IronmanTips | Ironman Triathlon Tips

Getting down to race weight

For this tip we’ re going to send you over to Gordo Byrn. It’s a great tip and worth reading the whole thing. Here’s an excerpt to wet your appetite – pun intended.

Your fastest race weight will always be slightly higher than you think optimal. When you are [...]

Most of us can benefit from going to the weight room at least once a week, especially during the winter months when you may be backing off the longer rides. I say ‘most’ because some people are naturally strong and time in the weight room would simply bulk them up more than a triathlete would want. It has also been reported that once you get into your late 30′s you can start to lose 1 pound of muscle per year for the rest of your life. To us that seems like a lot, we certainly don’t have any basis to argue that, but pumping some iron can’t hurt!

Building muscle can also help burn your fat stores. More muscle = more energy use = more potential for fat consumption. That extra muscle, which should be sport specific, will also help propel you forward that much faster (and seeing as you’ll have less fat you’ll be even speedier). A great recommendation is to do your lower body weight room work with one leg at a time to help even out any imbalances.

When you’re first getting back into the gym, take it VERY easy so that you can train properly the next day. Very light weight and only 2 sets of a given workout. After a couple weeks you can start putting on some heavier weight, but still keep the reps high – between 12 and 15 for us endurance folk. 1 set for warm up, 2 where you hit that last rep with a good burn.

Continue reading Use the weight room

Kill those germs

This is probably old news, but if nothing else take it as a reminder for the next time you travel to your race. Putting all that time in for Ironman race day only to catch a silly bug druing race week happens all the time. Hard training suppresses your [...]

Open water swimming

As race season rolls around, getting time out training in the open water is a great way to mix it up and give yourself a break from the black line. However, it is very easy to fall into a leisurely pace that won’t benefit your race day goals. To get around this you need to keep in mind that it is still a training workout and some effort is required. It is also very easy to fall into a similar routine swim after swim.
-Two times around the big island.
-To the far beach and back.
-5th dock around the point.
We all have our own lake swim turnaround points. Be adventurous if safety allows and switch it up. You also can’t forget about the harder efforts you would normally do while in the pool:

Practice your beach starts and exits.
Swim flat out to the rock or big tree.
Change draft positions with your swim partner every 5 minutes.
Long steady is great, but not every time you go out.

Continue reading Open water swimming

Last couple days before an Ironman

There are different approaches to the last couple days of a taper before a full Ironman event (in most cases, a 70.3 event requires a slightly different approach than a full Ironman). You’ve probably read about some athletes putting in a fairly hardy dose of training on race week. Even within the last couple days before the race. This doesn’t work for everybody, but you always hear about the people that do it because it’s outside the norm (Belinda Granger -to name a name off the top of my head). Then they go and win Ironman events and you start thinking that that is what you should be doing too. Not the case. Keep in mind, the people doing this have been training incredibly hard for a long time (we all have – but relatively speaking not as hard as a full time athlete). A 3 hour ride two days out from the race may seem like peanuts to them. Unless you’re training full time and can test that type of situation I would steer away from it. We’ve found that our best races always happened after we thought we had NOT done enough during race week. Assuming the race was on Sunday, we started getting really antsy on Saturday or even Friday. For most athletes starting an Ironman this is a good thing. It means you’re rested, your body wants to go exert itself, you’re ready. Even the feeling of being somewhat sleepy is not altogether a bad thing for an Ironman (you’re welcome to disagree). It’s a long day and using the first 20 kms to shake out some sleepiness can lead to a very strong finish.

So, assuming your Ironman is on a Sunday:

Continue reading Last couple days before an Ironman

Don’t think you can do it…know you can do it

I was looking at this picture the other night of the Ironman Coeur D’Alene start line. Heather is in the blue cap, front and center (Click to enlarge). That stance shows that she is thinking about one thing, and that is how quickly she’s going to get herself to [...]

When to take iron

Many men and women who engage in regular, intense exercise such as running, competitive swimming, and cycling have “marginal or inadequate iron status”. Possible explanations include increased gastrointestinal blood loss after running, a greater turnover of red blood cells, and the fact that red blood cells within the foot can rupture when you pound the ground during a long run. For these reasons, the need for iron may be 30% greater in those who engage in regular intense exercise.

Female athletes, distance runners, and vegetarian athletes are the most likely to experience iron deficiency. It is particularly important for these folks to consume recommended amounts of iron and to pay attention to dietary factors that enhance iron absorption. If appropriate nutrition (enter spinach salad with mandarin oranges and walnuts) does not promote normal iron status, iron supplementation may be required. In one study of female swimmers, researchers found that supplementation with 125 mg of ferrous sulfate per day prevented iron depletion.

Vitamin C will improve the absorption of iron. Tannins (found in tea, wine), calcium, polyphenols, and phytates (found in legumes and whole grains) can decrease absorption of iron. Some proteins found in soybeans also inhibit iron absorption, and caffeine messes up the absorption of pretty much everything. So if blood tests indicate that you need an iron supplement, don’t take it with your milk and cereal in the morning, or your tea or coffee. Have it with some citrus fruit instead.

Continue reading When to take iron

One legged cycling drill

This one is best done on a fixed trainer (ie. Not rollers – but if you can do it on rollers -you’re crazy awesome- or would like to see someone doing this on rollers, check the comments) and is a great way to break up an indoor ride. There’s [...]

Favorite swim set

Sometimes when you hit the water for training you may lack some motivation to put the time in. When that happens it’s good to have a swim set that you enjoy and can fall back on. Of course, this only works if you have control of your own workouts. [...]

Say no to chaffing

If you are new to the world of long distance triathlon, or simply have incredibly robust skin, you may not be intimately familiar with wonderful anti-friction products such as BodyGlide. You can apply this stuff anywhere and it will prevent fabric-on-skin or skin-on-skin chaffing (‘chub-rub’ as we affectionately call it). Most people use it on race day to lube up their forearms and calves for easy wetsuit removal, and to prevent chaffing on the back of their necks from wetsuit zippers. Many also apply it around their armpits where jerseys and sports bras make contact.

If you have sensitive skin, applying body glide between your legs, along any areas where seams and chamois in your bike shorts may rub, around the draw-string of your shorts, where a race number belt may make contact with your waist, and around your ankle where your timing-chip strap goes - are all important measures to take to keep your lower half happy. In addition to the armpit and sports bra areas, you may want to apply body glide to your neck and the front of your chest if you have a zipper that opens up the front of your jersey. Men may also find that nipples are an essential area to cover, especially if they change into a more loose fitting jersey for the run. If you wear a heart rate monitor it can be good to apply body glide in a band right around your ribcage.

In non race scenarios, body glide is great to have in your swim bag to avoid chaffing from your chlorine resistant, but rough, polyester swim suit. I get funny looks every morning when I appear to be applying deodorant to strange places, but I find that my neck and armpits get roughed up with anything over 4000m. A between the legs application of body-glide can be the solution to those little run shorts that just aren’t comfortable for anything over 10k otherwise. Body glide is also great for avoiding blisters on your feet from new shoes or swim fins.

Continue reading Say no to chaffing

Getting down to race weight

Use the weight room

Kill those germs

Open water swimming

Last couple days before an Ironman

Don’t think you can do it…know you can do it

When to take iron

One legged cycling drill

Favorite swim set

Say no to chaffing

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