09/09/10
Advice for Kona rookies
For most Kona first-timers getting the slot seems to be the hardest part. This is partially right in terms of the whole process involved in qualifying for the Ironman World Championships. But once you have secured your BIB number in Kona, the second part of the journey starts which is getting fit for what so far is going to be your most important day in the sport.
Category: Training
Posted by: editor
This is where the problem lies. Kona is just another Ironman race. The course itself is challenging, especially compared with some qualifier races in cold places, with flat bike courses and wetsuit swims, but the horror stories about the Kona conditions are over-rated.
There are far harder courses on the Ironman circuit, and the only very tough condition about the Ironman World Championships you won’t get in any other Ironman in the world is the Kona hype!
Starting with the recovery from the qualifying race, which in most cases was between two and five months before Kona, you have just had the race of your life—you left it all on the course to secure your qualifying slot allowing you compete against the best Ironman athletes in the world.
An effort like that has a major impact not only on your ability to dig deep through all the pain, but also on your hormonal balance. That means training in the month after the race should be focused on getting you healthy again, not get you fit!
Don’t jump straight back into Ironman training. As much as you can only think about that big day in October, try to forget it, pick a couple short course races and don’t look past those. This strategy will keep you mentally fresh and physically fit up until the last couple of months leading into Kona. That’s when you should start your Ironman-specific plan.
How much volume and intensity?
You are already fit! Fatigue from the qualifying race might still be there. All you need is to maintain your fitness while tweaking it for Kona conditions, i.e. a non-wetsuit swim, and a course with rolling hills and plenty of wind for both the bike and the run.
Your training depends mostly on which qualifier you did and when that race was held. Remember that it is very likely that you achieved your peak fitness just before the qualifier so it is important to avoid comparing training times you did back then with what you are doing now. This can only upset your confidence and make you feel you need to train even more! Which will result in only more fatigue, slower training times, and on and on, until overtraining and burnout are the result.
The time to “risk it all” is gone. You have already secured the slot, so play it safe in training and on race day as you don’t want to DNS due to injury/burnout or DNF due to bonking in the race you have always dreamed about.
Every athlete will have their own goal for Kona, but make sure you will act to achieve them.
For most, the race is all about celebration. You do want to go hard and have a decent time, but enjoy the race-week experience. Kona is every triathlete’s Disneyworld!
With moderation you can have fun at the Expo, explore the course and live the Kona Experience. But again, keep in mind that this is not exactly what most podium contenders are doing. As the old saying goes: “You can have everything in the world but not at the same time”.
Talking about the top athletes racing in Hawaii, it is very likely they are not in their first Kona race. Kona champions are on a mission, they know the course, they have attended the expo and carboloading in previous years, and now it is all about performance on race day!
It is important to understand the differences between goals and approaches to avoid frustration and instead make the most out of your Kona experience.
Enjoy your last weeks of training,
Aloha!
Vinnie Santana, Coach - SE Asia
www.ironguides.net
* * * Your best is our business.™ * * *
There are far harder courses on the Ironman circuit, and the only very tough condition about the Ironman World Championships you won’t get in any other Ironman in the world is the Kona hype!
Starting with the recovery from the qualifying race, which in most cases was between two and five months before Kona, you have just had the race of your life—you left it all on the course to secure your qualifying slot allowing you compete against the best Ironman athletes in the world.
An effort like that has a major impact not only on your ability to dig deep through all the pain, but also on your hormonal balance. That means training in the month after the race should be focused on getting you healthy again, not get you fit!
Don’t jump straight back into Ironman training. As much as you can only think about that big day in October, try to forget it, pick a couple short course races and don’t look past those. This strategy will keep you mentally fresh and physically fit up until the last couple of months leading into Kona. That’s when you should start your Ironman-specific plan.
How much volume and intensity?
You are already fit! Fatigue from the qualifying race might still be there. All you need is to maintain your fitness while tweaking it for Kona conditions, i.e. a non-wetsuit swim, and a course with rolling hills and plenty of wind for both the bike and the run.
Your training depends mostly on which qualifier you did and when that race was held. Remember that it is very likely that you achieved your peak fitness just before the qualifier so it is important to avoid comparing training times you did back then with what you are doing now. This can only upset your confidence and make you feel you need to train even more! Which will result in only more fatigue, slower training times, and on and on, until overtraining and burnout are the result.
The time to “risk it all” is gone. You have already secured the slot, so play it safe in training and on race day as you don’t want to DNS due to injury/burnout or DNF due to bonking in the race you have always dreamed about.
Every athlete will have their own goal for Kona, but make sure you will act to achieve them.
For most, the race is all about celebration. You do want to go hard and have a decent time, but enjoy the race-week experience. Kona is every triathlete’s Disneyworld!
With moderation you can have fun at the Expo, explore the course and live the Kona Experience. But again, keep in mind that this is not exactly what most podium contenders are doing. As the old saying goes: “You can have everything in the world but not at the same time”.
Talking about the top athletes racing in Hawaii, it is very likely they are not in their first Kona race. Kona champions are on a mission, they know the course, they have attended the expo and carboloading in previous years, and now it is all about performance on race day!
It is important to understand the differences between goals and approaches to avoid frustration and instead make the most out of your Kona experience.
Enjoy your last weeks of training,
Aloha!
Vinnie Santana, Coach - SE Asia www.ironguides.net
* * * Your best is our business.™ * * *