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The ironBlog: Training
01/27/12: Performance: Q&A with Pro Balazs Csoke
Category: Training
Posted by: editor
ironguides pro athlete Balazs Csoke, the 2011 Ironman Korea champion coached by ironguides' Alun "Woody" Woodward, talks about his recent performance at Ironman 70.3 South Africa, where he finished 8th, in a Q&A with ironguides editorial team. [More]
Category: Training
Posted by: editor
The world of nutrition is one of the most complex and controversial, so trust ironguides coach Jono Rumbelow to write another article about it. The coach who fuels his training with a ham sandwich with butter and mayo on brown bread (weird, he knows, but it works for him, he says) has listed the 45 ingredients, and their purpose, most commonly found in widely available energy drinks.
[More]
[More]
12/27/11: The “barefoot” running shoe test
Category: Training
Posted by: Vinnie
Jono Rumbelow, our ironguides coach in South Africa, got to test 7 pairs of barefoot running shoes recently. Here's what he found: [More]
12/19/11: Holiday season: get in shape to party
Category: Training
Posted by: Vinnie
With the party season in full swing, ironguides coach Alun 'Woody' Woodward offers some great tips for triathletes who'd like to have their cake and eat it. [More]
Category: Training
Posted by: Vinnie
The Abu Dhabi International Triathlon is fast becoming a must on the triathlon circuit. For professionals the large prize money and the opportunity for an early season test are very attractive.
For age groupers, the unique distances (Super Sprint-750m/50km/5km; Short Course-1500m/100km/10km; and Long Course-3km/200km/20km) and very unique destination are attracting large numbers.
In only its second year, entries to the 2011 race sold out, drawing 1,500 athletes, and may well continue this trend in the future. With the stunning Emirates Palace as the background for the swim, the YAS Island Formula One Circuit as the turnaround for the bike, and the Persian Gulf as the backdrop on the run, this event offers truly a stunning course and is sure to be added to an ever-increasing number of race calendars as word gets out.
While the course looks straight forward at first glance, the unique distances and always-difficult weather conditions can make this race very challenging. Triathlons are supposed to be hard and inspirational, and this race is certainly both. With almost perfect race conditions the week leading up to the 2011 race, high winds and temperatures greeted athletes on race morning with the mercury climbing to the high 30s (Celsius) by the time athletes started on the run.
With very little shelter from both the sun and the wind, and blowing sand, athletes who were able to cross the finish line at the end of the day truly felt they had accomplished something special.
Swim (750m/1500m/3km)
The swim for the ADIT begins and ends on the white sand beach of the Emirates Palace. With 1.3km of private beach and over 1kg of edible gold used every year, it is easy to forget the long day you have ahead of you.
Long-course athletes swim 2 laps of the counter-clockwise rectangular swim. With athletes going off in waves, this is one of the most ‘comfortable’ swim starts you will find in a race this size. Long-course athletes, however, re-enter the water after a short beach run and will have to navigate their way through the later-starting and slower swimmers from the short course and super sprint waves.
With water temperatures generally hovering around 23 degrees at this time of the year, all the talk leading up to the race focused on whether wetsuits would be allowed, or not. In the end, race organizers decided to ban wetsuits for the professionals but allow them for age groupers. This was a welcome decision. The buoyant salty waters of the Persian Gulf combined with the wetsuit made for a fast swim.
Swimming in a wetsuit, although it feels generally easier due to the extra flotation the suit provides, is harder on the shoulders. Training in a wetsuit is recommended to strengthen your specific swimming muscles and to get used to the feel of the suit and the extra strain on the shoulders; however, this is not always an option for everyone. A great way to simulate wetsuit swimming in the pool is to swim with paddles and pull-buoys. Long sets broken into shorter intervals with the pull-buoy give the feel of the extra buoyancy of the wetsuit and the paddles add the extra strain on the shoulders.
A very good set to prepare for a wetsuit swim is:
Warm-up: 300m easy
28 X 100m swim as:
3 hard, 1 easy with 15s rest between intervals and an extra 30s rest after every 4th.
Cool-down: 200m easy
This session is about developing swim strength, improving your position in the water and developing an ‘open water’ swim stroke. The main goal of this set is to hold your best time that is sustainable for the entire set. Don’t destroy yourself aerobically.
Bike (50km/100km/200km)
The bike course is a 2-1/2 out-and-back course with athletes completing a lap of the world famous YAS Island Formula One Race track at the turnaround of lap 1 and lap 2. The bike course is almost pancake flat with the only elevation change coming as cyclists cross Khalifa Bridge connecting Abu Dhabi Island with Saadiyat Island and again when crossing the small bridge connecting Saadiyat Island with YAS island. Ironically the flat nature of the course is one of the things that make it so difficult. In addition to the heat and potential for high winds, the flatness of the course means that athletes are time-trialing the entire distance. This means no downhills to rest and no built-in opportunities to get out of your aerobars to stretch or change up your cadence. To be successful on this course, athletes need to be prepared to sit in their aerobars and push a big gear for the duration of the ride.
The best training for this course is to do negative-split rides on a flat course in the aero position pushing big gears.
Long ride session:
3-4 hours Negative Split B.R.O Ride—that is 3 to 4 hours in Big Ring Only.
After a 15-minute warm-up, shift to your big ring. Head out easy, staying in the aero position and keeping your chain in the big ring for the entire time. Bring it home a little harder, but still under control. Keep the cadence down and push the big gears!
Another great workout that can be done on the road or on the trainer is the weekly negative-split ride as:
20min easy
20 min moderate
20 min hard
Run (5km/10km or/20km)
The run course is 2 laps for the long course athletes, taking them from transition 2 on to the Corniche running path along the Persian Gulf to the turnaround on a point in the middle of the bay. Like the bike course, the run course is flat. Flat and, more often than not, very hot! Like in cycling, a flat course also brings its own challenges for the run. However, with the long course being only 20km, you can take a bit of a risk and go for it on the run if you have anything left.
As with all triathlon runs, it is important to focus on a high stride rate. The treadmill is a great tool for this, but this workout can also be done on the road or track:
Warm-up: 15min with 4-5 strides towards the end
Main set: 8 X
Cool-down: 10min easy
Focus on high stride rate and running form during both the ‘hard’ and ‘steady’ sections. During the ‘steady’ section, runners often drop their stride rate too much and lose form. It is important during this portion of the set to focus on keeping the stride up and running with good form.
The final point to pay attention to when preparing for the ADIT is heat acclimation and hydration. This race can get very hot and it’s important for athletes who don’t train in hot climates to turn up prepared for the heat. Here are some tips on ways cool-weather athletes can prepare themselves for the Abu Dhabi heat. The most important thing is to get used to being uncomfortably hot for at least one to two hours of training per day in the month leading up to the event:
• Use layers to stay warmer than normal. Use wind-resistant clothing on the bike.
• Wear a windproof layer to surround your body in a shell of humidity.
• Wear tights sooner than you normally would.
• Wear long gloves and a headband.
• If training on the trainer or treadmill, turn off the A/C and fan.
• Try to do as much training as you can during the heat of the day.
It is also important to begin getting your body used to being hot when you're not training:
• Avoid using the air conditioning during the month leading up to the race.
• Turn up the heat in your car, at home, and in your office.
• Wear an extra layer of clothes or a sweater.
Once you arrive in Abu Dhabi prior to the race:
• Avoid (as much as possible) the air conditioning.
• Do your training during the heat of the day and at times that will be similar to race day.
• Finally, the day before the race, AVOID both the sun and exposing yourself to extreme temperatures. Do your final sessions during the cooler part of the day or inside if necessary.
• And, finally, hydrate and replenish during this acclimation phase. Make sure you are paying attention to replacing fluids and electrolytes your body is losing through extra sweat due to the increased training temperatures.
The Abu Dhabi International Triathlon is a fantastic event and will be a memorable experience. Hopefully, these tips give you a good idea of the challenges you will face and help make your day a superb one.
Enjoy your training!
Kevin Brawn, Certified ironguides Coach - UAE
For age groupers, the unique distances (Super Sprint-750m/50km/5km; Short Course-1500m/100km/10km; and Long Course-3km/200km/20km) and very unique destination are attracting large numbers.
In only its second year, entries to the 2011 race sold out, drawing 1,500 athletes, and may well continue this trend in the future. With the stunning Emirates Palace as the background for the swim, the YAS Island Formula One Circuit as the turnaround for the bike, and the Persian Gulf as the backdrop on the run, this event offers truly a stunning course and is sure to be added to an ever-increasing number of race calendars as word gets out.
While the course looks straight forward at first glance, the unique distances and always-difficult weather conditions can make this race very challenging. Triathlons are supposed to be hard and inspirational, and this race is certainly both. With almost perfect race conditions the week leading up to the 2011 race, high winds and temperatures greeted athletes on race morning with the mercury climbing to the high 30s (Celsius) by the time athletes started on the run.
With very little shelter from both the sun and the wind, and blowing sand, athletes who were able to cross the finish line at the end of the day truly felt they had accomplished something special.
Swim (750m/1500m/3km)
The swim for the ADIT begins and ends on the white sand beach of the Emirates Palace. With 1.3km of private beach and over 1kg of edible gold used every year, it is easy to forget the long day you have ahead of you.
Long-course athletes swim 2 laps of the counter-clockwise rectangular swim. With athletes going off in waves, this is one of the most ‘comfortable’ swim starts you will find in a race this size. Long-course athletes, however, re-enter the water after a short beach run and will have to navigate their way through the later-starting and slower swimmers from the short course and super sprint waves.
With water temperatures generally hovering around 23 degrees at this time of the year, all the talk leading up to the race focused on whether wetsuits would be allowed, or not. In the end, race organizers decided to ban wetsuits for the professionals but allow them for age groupers. This was a welcome decision. The buoyant salty waters of the Persian Gulf combined with the wetsuit made for a fast swim.
Swimming in a wetsuit, although it feels generally easier due to the extra flotation the suit provides, is harder on the shoulders. Training in a wetsuit is recommended to strengthen your specific swimming muscles and to get used to the feel of the suit and the extra strain on the shoulders; however, this is not always an option for everyone. A great way to simulate wetsuit swimming in the pool is to swim with paddles and pull-buoys. Long sets broken into shorter intervals with the pull-buoy give the feel of the extra buoyancy of the wetsuit and the paddles add the extra strain on the shoulders.
A very good set to prepare for a wetsuit swim is:
Warm-up: 300m easy
28 X 100m swim as:
3 hard, 1 easy with 15s rest between intervals and an extra 30s rest after every 4th.
Cool-down: 200m easy
This session is about developing swim strength, improving your position in the water and developing an ‘open water’ swim stroke. The main goal of this set is to hold your best time that is sustainable for the entire set. Don’t destroy yourself aerobically.
Bike (50km/100km/200km)
The bike course is a 2-1/2 out-and-back course with athletes completing a lap of the world famous YAS Island Formula One Race track at the turnaround of lap 1 and lap 2. The bike course is almost pancake flat with the only elevation change coming as cyclists cross Khalifa Bridge connecting Abu Dhabi Island with Saadiyat Island and again when crossing the small bridge connecting Saadiyat Island with YAS island. Ironically the flat nature of the course is one of the things that make it so difficult. In addition to the heat and potential for high winds, the flatness of the course means that athletes are time-trialing the entire distance. This means no downhills to rest and no built-in opportunities to get out of your aerobars to stretch or change up your cadence. To be successful on this course, athletes need to be prepared to sit in their aerobars and push a big gear for the duration of the ride.
The best training for this course is to do negative-split rides on a flat course in the aero position pushing big gears.
Long ride session:
3-4 hours Negative Split B.R.O Ride—that is 3 to 4 hours in Big Ring Only.
After a 15-minute warm-up, shift to your big ring. Head out easy, staying in the aero position and keeping your chain in the big ring for the entire time. Bring it home a little harder, but still under control. Keep the cadence down and push the big gears!
Another great workout that can be done on the road or on the trainer is the weekly negative-split ride as:
20min easy
20 min moderate
20 min hard
Run (5km/10km or/20km)
The run course is 2 laps for the long course athletes, taking them from transition 2 on to the Corniche running path along the Persian Gulf to the turnaround on a point in the middle of the bay. Like the bike course, the run course is flat. Flat and, more often than not, very hot! Like in cycling, a flat course also brings its own challenges for the run. However, with the long course being only 20km, you can take a bit of a risk and go for it on the run if you have anything left.
As with all triathlon runs, it is important to focus on a high stride rate. The treadmill is a great tool for this, but this workout can also be done on the road or track:
Warm-up: 15min with 4-5 strides towards the end
Main set: 8 X
Cool-down: 10min easy
Focus on high stride rate and running form during both the ‘hard’ and ‘steady’ sections. During the ‘steady’ section, runners often drop their stride rate too much and lose form. It is important during this portion of the set to focus on keeping the stride up and running with good form.
The final point to pay attention to when preparing for the ADIT is heat acclimation and hydration. This race can get very hot and it’s important for athletes who don’t train in hot climates to turn up prepared for the heat. Here are some tips on ways cool-weather athletes can prepare themselves for the Abu Dhabi heat. The most important thing is to get used to being uncomfortably hot for at least one to two hours of training per day in the month leading up to the event:
• Use layers to stay warmer than normal. Use wind-resistant clothing on the bike.
• Wear a windproof layer to surround your body in a shell of humidity.
• Wear tights sooner than you normally would.
• Wear long gloves and a headband.
• If training on the trainer or treadmill, turn off the A/C and fan.
• Try to do as much training as you can during the heat of the day.
It is also important to begin getting your body used to being hot when you're not training:
• Avoid using the air conditioning during the month leading up to the race.
• Turn up the heat in your car, at home, and in your office.
• Wear an extra layer of clothes or a sweater.
Once you arrive in Abu Dhabi prior to the race:
• Avoid (as much as possible) the air conditioning.
• Do your training during the heat of the day and at times that will be similar to race day.
• Finally, the day before the race, AVOID both the sun and exposing yourself to extreme temperatures. Do your final sessions during the cooler part of the day or inside if necessary.
• And, finally, hydrate and replenish during this acclimation phase. Make sure you are paying attention to replacing fluids and electrolytes your body is losing through extra sweat due to the increased training temperatures.
The Abu Dhabi International Triathlon is a fantastic event and will be a memorable experience. Hopefully, these tips give you a good idea of the challenges you will face and help make your day a superb one.
Enjoy your training!
Kevin Brawn, Certified ironguides Coach - UAE
Category: Training
Posted by: Vinnie
The 2011 season has been a great one for ironguides. We are very proud of all our athletes who stepped up to the plate with the decision to try their first [More]
Category: Training
Posted by: Vinnie
The Aviva Ironman 70.3 is by far the biggest and most professionally organised triathlon in Singapore, attracting an increasing number of top professionals and age groupers in the region. Race times among age groupers are fast and top local triathletes consistently give the visiting and resident expat powerhouses a run for their money. This is a PB course—if you know the course and can add an element of specificity into your training.
Swim
The swim takes place in the murky waters off Singapore’s East Coast Park. Visibility is close to zero and, on a good day, you can just about make out your hand entering the water in front of you. The current is the second big factor that can affect a racer’s efficiency in the water. Before you jump in the water to warm up, have a look at the many ships docked further out at sea. The front of the ship will be facing the direction that the current is coming from; i.e. if you are standing on the beach and the ships are docked with their bows facing the left, it means that the current is sweeping from the right to the left hand side. As you warm up, swim easy and get a feel for the direction and strength of the current and adjust accordingly. In the above example, if you find yourself drifting to the left, then consciously swim in the 9-11 o’clock direction with every pull. You will be surprised at how “sideways” you’ll need to swim in order to go straight! Given the poor visibility, the only assurance that you are going straight is that your sighting point (be it a buoy, ship or other prominent protrusion on the horizon) appears directly in front of you every time you sight.
My second point on sighting; do not blindly trust the athlete or pack of athletes you are following. This may have disastrous consequences! Instead, pop your head up often to make sure that you are swimming in a straight line. In the green/brown waters, this is the ONLY guidance that you will have. So make it a habit to sight regularly, as often as every 10 strokes, and learn how to build it seamlessly into your swim to minimise drag. Try this set:
Warm up
200m easy
4 x 50m as 25m ALL OUT, 25m easy
- 30sec rest after each 50m
- Sighting every 6th stroke
Main set
6-8 x 300m
- Aim for the best even splits you can hold for all the reps
- 20sec rest interval after each 300m repetition
- sighting 2 – 3 times per 50m
- 1st half without gear, 2nd half with paddles and pool buoy
Bike
The new bike course in Singapore is a pancake flat 3 x 30km. It's fast—if you pace yourself well and ride smart over the whole 3 laps. Many athletes race out of T1 excited and happy to leave the swim behind. They smash the first 60km with a hard time trial to chalk up an impressive average speed, unknowingly pushing too hard. By the third lap, 70-90km, their legs are fried and their spirits dashed as they battle but can do nothing to save their rapidly deteriorating bike split. At this point, a solid half marathon is all but out of the question.
A large part of success in Aviva 70.3 Singapore is learning how to ride the bike course well so that you set yourself up to build into a solid run after that. Without any hills to break up the rhythm of the bike leg, racers often fall into the trap of going too hard (as above) or settling into a safe lull of an unchallenging race pace. A flat and fast course like this one is especially suited to riding at a low cadence in the big gear. Once you’re “locked into” an aero tuck and turning a steady big gear at a race cadence of 68-78 rpm you’ve find yourself flying along at a comfortable heart rate and manageable perceived effort. But don’t think you can show up on race day, whack it into 53-12 and go for a bike split PB. As you know, there is no short cut (only smart training)—your legs need to be trained specifically to pull off this kind of high-power, slow-twitch riding. ironguides athletes train in the big gear so that we can ride in the big gear on race day.
Do this once a week on your trainer to build bike-specific strength:
Warm up
15 min easy spin
Main set
20 x 1 min ALL OUT/ 1 min very easy spin recovery
- In the biggest gear that you can turn around smoothly
- Aim for a cadence of no higher than 65 rpm
- You are either riding as hard as you can (ALL OUT) or very easy, resting up for the next repetition
- If you’re “hanging on for dear life” in the big gear with 20 seconds to go, you’re doing these right
- No training in the grey here and don’t be afraid of blowing up. Just catch your breath and continue to finish the set.
Athletes would also benefit from pacing their long rides well so that their body is able to push hard in the last third of the bike ride when it counts the most. This means starting off easy and gradually building into it. This may be a surprise to you but maintaining an easy and steady pace on the bike is a skill that, just like the other ironguides’ triathlon secrets, needs to be practiced and practiced and practiced.
Break up your 3 – 4-hour weekend long ride as follows:
1 -2 hours easy – moderate
- Small to medium gear
- Cadence 70 – 80 rpm
1 hour moderate
- Big gear
- Cadence 60 – 70 rpm
1 hour, as 3 x (10 min ALL OUT time trial/ 10 min easy spin recovery)
- Time trial efforts done in the big gear
- As hard as you can go, hold for the full 10 min
- Speed is irrelevant—effort is what matters
- 10 min recovery as easy as you need them to be
By structuring your long ride like this, you are training muscle specificity so that they are expecting, and able, to put out the watts in the last 30km of the bike. This is where you will catch and overtake those follow-the-leader bikes that sped off eagerly right at the start. Smile comfortably as you pass.
Run
The run course is a 3 x 7km loop along the semi-shaded East Coast Parkway. Don’t be fooled into thinking that the trees will offer any respite on the run. By the time the run is underway, the sun is overhead and temperatures approach 37 degrees Celsius. Coupled with the humidity, the conditions make for a very challenging run. The trick here is to stay as cool as possible with the right gear. Running cap and dark sunglasses are a must. Stop and walk through the aid stations for a full-body ice-cold sponge bath and grab ice to hold in your hands, under your hat (this is where visors lose out). Cold sponges go over the heart, back of the neck and over the quads where they’ll make the most difference. Make sure your socks and shoes combo don’t give you blisters when wet.
This run is all about managing the red line. To pull out a good run split, you need to be aware of how your body is coping with these stressors at any time and be able to pre-empt how you will feel 7 – 10 minutes down the road. As a general guideline, start the run easy at a high stride rate to bring on your running legs. After a low cadence 90km bike using slow twitch fibres, your legs may be tempted to unleash a quick 90 strides-per-minute-rate run. Be patient, start easy, wait until you have properly found your running rhythm and then stay easy. Let all your body’s homeostatic (temperature regulatory) mechanisms kick in so that you are fully adjusted to the heat. A 21km run is always a big ask after a 1.8km swim and a 90km bike. You want to get the first 7km out of the way as painlessly as possible before very gradually winding it up. As you know, the longer you’re out there, the harder it gets. Fatigue and exposure set in and what started off as an easy pace can become an impossible pace to hold. To understand how your body responds to fatigue and how to manage it well, try out this set. It’s a super addition to your weekly training schedule as a mid-week tolerance set after your long easy weekend run. A toughie but a goodie:
Warm up
10-15 min easy
Main set
10 x 800m
- 2 – 2.5 min walk recovery
- Going for best possible splits across all
- Aim to keep the fastest time per 800m that you can hold for all the splits
- Try to keep the first one, middle one and last one all within 5 seconds of each other.
This simple set teaches you so much about pacing and perceived effort. If done correctly, the first 2-3 reps will feel very manageable and you’ll be tempted to drop a few seconds. Don’t. By the fifth rep, you’ll definitely be feeling them and the last two will always get you digging deep just to hold the split. If you are unable to hold the split, and your 800m repeats are taking longer, you have gone out too fast. Drop the intensity and remember this important lesson the next time you head out to do it. You’ll find that even 10 seconds slower per 800m will make the difference between completing the set and blowing up halfway. Learn to make small changes in your intensity and pace to read and fine tune your body’s signals.
There you have it—some quick tips to help you prepare for Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore. Get in touch if you’d like some help with training or jump into my weekly track session to meet the squad.
Enjoy your training!
Shem Leong, Certified ironguides Coach - Singapore
Swim
The swim takes place in the murky waters off Singapore’s East Coast Park. Visibility is close to zero and, on a good day, you can just about make out your hand entering the water in front of you. The current is the second big factor that can affect a racer’s efficiency in the water. Before you jump in the water to warm up, have a look at the many ships docked further out at sea. The front of the ship will be facing the direction that the current is coming from; i.e. if you are standing on the beach and the ships are docked with their bows facing the left, it means that the current is sweeping from the right to the left hand side. As you warm up, swim easy and get a feel for the direction and strength of the current and adjust accordingly. In the above example, if you find yourself drifting to the left, then consciously swim in the 9-11 o’clock direction with every pull. You will be surprised at how “sideways” you’ll need to swim in order to go straight! Given the poor visibility, the only assurance that you are going straight is that your sighting point (be it a buoy, ship or other prominent protrusion on the horizon) appears directly in front of you every time you sight.
My second point on sighting; do not blindly trust the athlete or pack of athletes you are following. This may have disastrous consequences! Instead, pop your head up often to make sure that you are swimming in a straight line. In the green/brown waters, this is the ONLY guidance that you will have. So make it a habit to sight regularly, as often as every 10 strokes, and learn how to build it seamlessly into your swim to minimise drag. Try this set:
Warm up
200m easy
4 x 50m as 25m ALL OUT, 25m easy
- 30sec rest after each 50m
- Sighting every 6th stroke
Main set
6-8 x 300m
- Aim for the best even splits you can hold for all the reps
- 20sec rest interval after each 300m repetition
- sighting 2 – 3 times per 50m
- 1st half without gear, 2nd half with paddles and pool buoy
Bike
The new bike course in Singapore is a pancake flat 3 x 30km. It's fast—if you pace yourself well and ride smart over the whole 3 laps. Many athletes race out of T1 excited and happy to leave the swim behind. They smash the first 60km with a hard time trial to chalk up an impressive average speed, unknowingly pushing too hard. By the third lap, 70-90km, their legs are fried and their spirits dashed as they battle but can do nothing to save their rapidly deteriorating bike split. At this point, a solid half marathon is all but out of the question.
A large part of success in Aviva 70.3 Singapore is learning how to ride the bike course well so that you set yourself up to build into a solid run after that. Without any hills to break up the rhythm of the bike leg, racers often fall into the trap of going too hard (as above) or settling into a safe lull of an unchallenging race pace. A flat and fast course like this one is especially suited to riding at a low cadence in the big gear. Once you’re “locked into” an aero tuck and turning a steady big gear at a race cadence of 68-78 rpm you’ve find yourself flying along at a comfortable heart rate and manageable perceived effort. But don’t think you can show up on race day, whack it into 53-12 and go for a bike split PB. As you know, there is no short cut (only smart training)—your legs need to be trained specifically to pull off this kind of high-power, slow-twitch riding. ironguides athletes train in the big gear so that we can ride in the big gear on race day.
Do this once a week on your trainer to build bike-specific strength:
Warm up
15 min easy spin
Main set
20 x 1 min ALL OUT/ 1 min very easy spin recovery
- In the biggest gear that you can turn around smoothly
- Aim for a cadence of no higher than 65 rpm
- You are either riding as hard as you can (ALL OUT) or very easy, resting up for the next repetition
- If you’re “hanging on for dear life” in the big gear with 20 seconds to go, you’re doing these right
- No training in the grey here and don’t be afraid of blowing up. Just catch your breath and continue to finish the set.
Athletes would also benefit from pacing their long rides well so that their body is able to push hard in the last third of the bike ride when it counts the most. This means starting off easy and gradually building into it. This may be a surprise to you but maintaining an easy and steady pace on the bike is a skill that, just like the other ironguides’ triathlon secrets, needs to be practiced and practiced and practiced.
Break up your 3 – 4-hour weekend long ride as follows:
1 -2 hours easy – moderate
- Small to medium gear
- Cadence 70 – 80 rpm
1 hour moderate
- Big gear
- Cadence 60 – 70 rpm
1 hour, as 3 x (10 min ALL OUT time trial/ 10 min easy spin recovery)
- Time trial efforts done in the big gear
- As hard as you can go, hold for the full 10 min
- Speed is irrelevant—effort is what matters
- 10 min recovery as easy as you need them to be
By structuring your long ride like this, you are training muscle specificity so that they are expecting, and able, to put out the watts in the last 30km of the bike. This is where you will catch and overtake those follow-the-leader bikes that sped off eagerly right at the start. Smile comfortably as you pass.
Run
The run course is a 3 x 7km loop along the semi-shaded East Coast Parkway. Don’t be fooled into thinking that the trees will offer any respite on the run. By the time the run is underway, the sun is overhead and temperatures approach 37 degrees Celsius. Coupled with the humidity, the conditions make for a very challenging run. The trick here is to stay as cool as possible with the right gear. Running cap and dark sunglasses are a must. Stop and walk through the aid stations for a full-body ice-cold sponge bath and grab ice to hold in your hands, under your hat (this is where visors lose out). Cold sponges go over the heart, back of the neck and over the quads where they’ll make the most difference. Make sure your socks and shoes combo don’t give you blisters when wet.
This run is all about managing the red line. To pull out a good run split, you need to be aware of how your body is coping with these stressors at any time and be able to pre-empt how you will feel 7 – 10 minutes down the road. As a general guideline, start the run easy at a high stride rate to bring on your running legs. After a low cadence 90km bike using slow twitch fibres, your legs may be tempted to unleash a quick 90 strides-per-minute-rate run. Be patient, start easy, wait until you have properly found your running rhythm and then stay easy. Let all your body’s homeostatic (temperature regulatory) mechanisms kick in so that you are fully adjusted to the heat. A 21km run is always a big ask after a 1.8km swim and a 90km bike. You want to get the first 7km out of the way as painlessly as possible before very gradually winding it up. As you know, the longer you’re out there, the harder it gets. Fatigue and exposure set in and what started off as an easy pace can become an impossible pace to hold. To understand how your body responds to fatigue and how to manage it well, try out this set. It’s a super addition to your weekly training schedule as a mid-week tolerance set after your long easy weekend run. A toughie but a goodie:
Warm up
10-15 min easy
Main set
10 x 800m
- 2 – 2.5 min walk recovery
- Going for best possible splits across all
- Aim to keep the fastest time per 800m that you can hold for all the splits
- Try to keep the first one, middle one and last one all within 5 seconds of each other.
This simple set teaches you so much about pacing and perceived effort. If done correctly, the first 2-3 reps will feel very manageable and you’ll be tempted to drop a few seconds. Don’t. By the fifth rep, you’ll definitely be feeling them and the last two will always get you digging deep just to hold the split. If you are unable to hold the split, and your 800m repeats are taking longer, you have gone out too fast. Drop the intensity and remember this important lesson the next time you head out to do it. You’ll find that even 10 seconds slower per 800m will make the difference between completing the set and blowing up halfway. Learn to make small changes in your intensity and pace to read and fine tune your body’s signals.
There you have it—some quick tips to help you prepare for Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore. Get in touch if you’d like some help with training or jump into my weekly track session to meet the squad.
Enjoy your training!
Shem Leong, Certified ironguides Coach - Singapore
Category: Training
Posted by: Vinnie
The Aviva Ironman 70.3 is by far the biggest and most professionally organised triathlon in Singapore, attracting an increasing number of top professionals and age groupers in the region. Race times among age groupers are fast and top local triathletes consistently give the visiting and resident expat powerhouses a run for their money. This is a PB course—if you know the course and can add an element of specificity into your training.
Swim
The swim takes place in the murky waters off Singapore’s East Coast Park. Visibility is close to zero and, on a good day, you can just about make out your hand entering the water in front of you. The current is the second big factor that can affect a racer’s efficiency in the water. Before you jump in the water to warm up, have a look at the many ships docked further out at sea. The front of the ship will be facing the direction that the current is coming from; i.e. if you are standing on the beach and the ships are docked with their bows facing the left, it means that the current is sweeping from the right to the left hand side. As you warm up, swim easy and get a feel for the direction and strength of the current and adjust accordingly. In the above example, if you find yourself drifting to the left, then consciously swim in the 9-11 o’clock direction with every pull. You will be surprised at how “sideways” you’ll need to swim in order to go straight! Given the poor visibility, the only assurance that you are going straight is that your sighting point (be it a buoy, ship or other prominent protrusion on the horizon) appears directly in front of you every time you sight.
My second point on sighting; do not blindly trust the athlete or pack of athletes you are following. This may have disastrous consequences! Instead, pop your head up often to make sure that you are swimming in a straight line. In the green/brown waters, this is the ONLY guidance that you will have. So make it a habit to sight regularly, as often as every 10 strokes, and learn how to build it seamlessly into your swim to minimise drag. Try this set:
Warm up
200m easy
4 x 50m as 25m ALL OUT, 25m easy
- 30sec rest after each 50m
- Sighting every 6th stroke
Main set
6-8 x 300m
- Aim for the best even splits you can hold for all the reps
- 20sec rest interval after each 300m repetition
- sighting 2 – 3 times per 50m
- 1st half without gear, 2nd half with paddles and pool buoy
Bike
The new bike course in Singapore is a pancake flat 3 x 30km. It's fast—if you pace yourself well and ride smart over the whole 3 laps. Many athletes race out of T1 excited and happy to leave the swim behind. They smash the first 60km with a hard time trial to chalk up an impressive average speed, unknowingly pushing too hard. By the third lap, 70-90km, their legs are fried and their spirits dashed as they battle but can do nothing to save their rapidly deteriorating bike split. At this point, a solid half marathon is all but out of the question.
A large part of success in Aviva 70.3 Singapore is learning how to ride the bike course well so that you set yourself up to build into a solid run after that. Without any hills to break up the rhythm of the bike leg, racers often fall into the trap of going too hard (as above) or settling into a safe lull of an unchallenging race pace. A flat and fast course like this one is especially suited to riding at a low cadence in the big gear. Once you’re “locked into” an aero tuck and turning a steady big gear at a race cadence of 68-78 rpm you’ve find yourself flying along at a comfortable heart rate and manageable perceived effort. But don’t think you can show up on race day, whack it into 53-12 and go for a bike split PB. As you know, there is no short cut (only smart training)—your legs need to be trained specifically to pull off this kind of high-power, slow-twitch riding. ironguides athletes train in the big gear so that we can ride in the big gear on race day.
Do this once a week on your trainer to build bike-specific strength:
Warm up
15 min easy spin
Main set
20 x 1 min ALL OUT/ 1 min very easy spin recovery
- In the biggest gear that you can turn around smoothly
- Aim for a cadence of no higher than 65 rpm
- You are either riding as hard as you can (ALL OUT) or very easy, resting up for the next repetition
- If you’re “hanging on for dear life” in the big gear with 20 seconds to go, you’re doing these right
- No training in the grey here and don’t be afraid of blowing up. Just catch your breath and continue to finish the set.
Athletes would also benefit from pacing their long rides well so that their body is able to push hard in the last third of the bike ride when it counts the most. This means starting off easy and gradually building into it. This may be a surprise to you but maintaining an easy and steady pace on the bike is a skill that, just like the other ironguides’ triathlon secrets, needs to be practiced and practiced and practiced.
Break up your 3 – 4-hour weekend long ride as follows:
1 -2 hours easy – moderate
- Small to medium gear
- Cadence 70 – 80 rpm
1 hour moderate
- Big gear
- Cadence 60 – 70 rpm
1 hour, as 3 x (10 min ALL OUT time trial/ 10 min easy spin recovery)
- Time trial efforts done in the big gear
- As hard as you can go, hold for the full 10 min
- Speed is irrelevant—effort is what matters
- 10 min recovery as easy as you need them to be
By structuring your long ride like this, you are training muscle specificity so that they are expecting, and able, to put out the watts in the last 30km of the bike. This is where you will catch and overtake those follow-the-leader bikes that sped off eagerly right at the start. Smile comfortably as you pass.
Run
The run course is a 3 x 7km loop along the semi-shaded East Coast Parkway. Don’t be fooled into thinking that the trees will offer any respite on the run. By the time the run is underway, the sun is overhead and temperatures approach 37 degrees Celsius. Coupled with the humidity, the conditions make for a very challenging run. The trick here is to stay as cool as possible with the right gear. Running cap and dark sunglasses are a must. Stop and walk through the aid stations for a full-body ice-cold sponge bath and grab ice to hold in your hands, under your hat (this is where visors lose out). Cold sponges go over the heart, back of the neck and over the quads where they’ll make the most difference. Make sure your socks and shoes combo don’t give you blisters when wet.
This run is all about managing the red line. To pull out a good run split, you need to be aware of how your body is coping with these stressors at any time and be able to pre-empt how you will feel 7 – 10 minutes down the road. As a general guideline, start the run easy at a high stride rate to bring on your running legs. After a low cadence 90km bike using slow twitch fibres, your legs may be tempted to unleash a quick 90 strides-per-minute-rate run. Be patient, start easy, wait until you have properly found your running rhythm and then stay easy. Let all your body’s homeostatic (temperature regulatory) mechanisms kick in so that you are fully adjusted to the heat. A 21km run is always a big ask after a 1.8km swim and a 90km bike. You want to get the first 7km out of the way as painlessly as possible before very gradually winding it up. As you know, the longer you’re out there, the harder it gets. Fatigue and exposure set in and what started off as an easy pace can become an impossible pace to hold. To understand how your body responds to fatigue and how to manage it well, try out this set. It’s a super addition to your weekly training schedule as a mid-week tolerance set after your long easy weekend run. A toughie but a goodie:
Warm up
10-15 min easy
Main set
10 x 800m
- 2 – 2.5 min walk recovery
- Going for best possible splits across all
- Aim to keep the fastest time per 800m that you can hold for all the splits
- Try to keep the first one, middle one and last one all within 5 seconds of each other.
This simple set teaches you so much about pacing and perceived effort. If done correctly, the first 2-3 reps will feel very manageable and you’ll be tempted to drop a few seconds. Don’t. By the fifth rep, you’ll definitely be feeling them and the last two will always get you digging deep just to hold the split. If you are unable to hold the split, and your 800m repeats are taking longer, you have gone out too fast. Drop the intensity and remember this important lesson the next time you head out to do it. You’ll find that even 10 seconds slower per 800m will make the difference between completing the set and blowing up halfway. Learn to make small changes in your intensity and pace to read and fine tune your body’s signals.
There you have it—some quick tips to help you prepare for Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore. Get in touch if you’d like some help with training or jump into my weekly track session to meet the squad.
Enjoy your training!
Shem Leong, Certified ironguides Coach - Singapore
Swim
The swim takes place in the murky waters off Singapore’s East Coast Park. Visibility is close to zero and, on a good day, you can just about make out your hand entering the water in front of you. The current is the second big factor that can affect a racer’s efficiency in the water. Before you jump in the water to warm up, have a look at the many ships docked further out at sea. The front of the ship will be facing the direction that the current is coming from; i.e. if you are standing on the beach and the ships are docked with their bows facing the left, it means that the current is sweeping from the right to the left hand side. As you warm up, swim easy and get a feel for the direction and strength of the current and adjust accordingly. In the above example, if you find yourself drifting to the left, then consciously swim in the 9-11 o’clock direction with every pull. You will be surprised at how “sideways” you’ll need to swim in order to go straight! Given the poor visibility, the only assurance that you are going straight is that your sighting point (be it a buoy, ship or other prominent protrusion on the horizon) appears directly in front of you every time you sight.
My second point on sighting; do not blindly trust the athlete or pack of athletes you are following. This may have disastrous consequences! Instead, pop your head up often to make sure that you are swimming in a straight line. In the green/brown waters, this is the ONLY guidance that you will have. So make it a habit to sight regularly, as often as every 10 strokes, and learn how to build it seamlessly into your swim to minimise drag. Try this set:
Warm up
200m easy
4 x 50m as 25m ALL OUT, 25m easy
- 30sec rest after each 50m
- Sighting every 6th stroke
Main set
6-8 x 300m
- Aim for the best even splits you can hold for all the reps
- 20sec rest interval after each 300m repetition
- sighting 2 – 3 times per 50m
- 1st half without gear, 2nd half with paddles and pool buoy
Bike
The new bike course in Singapore is a pancake flat 3 x 30km. It's fast—if you pace yourself well and ride smart over the whole 3 laps. Many athletes race out of T1 excited and happy to leave the swim behind. They smash the first 60km with a hard time trial to chalk up an impressive average speed, unknowingly pushing too hard. By the third lap, 70-90km, their legs are fried and their spirits dashed as they battle but can do nothing to save their rapidly deteriorating bike split. At this point, a solid half marathon is all but out of the question.
A large part of success in Aviva 70.3 Singapore is learning how to ride the bike course well so that you set yourself up to build into a solid run after that. Without any hills to break up the rhythm of the bike leg, racers often fall into the trap of going too hard (as above) or settling into a safe lull of an unchallenging race pace. A flat and fast course like this one is especially suited to riding at a low cadence in the big gear. Once you’re “locked into” an aero tuck and turning a steady big gear at a race cadence of 68-78 rpm you’ve find yourself flying along at a comfortable heart rate and manageable perceived effort. But don’t think you can show up on race day, whack it into 53-12 and go for a bike split PB. As you know, there is no short cut (only smart training)—your legs need to be trained specifically to pull off this kind of high-power, slow-twitch riding. ironguides athletes train in the big gear so that we can ride in the big gear on race day.
Do this once a week on your trainer to build bike-specific strength:
Warm up
15 min easy spin
Main set
20 x 1 min ALL OUT/ 1 min very easy spin recovery
- In the biggest gear that you can turn around smoothly
- Aim for a cadence of no higher than 65 rpm
- You are either riding as hard as you can (ALL OUT) or very easy, resting up for the next repetition
- If you’re “hanging on for dear life” in the big gear with 20 seconds to go, you’re doing these right
- No training in the grey here and don’t be afraid of blowing up. Just catch your breath and continue to finish the set.
Athletes would also benefit from pacing their long rides well so that their body is able to push hard in the last third of the bike ride when it counts the most. This means starting off easy and gradually building into it. This may be a surprise to you but maintaining an easy and steady pace on the bike is a skill that, just like the other ironguides’ triathlon secrets, needs to be practiced and practiced and practiced.
Break up your 3 – 4-hour weekend long ride as follows:
1 -2 hours easy – moderate
- Small to medium gear
- Cadence 70 – 80 rpm
1 hour moderate
- Big gear
- Cadence 60 – 70 rpm
1 hour, as 3 x (10 min ALL OUT time trial/ 10 min easy spin recovery)
- Time trial efforts done in the big gear
- As hard as you can go, hold for the full 10 min
- Speed is irrelevant—effort is what matters
- 10 min recovery as easy as you need them to be
By structuring your long ride like this, you are training muscle specificity so that they are expecting, and able, to put out the watts in the last 30km of the bike. This is where you will catch and overtake those follow-the-leader bikes that sped off eagerly right at the start. Smile comfortably as you pass.
Run
The run course is a 3 x 7km loop along the semi-shaded East Coast Parkway. Don’t be fooled into thinking that the trees will offer any respite on the run. By the time the run is underway, the sun is overhead and temperatures approach 37 degrees Celsius. Coupled with the humidity, the conditions make for a very challenging run. The trick here is to stay as cool as possible with the right gear. Running cap and dark sunglasses are a must. Stop and walk through the aid stations for a full-body ice-cold sponge bath and grab ice to hold in your hands, under your hat (this is where visors lose out). Cold sponges go over the heart, back of the neck and over the quads where they’ll make the most difference. Make sure your socks and shoes combo don’t give you blisters when wet.
This run is all about managing the red line. To pull out a good run split, you need to be aware of how your body is coping with these stressors at any time and be able to pre-empt how you will feel 7 – 10 minutes down the road. As a general guideline, start the run easy at a high stride rate to bring on your running legs. After a low cadence 90km bike using slow twitch fibres, your legs may be tempted to unleash a quick 90 strides-per-minute-rate run. Be patient, start easy, wait until you have properly found your running rhythm and then stay easy. Let all your body’s homeostatic (temperature regulatory) mechanisms kick in so that you are fully adjusted to the heat. A 21km run is always a big ask after a 1.8km swim and a 90km bike. You want to get the first 7km out of the way as painlessly as possible before very gradually winding it up. As you know, the longer you’re out there, the harder it gets. Fatigue and exposure set in and what started off as an easy pace can become an impossible pace to hold. To understand how your body responds to fatigue and how to manage it well, try out this set. It’s a super addition to your weekly training schedule as a mid-week tolerance set after your long easy weekend run. A toughie but a goodie:
Warm up
10-15 min easy
Main set
10 x 800m
- 2 – 2.5 min walk recovery
- Going for best possible splits across all
- Aim to keep the fastest time per 800m that you can hold for all the splits
- Try to keep the first one, middle one and last one all within 5 seconds of each other.
This simple set teaches you so much about pacing and perceived effort. If done correctly, the first 2-3 reps will feel very manageable and you’ll be tempted to drop a few seconds. Don’t. By the fifth rep, you’ll definitely be feeling them and the last two will always get you digging deep just to hold the split. If you are unable to hold the split, and your 800m repeats are taking longer, you have gone out too fast. Drop the intensity and remember this important lesson the next time you head out to do it. You’ll find that even 10 seconds slower per 800m will make the difference between completing the set and blowing up halfway. Learn to make small changes in your intensity and pace to read and fine tune your body’s signals.
There you have it—some quick tips to help you prepare for Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore. Get in touch if you’d like some help with training or jump into my weekly track session to meet the squad.
Enjoy your training!
Shem Leong, Certified ironguides Coach - Singapore
10/17/11: Podium at Ironman Hawaii
Category: Training
Posted by: Vinnie
Ironman Hawaii has been run and won. It was great to be on the ground supporting all ironguides athletes on race day. We had excellent results for all the 11 ironguides athletes who competed. When it comes to high performance, the 2nd place of Luiz Topan in the M45-49 age group, with a 9hr 17 finish, stands out. Here is what it takes to get to that level in terms of planning, training and executing it all on race day.
Planning
Back in 2009, Luiz was 4th in the M40-44 age group with a time of 9hr 27 (read his story here). When he stood on the podium (Kona awards the Top 5 in each age group), one thing was clear: he needn't bother to try to qualify for the next year. Though just 43 years old, he simply couldn't compete with the guys just entering the age group. It was a strong message: once age-group athletes enter their 40s, there's a substantial drop in performance from year to year. His best bet was to focus for his entry into the next age group.
That provided the initial step in planning his next “attack” in Kona; he would race only two years later (2011), at the age of 45, to increase his chances at winning his age group, by then the M45-49 division. From that point on, all his races were based on this calendar, and we decided to pick Ironman Cozumel in December 2010 as the qualifying race for Kona 2011.
Doing Cozumel one year in advance was a wise decision as it would allow Luiz to fully recover from the qualifying race before building into Hawaii again. Luiz has an injury-prone body, which rules out most qualifying races that take place in the middle of the year, a few months before Hawaii.
The race in Cozumel went great: Luiz earned 2nd place in the M40-44 division, which gave him the slot (in the M45-49 division in Kona since it is the age you are on Ironman Hawaii race day that matters). His final time was 9hr 11, even with a flat during the bike.
Training
We did two specific training blocks leading up to Hawaii. They were very unique in terms of periodisation since Luiz was coming off a run injury he suffered early in the year. We broke it down in two different training blocks:
Training Block #1
Swim: High volume, High intensity
Bike: High volume, Moderate intensity
Run: Low volume, Low intensity
The decision to break down the disciplines into intensity and volume, as described above, was to allow him to get some bike volume before the second block; with his injury history it is not possible to do high run- and bike volume at the same time.
Training Block #2
Swim: Moderate Volume, High intensity
Bike: Moderate Volume, High intensity
Run: Moderate volume, Moderate intensity
With a lower bike volume (reduced from high to moderate), we aimed to give his body a break from all the cortisol released during the long rides, and balance his performance hormones through the week with a high-intensity bike and swim. This strategy would get his body ready to handle the increase in run volume
Race Day
I was Luiz’s roommate during race week and it was great to see that he was relaxed and confident. By now, Luiz has raced all over the world at all levels—this race in Hawaii was almost “one more” for him, which helped to keep the nerves under control.
Luiz was willing to take a risk on race day. It was an “all or nothing” strategy, another mediocre finish had no appeal. We both would be prouder if he attempted to race strong and blew apart later on, than racing with a defensive strategy only to do well again. He had been on the podium in Hawaii before, and there was no reason to aim for that again so we went for the win.
Speaking of winning, we knew that one athlete would give Luiz a great challenge for the victory. His name is Bent Andersen, a multiple Ironman Hawaii age group winner who until recently held the course record for three age groups (M35-39, 40-44, 45-49). Bent was also a world class professional triathlete back in the 1990s. Since the race is not won until someone crosses the finish line first, Luiz went for it.
On race day, his swim went as planned. He swam with the first pack in just over 53 minutes. After a quick two-minute transition, he was off to put the hammer down on the bike. The instructions were clear: ride like there is no run afterwards. He knew he needed a decent lead off the bike as his run training had been limited in the past year. We were looking for a 3hr 20min marathon, so the only hope was to increase the lead after the swim and hold off the competitors on the run.
Out on the run course, I took the first split and he had 5min 40sec on second place, Bent Andersen. The race was on. I was giving him splits every 5km or so. By the entrance of the Energy Lab, about 25km into the run, Luiz was still 2 minutes ahead but hurting badly. We tried a mental game then; once he hit the U-turn at the Energy Lab, he would pick up the pace and try to look fresh when running past Bent (coming from the opposite direction) in an effort to demoralise him.
However, as expected, Bent is an experienced athlete and stayed consistent with his pace. He eventually caught Luiz and attacked by opening up a 2-minute gap in five kilometers. Luiz tried to stay within striking distance—this is Ironman after all and anything is possible. We never know how much the leader is struggling and we have seen people collapsing on the course in the closing miles.
That never happened with Bent, however, who was the strongest athlete on that day and fully deserves the title of Ironman World Champion in the M45-49 age group.
Luiz was also extremely happy with his performance as there were no “what ifs” left after the race. He left it all on the course and couldn’t have gone one second faster. He can now rest and recover from the race knowing that he did his absolute best on race day, and this is ultimately what we aim to teach all our athletes to do, not only when racing but also in training and any challenging circumstances in their lives.
Enjoy your training!
Vinnie Santana, ironguides Head Coach
www.ironguides.net
* * * Your best is our business.™ * * *
Planning
Back in 2009, Luiz was 4th in the M40-44 age group with a time of 9hr 27 (read his story here). When he stood on the podium (Kona awards the Top 5 in each age group), one thing was clear: he needn't bother to try to qualify for the next year. Though just 43 years old, he simply couldn't compete with the guys just entering the age group. It was a strong message: once age-group athletes enter their 40s, there's a substantial drop in performance from year to year. His best bet was to focus for his entry into the next age group.
That provided the initial step in planning his next “attack” in Kona; he would race only two years later (2011), at the age of 45, to increase his chances at winning his age group, by then the M45-49 division. From that point on, all his races were based on this calendar, and we decided to pick Ironman Cozumel in December 2010 as the qualifying race for Kona 2011.
Doing Cozumel one year in advance was a wise decision as it would allow Luiz to fully recover from the qualifying race before building into Hawaii again. Luiz has an injury-prone body, which rules out most qualifying races that take place in the middle of the year, a few months before Hawaii.
The race in Cozumel went great: Luiz earned 2nd place in the M40-44 division, which gave him the slot (in the M45-49 division in Kona since it is the age you are on Ironman Hawaii race day that matters). His final time was 9hr 11, even with a flat during the bike.
Training
We did two specific training blocks leading up to Hawaii. They were very unique in terms of periodisation since Luiz was coming off a run injury he suffered early in the year. We broke it down in two different training blocks:
Training Block #1
Swim: High volume, High intensity
Bike: High volume, Moderate intensity
Run: Low volume, Low intensity
The decision to break down the disciplines into intensity and volume, as described above, was to allow him to get some bike volume before the second block; with his injury history it is not possible to do high run- and bike volume at the same time.
Training Block #2
Swim: Moderate Volume, High intensity
Bike: Moderate Volume, High intensity
Run: Moderate volume, Moderate intensity
With a lower bike volume (reduced from high to moderate), we aimed to give his body a break from all the cortisol released during the long rides, and balance his performance hormones through the week with a high-intensity bike and swim. This strategy would get his body ready to handle the increase in run volume
Race Day
I was Luiz’s roommate during race week and it was great to see that he was relaxed and confident. By now, Luiz has raced all over the world at all levels—this race in Hawaii was almost “one more” for him, which helped to keep the nerves under control.
Luiz was willing to take a risk on race day. It was an “all or nothing” strategy, another mediocre finish had no appeal. We both would be prouder if he attempted to race strong and blew apart later on, than racing with a defensive strategy only to do well again. He had been on the podium in Hawaii before, and there was no reason to aim for that again so we went for the win.
Speaking of winning, we knew that one athlete would give Luiz a great challenge for the victory. His name is Bent Andersen, a multiple Ironman Hawaii age group winner who until recently held the course record for three age groups (M35-39, 40-44, 45-49). Bent was also a world class professional triathlete back in the 1990s. Since the race is not won until someone crosses the finish line first, Luiz went for it.
On race day, his swim went as planned. He swam with the first pack in just over 53 minutes. After a quick two-minute transition, he was off to put the hammer down on the bike. The instructions were clear: ride like there is no run afterwards. He knew he needed a decent lead off the bike as his run training had been limited in the past year. We were looking for a 3hr 20min marathon, so the only hope was to increase the lead after the swim and hold off the competitors on the run.
Out on the run course, I took the first split and he had 5min 40sec on second place, Bent Andersen. The race was on. I was giving him splits every 5km or so. By the entrance of the Energy Lab, about 25km into the run, Luiz was still 2 minutes ahead but hurting badly. We tried a mental game then; once he hit the U-turn at the Energy Lab, he would pick up the pace and try to look fresh when running past Bent (coming from the opposite direction) in an effort to demoralise him.
However, as expected, Bent is an experienced athlete and stayed consistent with his pace. He eventually caught Luiz and attacked by opening up a 2-minute gap in five kilometers. Luiz tried to stay within striking distance—this is Ironman after all and anything is possible. We never know how much the leader is struggling and we have seen people collapsing on the course in the closing miles.
That never happened with Bent, however, who was the strongest athlete on that day and fully deserves the title of Ironman World Champion in the M45-49 age group.
Luiz was also extremely happy with his performance as there were no “what ifs” left after the race. He left it all on the course and couldn’t have gone one second faster. He can now rest and recover from the race knowing that he did his absolute best on race day, and this is ultimately what we aim to teach all our athletes to do, not only when racing but also in training and any challenging circumstances in their lives.
Enjoy your training!
Vinnie Santana, ironguides Head Coachwww.ironguides.net
* * * Your best is our business.™ * * *
Category: Training
Posted by: editor
At ironguides, our whole philosophy is based upon improving one step at a time or, as we like to call it, brick by brick. ironguides Coach Alun 'Woody' Woodward offers superb advice on using the off-season to get a headstart on making the 2012 season the best it can be:
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09/08/11: Ironman Hawaii – Course review
Category: Training
Posted by: editor
It's that time of the year! ironguides head coach Vinnie Santana shares great training and racing tips for the Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona.
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[More]
Category: Training
Posted by: editor
With the Ironman World Championships in October just around the corner, we shift our focus to the training and racing of our qualified athletes. Among them are ironcouple Rafal and Alicja Medak. These Kona qualifiers have an inspiring story, especially when it comes to combining a successful (and demanding!) professional career as investment bankers, with high-performance training and racing.
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08/03/11: Performance Coaching: Pro Balazs Csoke
Category: Training
Posted by: editor
ironguides own Balazs Csoke recently won Ironman Korea, earning not only his first victory at this distance but also a spot for the 2012 Ironman World Championships. His coach Alun "Woody" Woodward talks about the training program that has brought steady progress for this pro athlete. [More]
07/21/11: Open water swimming with coach Shem
Category: Training
Posted by: editor
ironguides Coach Shem Leong loves organizing group-based training sessions for his squad in Singapore. [More]
06/22/11: FOCUS: Thinking about what you’re doing
Category: Training
Posted by: editor
This article is written for the obsessive competitive streak in all triathletes and runners. Every athlete putting in dedicated training to a well-thought-out plan will eventually approach their physical limits for that season of their athletic career.
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06/14/11: From Good to Excellent: Training to Win
Category: Training
Posted by: editor
This article is about the training strategy that took ironguides athlete Leonardo Moreira to an age group win at Ironman Brazil 2011. It explains the strategies we used to win the M40-44 age group and finish in 9hr 03, a 19-minute PB for Leonardo.
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05/15/11: Coaching Tips: Races in Asia
Category: Training
Posted by: editor
ironguides Head Coach Vinnie Santana will be a regular contributor to TRIMAG Asia, the region's first magazine solely dedicated to triathlon which is the fastest-growing sport in Asia. Here's his first article in a series providing coaching tips on the key races in Asia.
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Category: Training
Posted by: editor
As we head full on into race season, tapering is the topic on everyone's mind. Should we taper for every race, how do we recover from the race, and how do we get back to productive training as soon as possible. The process of tapering I have talked about in previous articles. What I want to talk about here is the process of training through smaller, less important races that we use as stepping stones to our BIG races. [More]
05/10/11: Training plan stories - Samir Lazzarotto
Category: Training
Posted by: editor
Samir Lazzarotto learned about The Method through the great results from friends training for Ironman Brazil. He decided to test one of ironguides' training plans for himself, and here is what he found. [More]
Category: Training
Posted by: editor
While sports coaches and personal trainers of repute have been using functional training as a basis for all their clients' programs, it’s unlikely that you'll have seen the words functional, sports and nutrition grouped together before.
(Original article by Ian Craig, exercise physiologist and nutrition therapist. Adapted, with permission, by ironguides Coach Jono Rumbelow for triathletes) [More]
(Original article by Ian Craig, exercise physiologist and nutrition therapist. Adapted, with permission, by ironguides Coach Jono Rumbelow for triathletes) [More]