| Key Workouts for a Successful Ironman Race
From Ironman World Champion Cherie Gruenfeld
Part I – Physical Preparation
When the task at hand is to get ready for an Ironman race, what are the key workouts that will best prepare you for the event? Obviously, you'll need to swim, bike and run, but with an already full daily schedule like most of us face, how will you make the best use of your workout time to ensure a great race?
I'll start by going out on a limb and stating what I consider to be a fact: An Ironman race is all about the run. If you look at the results of any IM race, any age group, either gender, you will find an instructive pattern. The top three finishers in the age group might have had the fastest bike splits, but probably not. They will for certain have had the three fastest run splits. And if you search further down the age group, you'll nearly always find a few racers posting blazingly fast bike times followed by painfully slow run times. An IM race is all about the run.
Therefore, Ironman training is all about conditioning your body to run well off the bike. This means not only run work, but training yourself to swim and bike efficiently (i.e. using the least amount of energy) to set yourself up for a good run. Here are some suggestions for workouts that will address this:
1) Follow all your long rides with a short (20-60 min.) run. On the bike, concentrate on good technique and your nutrition, both of which will pay off on the run. This transition run needn't be fast, just strong, getting your legs working and establishing your running rhythm as quickly as possible.
2) As the three Ironman distances are too long to do consecutively during training (doing so would require too much recovery time), you can simulate it instead by doing back-to-back workouts. For example: On Saturday, do a long ride, following by a short transition run. On Sunday, do a long swim, followed by a long run.
3) You want to train to run the distance, but running long distances can be very tough on your body, especially if you have a vulnerability that tends to act up with long distance training. So try splitting your long run into two runs. For example: run for 2 hours in the morning and another 45 minutes in the afternoon. You'll still get the training benefit, but you'll be protecting your body.
While keying on your run training, you can also increase your odds of success by considering the course for your particular Ironman race. Race-specific training can make a real difference in your confidence level on race day. If you're headed to Florida, spend plenty of bike time in your aerobars on the flats. If Lake Placid is your goal race, head for the hills, and if your final destination is Kona, seek out winds and heat for both your rides and runs.
Good Luck
Cherie
Articles from Cherie:
Key Workouts for a Successful Ironman Race Part I - Part II - Key Workouts for a Successful Ironman Race - Analyzing the Last Season to Have a Better Next Season - Setting the 2006 Calendar - Breaking it Down - Something for Nothing - Work + Recovery = Peak Performance - Getting Back in the Game - To Race or Not to Race? - Kona Moments - PERIODIZATION Ð MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU - New Age Group Record at IM Arizona - Critical Success Factors for a Great Ironman - The Ironman Run: It's a Mind Game - Remain a Competitive Racer - What's This Race All About - To Every Workout There is a Purpose -
My 2008 Resolutions
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Looking Forward to the Future
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How About the Kids? -
Other Kids
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Become An Ironman
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Beware the Pitfalls
To have racing success
Back to the Future
Buffalo Springs Lake 70.3
Circling the Drain
Lessons From Beijing
From the Desk Of Cherie Gruenfeld
Ironman – Now That You've Committed
It's All About the Run
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