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Coach Shem: 
Coach Woody: 
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If you are a high performance amateur triathlete but you can’t afford hiring a coach, you have now the option to buy our advanced level training plans. Based on the same principles that have generated a Hawaii Ironman winner, multiple Olympic medallists, ITU Triathlon World Champions and World Cup winners, The Method ensures optimal training for each athlete, no matter your background.
ironguides high performance training has been qualifying athletes every year since 2007 for the Ironman World Championships in Kona. Pic: Team meeting in Kona 2011 with 11 athletes
Requirements – For athletes who have completed or are aiming to finish the race in:
Sprint Distance Triathlon
Men: Sub 1h08 / Women: Sub 1h15
Weekly Training Volume: From 7 to 11h
More info
Olympic Distance Triathlon
Men: Sub 2h20 / Women: Sub 2h35
Weekly Training Volume: From 9 to 15h
More info
Half Ironman
Men: Sub 4h45 / Women: Sub 5h15
Weekly Training Volume: From 11 to 17h
More info
Ironman
Men: Sub 10h30 / Women: Sub 11h30
Weekly Training Volume: From 12 to 20h
More info
Through my work with Metasport, I have had the pleasure with meeting and working with a young man from the rural Sri Lankan village of Hikkadia, His name is Lakruwan Wijesiri or ‘Lucky’ for short.
He has been able to come to Singapore on several training and racing stints through an NGO called the Foundation of Goodness. They reach out to aspiring athletes in rural communities in Sri Lanka in need of a helping hand. Lucky came to their attention after his home was washed away in the 2004 Tsunami. He was 13 at the time. Largely through his own effort working with random groups in Sri Lanka, Lucky has won the Sri Lanka Triathlon Nationals 4 years in a row. He’s now also employed full time by the Navy and they give him an allowance to train.
He used to train a lot on his own but without any real guidance. When I met him, he was keen to raise his game and start racing at regional ITU cup level. I was utterly inspired by his journey of belief, perseverance and single mindedness and was very happy to start working with him. His simple and humble approach to life has reminded me to get back to basics, especially when challenged with ‘keeping it all together’ in busy Singapore.
When I think of Lucky chasing his dreams it inspires me to stay hungry and do the same. Thank you for your friendship Lucky!
Won his 1st race on this bike:
Check out the Aerobars!
New tools from MetaSport Members : )
Working hard at home:
1st ITU Race – Singapore Triathlon 2014
Here is an article the SwimBikeRun did on him a few months ago. Click to enlarge.
Press Release: ironguides Partners up with AsiaTRI
Introducing a new triathlon website focusing on Asia!
Asiatri.com is the leading website for all triathlon related news specific to the Asian region. “Our goal is to be the one-stop website for local athletes who are seeking the most updated content through our exclusive articles, local race coverage, international race coverage, Asian races calendar, local athlete and teams interviews and everything that is relevant to any Asian based triathlete” says Wagner Araujo who is head of MundoTRI group, a Brazilian based triathlon magazine in Portuguese language that is also launching its edition in Spanish for Latin America athletes.
AsiaTRI covers all formats and distances of the sport. Just fresh from the races is reporting on Asian athletes at the ITU World Championships. AsiaTRI aims to bring more news and coverage of Asian athletes at races to the community.
AsiaTRI is excited to help the growth of triathlon in the region by bringing the whole community together in one place. Find us at the following links:
https://www.facebook.com/asiatrilive
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About AsiaTRI and ironguides
ironguides and MundoTri.com from Brazil are partnering and providing support to this new effort for triathlon in Asia. ironguides will provide content specific to triathlon in the region through articles, videos and training plans.
Coach Vinnie Santana on the partnership, ““We are excited to be contributing to AsiaTRI growth in this region. As a coach, I’ve always felt the need for centralized for our Asian based athletes.”
ironguides is the leading Lifestyle Facilitation company for athletes of all abilities. We provide coaching and training services and plans, as well training education, health and fitness products to help you learn and live a healthy lifestyle: https://www.ironguides.net/
MundoTri is Brazil’s largest triathlon focused website and has had a presence for over 7years. MundoTri provides the latest information and news on triathlon in Brazil and is seen as the central point for the triathlon community in Brazil. Check out more from MundoTri at: http://www.mundotri.com/
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Road to Kona – Stefan Leijdekkers
Qualified at Ironman Cairns 2014 – M40-45 /9hr32 /6th Place
Ironman PB – 9.15 at IMWA 2013
Stefan started working with me shortly after he began triathlon and has been a joy to work with. Having pretty much a blank canvas to work with in terms of training history and ideas it was a case of Stefan getting down to work and completing the training rather than second guessing the workload and questioning volume as is common with many athletes.
Balance is the background to everything we do at ironguides and with Stefan’s demanding job in banking and a young family at home it was never going to be put to the test more. In setting up Stefan’s workload I always look at what he has to do in terms of work and make sure there is plenty of family time and relax time in his schedule!!
When designing Stefan’s programs it has been a case of making sure stimulus was present and fatigue levels remained constant but never too high. We started with a goal of hitting 8-12 hours a week and looking to get all we needed in this time, Stefan has shown a great talent with endurance. It was clear to me early on that training to strengthen this aspect of his fitness would be a waste of time. Building strength and speed has been the focus and it has paid off as we have seen a consistent rise in performance weekly over the 3 years of working together.
I think it has been frustrating for Stefan to lack speed and not perform to the levels he wanted in shorter races while we seem to do nothing but speed work, but that frustration always disappeared on ironman race day when the performances have just shone through and times dropped significantly. We always need to remember what we are training for and look at the big picture.
Over the 3 years working together I have not really increased volume beyond our basic 8-12 hours a week. If you are seeing constant improvement then it’s not time to change anything – this is such an important part of coaching that i believe is regularly missed as athletes feel more is always going to be better. The only time I move from our regular training load is for my special 4 days endurance blocks in the short period leading up to a long distance event!!
Coaching has to be a 2 way relationship and Stefan’s success has come from his amazing communication with me, I have had a weekly report every week since we started working together, I get to know everything that is happening with Stefan’s body, his workload and family life from these emails – this level of communication is what is needed so I know what is happening when its happening and can change and adapt as needed.
A little step beyond the ordinary is what makes a Kona qualifier and Stefan has shown this in spades, with a heavy travel schedule through work and entertaining clients Stefan has maintained his training well. How many of us would head to the treadmill at 10pm after a business meal and a couple of beers just to make sure the training stays on target – I am sure not many!!
See below for Stefan’s history and thoughts:
Sporting background
– Have always been “sporty” but never been (very successful) in competitive sports. Never smoked.
– I think I built my base in cycling to school from 12-18 years old: 36k per day
– Also built my base in windsurfing. Complete fanatic from 14-22 years old. Would spent entire days on the water, preferably in strong wind and high seas. Often “forgot” to eat in-between.
– Ran my first marathon in December 2007 in just below 5 hours
– My first triathlon was the Aviva Ironman 70.3 in Singapore 2009, which I completed in 5:39. I only bought my road bike after I had signed up a few months before.
Race results:
– First IM: Korea 2011 in 11:24 (largely due to nutrition issue / upset stomach making the marathon a loooong walk)
– After that each IM, apart from Cairns where I qualified, was a PB
– Best IM was IMWA 2013 in 9:15.
– Shifting goals: first goal was to finish an IM. Then you know you can do better and want to prove it to yourself. Kona only came in sight in the second half of 2013. I just missed it by 3mins42 mins at IMWA 2013.
– At IM Cairns I came 6th in my AG in 9:32 and qualified for Kona. A dream coming through!
– Did many shorter races, especially sprint and OD. Always close to the top of my age group but somehow am better at / prefer IM distance.
– Next big race is Kona. Am going to go as good as I can while absorbing the atmosphere and embracing the experience.
Coaching experience
– Started training with Woody for my first ironman. Ironman Korea 2011.
– Challenge for Woody and me was to structure the training plan around busy work commitments and family
– Consistency in training is important, even when challenged. How do you stick to your program as good (and creatively) as you can while traveling? Running usually is ok. Swim: find pools in the cities you are visiting and block time to get the swim in. Bike: use the gym bike instead. Not great but better than nothing.
– Value of coach has been critical. A few key points here:
– Methodology / the method: most IM training plans in books and online have huge volume. 20 hours or more. I don’t have that much time and I don’t think it is necessary to have such high volume in my training plan. Actually it could be counter productive. Focus on bike strength, low cadence bike work: painful but paying off. All-out intervals to help recovery. High speed short intervals on treadmill. Just some examples of workouts you wouldn’t find anywhere else and that make a big difference.
– Flexibility: Generally I have a training schedule that is the same for weeks and weeks which works well as you can see your progress. However, when needed for travel and especially injury Woody has provided great tailored workouts and training schedules.
– “6th sense: Through good communication (see below), Woody knows me very well and somehow prescribes workouts that just work for me. This 6th sense of knowing exactly what your body / mind needs is especially critical for endurance weekends and taper.
Key success factors:
– The method: high intensity, big focus on strength and speed, relatively less volume. This formula works for me and I know it works for most.
– Consistency: Trust the coach and just follow the program (sounds simple but isn’t always!). Try to get all workouts in and at least don’t skip an entire day. If no time for at least a single entire workout, do 20mins easy run, bike or swim.
– Communication: weekly email to coach with key workout stats and feedback for each workout on how you felt during and after the workout. This will allow the coach to get to know you very well and tailor the schedule, endurance weekend, taper and race strategy for you. Be honest and if workouts are skipped explain why so the coach might be able to do something about it.
– Get support from your environment: family and friends. My wife and daughter’s support has been key in training for and racing Ironman. Share the passion, do “trications” / destination races. Get the workouts in at times that don’t go at the expense of quality time with the family.
– Workout timing: for me (and most working athletes), getting a workout in first thing in the morning is important. If something happens at work you may not be able to do the evening workout or you can be so tired that it’s hard to get it in. I get up at 5:15 most morning to get a workout in before the rest wakes up. In Singapore we start the long bike on Saturday at 4:30am, also to avoid some of the heat of the day.
– Learn from mistakes and embrace things that worked in races. This applies to everything including where to position at the swim start, nutrition, race pace, etc.
Enjoy your training!
Coach Alun “Woody” Woodward
Roberto – Congratulations! It’s a rare occurrence that an athlete finishes their maiden Ironman so close to 11 hours. I’d like to get into your head a little and draw out inspiration for the rest of us age- groupers out here.
1. First up – How did you feel crossing the line of your 1st IM in such an impressive time?
Strangely enough, I had my strongest emotions at the start of my second loop (out of three) on the run.
To understand the full picture we need to take into accounts a few details:
a) I had never ran a marathon before and I didn’t know what to expect (a wall? Walk-run? Just walk?)
b) Even though I had a goal to finish my 1st ironman in 12 hours I didn’t know if I was going to be able to achieve it.
My plan was as follows- Swim plus transition time – 1:30/ Bike: 5:30/ Run 5:00
The swim part went well time-wise and I had gained a few minutes on my time table, but the strong wind, the rough tarmac and the hills took their toll on my bike leg: 5:41. So I went into the run with a lot of respect and just replayed the same mantra. in my head: “smooth and easy”.
My coach had also told me to “Treat it like a long jog”. This piece of advice proved to be the real key for my run.
When I started the second loop with 28km to go, I checked my watch and realized that not only would I make it within 12 hours but rather in a low 11h if not better. Somehow, knowing that everything depended on my run skills, whether I could keep this speed, whether I hit that famous wall on the marathon, and the fact that I really really wanted to make it, brought me so close to an outburst and cry. Don’t ask me why! In my mind all the run-related exercises and sweat went through like a movie and I told myself that nothing would stop me now to reach those low 11 hours. Guess I am an emotional person..! 
On the last 3km I even found the strength to finish strong with a long sprint as I knew I had made it and by the time I crossed that line my emotions were already under control. Pity, actually…I even stopped a few steps before the ramp, took off my hat, “combed” my hair, zipped up my suit and bowed: we sure want to look good on the finisher pictures!
2. Briefly talk us through the race. High/ low points during the race. Standout thoughts at certain points in the race.
The walk from home to the race location was freezing cold. I felt excited and a bit anxious: I had never started a swim with so many people around me. And although I am a very confident swimmer, I had the worst of the starts one can imagine.
After 40-50m into the swim I simply felt I couldn’t breath. That “anxiety” was so strong that I stopped swimming with one hand and started to pull at my wet suit around my chest. This obviously made it worse as people behind me simply swam over me which made me swallow a lot of water. I was indeed SOOO close to withdraw from the race. And I presume I would have if not for the fact that if I had indeed stopped, I would have been overrun by at least 1’000 people behind me.
So I gathered myself and swam to the side of the bunch and that’s when it started to go well again. I guess that was my first panic-attack in my whole life and I still need to analyse it.
I followed my coach’s advice and kept drafting behind swimmers. As I found my confidence and rhythm in the open water, I found it quite fun to keep changing up to a quicker draft. In the end, it worked well and I arrived 15min ahead of schedule. This was a huge boost.
Based on my coach’s strategy to stay patient and conservative on the first 2/3’s of the bike I kept the whole first full loop “easy” and let people overtake me. The plan was to see how much I could push in the last 1.3 of the bike.
I started the second and last loop more aggressive. I knew that was when I had to attack as the wind was in favour and kept pushing it all the way through to the turnaround at km135. The last 45km, uphill and against the wind, were simply torture. With 25km to go, I knew that I wouldn’t manage to stay within schedule. This frustrated me and as a reaction I started to push harder. Man, that hurt!!!
I started the run again very conservatively. Most of the athletes I had left behind on the swim and bike started to catch up and overtake me but that didn’t bother me. I was focused on being ready for the wall hence kept it at a steady pace. As described above, on the start of my second loop I had an emotional outbreak and that gave me the energy to keep going. I guess people are right when they say that nutrition is the 4th leg in an Ironman. Once I reached km32 I simply started counting down the km and went up with my speed. No wall ever hit me! : )
I think that was the most fun part of the whole race: I started to run as fast as I possibly could at that moment and I think I overtook about 50 people on my last 2km of the race. Awesome!
3. How did your physical training prepare you to stay strong mentally throughout the race?
The last 2 months of the training depicted very well the mental conditions of the race. Although I had never rode 180km (160km was my max), and despite the fact that 180km ARE veeeery long, those long and lonely bike rides prepared me perfectly for race conditions.
Moreover, all the tough sessions I had leading to the race during the past 6 months helped me being confident that I can make it. If I had survived running up that hill for weeks and weeks and swim those laps till I was out of breath for months then I surely could do an Ironman!
4. At which point did you realize you could break your goal of 12h and where/ what did you draw your strength/ resolve/ focus from to dig deep and go for it.
That was my most emotional moment of the race. When I left T2, I was 5 mins behind my schedule with my ‘weakest’ discipline to go. Somehow I thought I wouldn’t make it within my goal of 12 hours. What I didn’t realize is that the clock showed the professional’s race time. They started 15min earlier than us and I actually 10 mins ahead of my race plan!
When I started my second loop and I realized I was much faster than I had anticipated all emotions broke loose. And this somehow gave me the kick to keep running at my pace when about midway I felt my legs becoming heavier. A big help came also from the most powerful legalized doping drink: coke!!! Amazing how it can push you!
5. Let’s talk about your training. Can you briefly describe your weekly training schedule. How and why that’s working for you.
My coach and I had first a thorough discussion on my life style. Each aspect was taken into account and based on those inputs he prepared a training schedule that perfectly fit my needs.
Being single obviously helps a lot in my training as I can be more flexible on my training hours, but then, my job requires me to travel quite often which makes it a challenge to fulfill all exercises. I have learnt, though, that it CAN be done.
Every single day a little session will bring you through an Ironman!
In the 180 days that I have been with Ironguides, I have only missed 17 days of training- despite Christmas (on my bike!) and New Year (long run!).
6. Please share with us the 2 most important ‘take home’ messages that you have learnt about endurance training that everyone needs to hear.
No doubt about the first one which is also rightly highlighted by Ironguides: Consistency is key! Do a little bit every day and you will be ready at the start of your Ironman!
The second lesson that I learnt is the incredible power of the human spirit to overcome adversity.
For example – the number of times I wanted to skip training with teasers from my friends to join them for drinks or movies. Or when I had the panic attack, at the swim start and I almost withdrew from the race or when I almost got off the bike as my legs burnt so badly uphill against the wind.
But “nothing is impossible to a willing mind!”
7. I always stress the importance of communication in the coach -athlete relationship. Your thoughts on this please.
With Shem I picked a winning lottery ticket.
We had an ongoing communication both with mails and face-to-face discussions. When going into your first Ironman there are many doubts, many anxieties, when starting for such a monumental endeavor there are various questions on the training and its effects, on how to pace yourself and what to take in as nutrition.
Communication and understanding from your coach is the second most important thing after…his training schedule!
8. What life lessons have you learnt on this journey to Ironman?
I learnt that with discipline and putting in the correct effort, I can achieve anything. I might not be the fastest and quickest, but I’ll be there at the end line, no matter what challenge I face.
9. What are the benefits of having a coach? What are the characteristics for a good coach to look out for?
A coach brings in all the essential missing parts an athlete needs: experience, motivation, control.
A good coach should explain how he works, what the benefit is behind each training session. He/ She should also be receptive to the athlete’s needs and be open to adapt to it when necessary. He or She should also be able to push the athlete to get over his “comfort zone” both physically and mentally.
It is also important that a coach check in on the athlete, to regularly access their level of motivation and fatigue.
Indeed, there are just 2 options when you choose to work with a coach: either you trust him completely or you don’t.
10. Think you can go faster?
At 1.93m and 88kg I have all but a perfect triathlete “frame”. With such height/mass I suffer the heat more than a skinnier and smaller person hence IM races like Cebu and Langkawi I registered for will see me most likely go slower. Moreover, the swim leg in NZ was with a wetsuit which gained me at least 10min.
On the other hand, I have gained experience, especially on the run part, and I will keep on training consistently.
I am thoroughly confident that in a race that suits me in terms of temperature and route I will get in under 11 hours. Who knows, I might even take it down to 10:30!
Roberto finished in 11:08′. This was an awesome result for his 1st attempt at the Ironman distance. The major improvement for Roberto came from the work that we did to improve his running gait and efficiency. While others may have questioned the rationale behind doing 15 x 100m running sprints for 12 weeks building up to an Ironman, Roberto didn’t bat an eyelid. He simply got his head down and did the work and came out a much improved runner after that block. His admirable work ethic and his ability to stay open and receptive to The Method were the perfect combination to achieving this goal!
Coach Shem Leong
ironguides is the leading Lifestyle Facilitation company for athletes of all abilities. We provide coaching and training services, plans and programs, as well training education, health and fitness products to help you learn and live a healthy lifestyle. Come get fit with one of our monthly training subscriptions, event-specific training plans, coaching services, or a triathlon training camp in an exotic location! ironguides also provides Corporate Health services including Corporate Triathlons, Healthy Living retreats and speaking engagements. At ironguides, your best is our business!
Train with ironguides!
Personalized Online Coaching: Starting at USD190/month
Monthly Training plans (for all levels, or focused on one discipline): Only USD39/months
Event based training plans:
Sprint Distance (USD45 for 8-week plan)
Olympic Distance (USD65 for 12 week plan)
Half Ironman (R$95 for 16-week plan)
Ironman (USD145 for 20-week plan)
X-Terra (USD65 for 12-week plan)
Running Plans (10k, 21k and 42k – starting at USD40)
Coaching Tips: The Abu Dhabi International Triathlon
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 its fifth year 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. Athletes have faced high winds and temperatures in the previous years, 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 {1min fast at 96 steps per minute, followed by 4min steady at 90 steps per minute}
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:
It is also important to begin getting your body used to being hot when you’re not training:
Once you arrive in Abu Dhabi prior to the race:
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.
ironguides is the leading Lifestyle Facilitation company for athletes of all abilities. We provide coaching and training services, plans and programs, as well training education, health and fitness products to help you learn and live a healthy lifestyle. Come get fit with one of our monthly training subscriptions, event-specific training plans, coaching services, or a triathlon training camp in an exotic location! ironguides also provides Corporate Health services including Corporate Triathlons, Healthy Living retreats and speaking engagements. At ironguides, your best is our business!
Train with ironguides!
Personalized Online Coaching: Starting at USD190/month
Monthly Training plans (for all levels, or focused on one discipline): Only USD39/months
Event based training plans:
Sprint Distance (USD45 for 8-week plan)
Olympic Distance (USD65 for 12 week plan)
Half Ironman (R$95 for 16-week plan)
Ironman (USD145 for 20-week plan)
X-Terra (USD65 for 12-week plan)
Running Plans (10k, 21k and 42k – starting at USD40)
Coach Vinnie: 
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.
Coach Rodrigo: 
Coach Woody on his athlete, Stefan and his road to Kona with a busy work schedule and young family. Stefan also shares his history and thoughts on training with Kona as his goal.
I joined ironguides in late 2009 after I completed my first year as a pro. I had just moved to Switzerland then and started to work 4-5 hours a day, which let me pay my triathlon expenses. It was great to start working with my coach, as he could plan my training according to my work schedule, and he increased the quality of my training a lot, though I spent less time on my bike or running. Thanks to my swimming backgound, I never had a problem to get out the water with the first pack, but thanks to ironguides my bike splits improved a lot, and I was able to stay in the lead group during the whole bike leg and I was able to start the running in a fresher condition! This consistent work was not easy, but all was worth it as I claimed my first ever Ironman title in 2011 in Korea, and have become a steady Top-10 finisher in any Ironman or Ironman 70.3 races around the world.”
“The 12-week plan is fantastic. I have made breakthroughs in all three disciplines, especially the swim — and I am not a beginner in the sport! … for so many seasons I was sucked into the Zone-based myth and was always overtrained when I hit the Build phases. Now, even though the program is demanding, I always feel rested. I have not had an injury nor felt weak or sick. My times are always improving and there are actually LESS rest days than the Zone-based training program. It’s amazing really!” Thyrio, ironguides Forum 
Keegan Scott “I’ve always been self-coached but didn’t want the commitment of a coach while I was interested in following a structure that works. The subscription service is a great idea as I’m still able to train using The Method, while it fits my budget and gives me flexibility to change the focus from single discipline to the balanced programme as I progress into the season.”
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