and enjoy the experience. There are so many things that can take your energy out of you in training and on race week. So any age grouper who wants to do well in Kona is better off by betting their money on the second or third attempt. For your first Kona Ironman, the goal is to learn the course, experience the event and become familiar with the logistics of the race. Then you go back home knowing what you will face and you can plan a training strategy based on that knowledge.
That was what Luiz did. In 2009 he didn’t repeat the same mistakes he made in his rookie appearance in 2007. He flew in at the right time, stayed at a hotel in a good location, seated himself properly at the swim start for a fast split and played the course as he had planned. Details such as whether he would rely on a special needs bag or gels handed out on the course, or not, played an important role when planning his nutrition for the day.
Training for Kona 2009
His specific preparation began in July. We had already developed the strength and speed necessary for that block of training, so most of the workouts were addressing one of the key aspects of a successful race in Kona: a speedy swim. We had to be sure he would be able to use his swimming background to place himself among the leaders by T1, so a lot of fast swimming was done to improve his 400m time-trial splits. With a swift start he would have clean waters to swim at in Kona.
The fact that Kona is a non-wetsuit swim must also be taken into account and we chose carefully when to use what gear (pull buoy, paddles, ankle bands) in his training plan.
On the bike, endurance is not a problem for him. When work or family asks more of his time, he is forced to do all his sessions on the trainer. We made sure that if he was able to ride outside that it was quality time in the hills.
Qualifier race
Ironman Arizona was the race chosen to get the slot for Kona. The main reason was that with his slot conquered 11 months before Kona, we would have all that time to focus on Ironman Hawaii. Also, Luiz has to be careful with his running volume, so qualifying at an Ironman too close to Hawaii would be too risky.
Although my instructions for Arizona were to race conservatively and only get his slot, he finished in 9hrs11 and won his age group.
Next Goals
Considering that Luiz is 43 and that the three athletes who beat him in Kona this year are 40, we are only planning to go back to Hawaii in 2011. He will then be 45, the youngest of the next age group.
When you get past the age of 40, every year makes a difference in terms of recovery, speed, strength, injuries and hormones. It is important to consider all these factors.
In any case, if you are racing Kona in 2011 in the M45-49 age group - you have been warned!
Vinnie Santana, Certified ironguides Coach - Bangkok, Thailand
http://www.ironguides.net
* * * Your best is our business.™ * * *
Luiz is a lawyer and works about 30 hours a week. His work hours can be flexible which helps with some of his week-day sessions. He is married and has three teenage daughters. A common routine on Sunday morning is for Luiz to wake up at 4am, pick up his daughters from some party and then head straight out on his bike or to the pool for a workout. He aims to have all his training done before lunch time so he can spend the rest of the day with his family.
Luiz swam as a kid which definitely helps with his current racing strategy. But aside from that he did not do any competitive sports until his late 30s when he retired from his hobby of rock/ice climbing. He took his climbing seriously and holds the world record for climbing the Aconcagua which at 22,831 feet (6959 meters) is the highest peak in the Western hemisphere. (Luiz set the record on January 5, 2005, when he took 5hrs23 to climb the route from Plaza de Mulas Camp at 4300m to the top at 6959m.) Luiz still jokes that his past as a climber helps him with the logistics of Ironman races. “There is no such thing as aid stations or bonking in the mountains - if you make a mistake you die,” Luiz says.
Preparation Races
I scheduled two important races for Luiz. The first one was Brazil’s nationals, a draft-legal Olympic Distance event. I told him to pull out a “Craig Walton” on race day, that is, ignore the field and time-trial the whole way. Only one younger athlete was able to stay with Luiz on the bike but Luiz had a huge lead by T2 and won easily. The reason for that strategy was that Luiz tends to play it a bit too conservative on the bike, and in Kona there is no room for weak riders. He has the strength but was previously lacking the confidence that he could do a fast run after a time-trial bike effort.
The second race was a half Ironman in conditions similar to Kona: hot, windy, ocean swim, rolling hills on the bike. My instructions were the same as for the previous race - ride like hell and place Top 5 overall at that race including pro athletes. The reason for that strategy was to set his standards of competition very high because it was Luiz’s last race before Kona. I knew that if he was able to race Brazil’s top triathletes, he would have the confidence to place in Kona. Luiz finished 6th, only a few minutes behind one of Brazil’s top ITU athletes and beating many pro athletes.
Kona 2007
It is very hard for any age grouper to do well on their first appearance in Kona. Most are already happy to just finish the race and enjoy the experience. There are so many things that can take your energy out of you in training and on race week. So any age grouper who wants to do well in Kona is better off by betting their money on the second or third attempt. For your first Kona Ironman, the goal is to learn the course, experience the event and become familiar with the logistics of the race. Then you go back home knowing what you will face and you can plan a training strategy based on that knowledge.
That was what Luiz did. In 2009 he didn’t repeat the same mistakes he made in his rookie appearance in 2007. He flew in at the right time, stayed at a hotel in a good location, seated himself properly at the swim start for a fast split and played the course as he had planned. Details such as whether he would rely on a special needs bag or gels handed out on the course, or not, played an important role when planning his nutrition for the day.
Training for Kona 2009
His specific preparation began in July. We had already developed the strength and speed necessary for that block of training, so most of the workouts were addressing one of the key aspects of a successful race in Kona: a speedy swim. We had to be sure he would be able to use his swimming background to place himself among the leaders by T1, so a lot of fast swimming was done to improve his 400m time-trial splits. With a swift start he would have clean waters to swim at in Kona.
The fact that Kona is a non-wetsuit swim must also be taken into account and we chose carefully when to use what gear (pull buoy, paddles, ankle bands) in his training plan.
On the bike, endurance is not a problem for him. When work or family asks more of his time, he is forced to do all his sessions on the trainer. We made sure that if he was able to ride outside that it was quality time in the hills.
Qualifier race
Ironman Arizona was the race chosen to get the slot for Kona. The main reason was that with his slot conquered 11 months before Kona, we would have all that time to focus on Ironman Hawaii. Also, Luiz has to be careful with his running volume, so qualifying at an Ironman too close to Hawaii would be too risky.
Although my instructions for Arizona were to race conservatively and only get his slot, he finished in 9hrs11 and won his age group.
Next Goals
Considering that Luiz is 43 and that the three athletes who beat him in Kona this year are 40, we are only planning to go back to Hawaii in 2011. He will then be 45, the youngest of the next age group.
When you get past the age of 40, every year makes a difference in terms of recovery, speed, strength, injuries and hormones. It is important to consider all these factors.
In any case, if you are racing Kona in 2011 in the M45-49 age group - you have been warned!
Vinnie Santana, Certified ironguides Coach - Bangkok, Thailandhttp://www.ironguides.net
* * * Your best is our business.™ * * *
ironguides training camp in Phuket, Thailand Oct/2011
The Method
The Method is ironguides' proprietary, unique training approach tailored to the demands of today's Age Group athlete.
The Method incorporates some of the structure and principles used by many of today's top professionals but places this training in the reality of the Age Group athletes daily demands and limited ime.
Our coaches personalize The Method's effective training protocol to each athlete's unique needs.see results and our Training Plans provide highly effective, race-specific schedules for you to train by The Method on your own.
The Method helps you use your time to maximum efficiency by providing optimal training and specific instructions to:
The Method
The Method is ironguides' proprietary, unique training approach tailored to the demands of today's Age Group athlete. The Method incorporates some of the structure and principles used by many of today's top professionals but places this training in the reality of the Age Group athletes daily demands and limited ime.
Our coaches personalize The Method's effective training protocol to each athlete's unique needs.see results and our Training Plans provide highly effective, race-specific schedules for you to train by The Method on your own.
The Method helps you use your time to maximum efficiency by providing optimal training and specific instructions to:
- Develop your sport-specific motor patterns
- Reduce training volume by increasing training effectiveness
- Increase relevant strength
- Enhance speed and improve lactic acid tolerance
- Build endurance
- Improve your mental preparation
- Support your training, racing and recovery with the right nutrition
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