Whether you are training for your first IRONMAN or perhaps looking to improve your IRONMAN 70.3 time there are several essential training sessions that should be included in your training regime.
These sessions have been used for athletes around the world in their IRONMAN endeavours. I have used them for athletes who have qualified for Hawaii, raced at 70.3 Worlds and athletes who simply want to complete their first half ironman. You just have to complete the sessions at your own pace.
With over 15 years of experience coaching Triathlon, I have built up quite a collection of sessions (last time I check in my session library I have over 800!).
Not all of the sessions (listed below) should be in one week, unless you are used to that much training. However, the sessions should be included in the lead up to your event. They can be repeated or built on.
1. Swim
A great set to develop your swim endurance and set you up with your pacing and confidence on race day. Try and keep the pace consistent throughout the main set.
Warm up (continuous swim): 1000m (as 75m Freestyle plus 25m something else)
Main set :
400m PULL
4x 100m SWIM
300m PULL
3x 100m SWIM
200m PULL
2x 100m SWIM
100m PULL
1x 100m SWIM
All with 30sec recovery
Cooldown:
200m easy relaxed swim not freestyle
2. Open Water Swim
This is all about practicing for race day. Getting you into the water, acclimatised, calm and wetsuit comfortable.
Before you get in the water: Get those arms swinging, then splash face with cold water, dunk your face into and exhale into water. Finally open wetsuit neck & let water in... the run to edge and let all the water out the bottom!
5 mins of relaxed swimming focus on counting your breathing... 1..2..3...breathe
4 x 50m (ish) deep water sprint starts - always fun with a friend
MAIN SET
10 minutes continuous swim sighting regularly – practice swimming in a straight line
The 8 minute efforts should be specific to your race and that includes the start, e.g. deep water/diving
Also count a good tempo to keep your rhythm.
3 x 8 mins at a good solid pace keeping the stroke rate nice an high (2 mins easy swimming / floating between efforts)
At the end of the last 8 minute effort... get out the water - practice getting wetsuit off!
3. Bike intervals
Although you are training for a long distance endurance event, it is important to push yourself and raise the heart rate... it is not all about going slow. If you do that you will end training yourself to be slow! So this session is all about that. You can do it on the road or on the turbo. If you do use the road, then try and use flattish roads.
20min warm up
Efforts:
5x 30sec HARD efforts out the saddle with 2min spin recovery
5x 4min MAX SUSTAINABLE EFFORTS with 1min spin recovery
10min spin
1x 10min MAX SUSTAINABLE EFFORT
Spin home
4. Tempo Run (10-10-10)
This is a great session to practice your race pacing. There needs to be a distinct change of pace as you go through the session... go too hard at the beginning though and you will suffer in the final 10 minute effort.
10 minute warm up
Main set:
2x 15sec HARD / 15sec EASY
2x 45sec HARD / 45sec EASY
1x 60sec HARD / 60sec EASY
2x 30sec HARD / 30sec EASY
2x 15sec HARD / 15sec EASY
Jog - this really means jog! - for 5min then into the tough bit!
30min Building the pace (10-10-10)
10min @ IRONMAN PACE
10min @ 70.3 PACE
10min @ BEST PACE
Cooldown:
Jog until you reach 60min
5. Brick repeats
One of my favourite turbo Brick sets. Its great if you have a small run loop from your house, or jump on a treadmill in the gym. This is a great set to work on your run pace off the bike and also do not miss the opportunity to practice those transitions!
Bike on turbo:
10min Warm up into
4x [6min - 5min - 3min] as:
6min TEMPO BIKE (try and replicate race pace)
into
5min RUN as 4min at 5k pace into 1min jog
3min spin on turbo
After doing all 4 reps do 4min easy spin cooldown
6. Endurance Brick
An absolute must for endurance athletes. You do not need to do it every week, but you should do it at least once every three weeks leading into the event.
90mins easy spin but on the Tri Bars (if you have them) then you will need to do 3 x 15mins biggest gear low cadence time trial hard efforts. Then you get 5 minutes recovery between them.
After the final TT effort spin home maintaining good form on the bars... then practice a good transition and complete a 40 mins easy run, staying light on your feet and setting a pace of not more than IRONMAN pace.
Paul Jones is a British Triathlon Federation Level 3 Coach and a Triathlon Australia Performance Coach.
He is also an IRONMAN Certified Coach and a Level 2 Training Peaks Coach. F4L Triathlon Coaching offers triathletes and other endurance athletes a full coaching and training service that caters to all levels of triathletes. F4L offers professional triathlon and endurance coaching and the reliability triathletes and endurance athletes require. Each athlete is an individual, every athlete has different needs.
