Ironman general tips
Nutrition tips for Triathletes
May 19th
IRONMATE SPORTS NUTRITION
Truths & Myths about sports nutrition.
Athletes who fail to eat a replacement meal then every 2 hours after that before bed time will have lower liver glycogen levels the next day –True
Should I always rely on carbohydrates when I exercise? False
No you should sometimes 1-2 a week train on your own or easy below 70% heart rate and learn to use up fats
How much carbs should I have?
Consume 1.5g of carbohydrates for every 1 kilo of body weight-True
75kg athlete needs 112 grams. True
What happens if an athlete drops their sports fuel (bar or sports drink) their body cannot cope because it has always relied on energy intake during exercise? True
Never go low on carbs during exercise if you will then be in a place with lots of people (shopping schools airports etc) . True – Your immune systems can be lower from exercise and reduced nutrition so practise lower carb intake on days that this is less likely to happen.
The more I eat the night before the longer I go before I hit the wall – False
A correct taper and finishing eating 12 hours the night before the following breakfast will give you the most calories – True
If you have a good sports nutrition strategy then you will achieve the best in your race – False
Sometimes you need to reduce the amount of food during a long run or bike so the body learns what is like to be low on energy. The body over compensates rather than just rely on food every time during exercise. True
Sports nutrition
Why?
To maintain the blood glucose concentration and body fluid levels to maintain hydration and avoid dehydration. True
6-10 % sports drinks between 35g and 80g depending on body size intensity etc is what is required per hour on the bike. True
Isn’t alcohol and sugar quick energy because I feel good after. False
Alcohol & Sugar have no nutrients Alcohol should not be consumed before or during exercise
I am always hungry? False
Don’t confuse tired sensations with being hungry they are not the same.
Just drinking water will make me stronger?
Once a week is fine but those in heavy training it is not advisable. It can also lower your immune system. True
Those limited to training can get the improvements by only drinking weak sports drinks 3% or water and training much slower to use up fats for fuel. True
Without correct carbohydrate feeding before and during blood glucose levels will decline. True
Post exercise recovery protocol
Speeds up recovery when the body is most ready and able to absorb and store nutrition in the muscles and liver. True
What & When
1.5g of carbs for every kilo of body weight. For example
60kg athlete 90g of carbohydrate / 65kg athlete 97.5g of carbs 70kg athlete 105 grams of carbs & 75kg athlete should have 112.5 g of carbs.
This should be consumed within 30 minutes then every 2 hours after 0.5g of carbs per kilo of body weight
2 hours later consume the following
60kg athlete 30g of carbohydrate / 65kg athlete 32.5g of carbs 70kg athlete 35 grams of carbs 75kg athlete should consume 37.5 g of carbs.
To further increase muscle glycogen storage repeat this every 20-30 minutes.
This is particularly important for the athletes who train more than once a day.
A 4 to 1 ratio of carbohydrate to protein after exercise speeds up recovery. Unknown.
I have not seen any scientific evidence to prove this either way.
Daily training
If you train once twice or even three times a day then it is necessary to maintain regular calorie intake.
Hunger pains
Occasionally wait for hunger pains before eating.
Few people in the western society go hungry sugar levels may drop from not eating on a regular basis (habit) but this is not the same as going hungry.
Benefits from reduced calories while training.
While it is beneficial to experience low energy from reduced calories this style of nutrition should not be practised more than twice per week.
The body can over compensate and learn to experience these dips in energy level but during times of mental stress lack of sleep little calorie intake for multi sport or multiple daily trainers should be avoided at all costs.
You may also need to increase water intake during the ride to be able to improve using fats for fuel.
Calories during a cycle ride
Having carbohydrates during a cycle ride will replace depleted glycogen reserves which may be getting gradually lower and lower each day from training.
A 90 minute to 2 hour ride
A good breakfast within 90 minutes of starting your ride will be enough. Just ride with an electrolyte or 3-6% sports drink without any foods (Bananas Sports bars-sandwich)
How do I know?
I have successfully finished over 400 triathlons including 30 iron distance Triathlons 2 x double Iron distance and 1 x Triple Iron distance.
I have spoken to many elite professional triathletes who also believe the same.
To date I have not found any evidence to prove mine and others experiences to be incorrect.
Summary
Variety foods is your key to a long healthy life.
Change you’re eating habits during exercise otherwise during a competition when you don’t eat as normal your body soon becomes quickly fatigued.
Trained triathletes and endurance athletes need to improve their ability to metabolise intramuscular fat during exercise. This can be achieved by once a week reducing carbohydrates during easy training sessions but replacing it straight afterwards.
Mistakes to avoid
Reduced calories during exercise.
This type of diet should not be to lose weight. The secret is to eat more when not training.
If you lower your immune system due to low calories you can risk being ill for many weeks if not months. A lack of consistent training and being unable to string together
Timing of nutrition is vital for peak performance.
Athletes who have been world class on low amounts of calories during training.
Sarah Coope finished 5th in the Hawaii Ironman only eating 2 bananas during the bike ride
Siegi Ferstl gets most of his nutrition from drinks and eats very little during training 25-35 hours of training a week as a professional triathlete.
Siegi Ferstl is a friend of Mark and has an Ironman best time of 8:07:00.
He has been German Long distance Triathlon champion many times & 5th in ironman Langkawi
http://www.siegiferstl.de/news.htm
Holiday Tips for Triathletes
May 19th
Most athletes hate Holidays because they worry about all that hard training will be lost while on holiday.
A break can revitalise you, avoid staleness and prevent injuries.
Think of the new surroundings to go and investigate and explore.
Remember we improve while we rest and recover, give yourself some thinking time evaluate what you have done and what you want to achieve, and then plan your next training for when you return home.
Take a book or our magazine and learn more about Triathlon Swimming Cycling and running, it will make the time pass by quicker at the airport & on the plane.
Now is the time to use that grey matter.
If you have a heart rate monitor or GPS take the instructions with you and learn how all the functions work?
Fear not as long as you plan your training before and after and more importantly avoid the Holiday mistakes all will not be lost.
Not taking your bike but can swim and run while away do more cycling emphasis before and after your holiday.
While on holiday have a swim run focus week.
If you put on a weight you may experience a detraining effect and lose some fitness, we sometimes need to lose a little fitness otherwise our performance plateaus.
Holiday Mistakes to avoid.
If you eat an extra 3,500 calories more than you burn up while away you will put on a 1lb in weight. (7,700 calories will put on a kilo)
An extra 500 calories a day will put on one pound (almost 0.5 kilo) in 7 days!
Not the end of the world but put on 2-3 or 4 lbs and it could take you a month to get back to pre holiday weight fitness.
Total inactivity and you will lose some fitness, a week away can take up to 10 days when you get back to return back to full fitness while 2 weeks on holiday with little activity and you can take 3-4 weeks to return back to normal.
To avoid a loss of fitness see below the pitfalls of a holiday.
Holiday hidden calories. Just one a day x 7 = Ouch!
50 g Croissant contains about 180 calories x 7 = 1,260 holiday calories
A traditional English breakfast – 1 fried egg, 2 slices Bacon, 2 sausages, I Tomato, 2 slices Black pudding, I mushroom, 2 slices of Toast and marmalade can be as much as 1,000 calories x 7 = 7,000 holiday calories.
A total of 100g of nuts during a week will contain 500-600 calories
Ice Cream 100 grams = 200 calories x 3 a week = 600
Dessert 400 calories x 7 = 2,800
50 g of Cheese 215 calories & 2 digestive biscuits 148 twice on holiday can contain 726 calories
180 calories in a packet of crisps x 7 = 1.260
Drinks
Can of 330 ml coke = 139 x 7 = 973 holiday calories
Alcohol has 7 calories per gram so it is easy to put on weight.
A 175ml glass of wine each night 119 x 7 = calories = 833
Drink
Did you know if you drank 32 glasses of wine during your holiday you would put on 0.5 kilo!
Champagne 133 calories per 175 ml glass x 3 glasses 399
Low cal Lager has around 57 calories while a normal one has 160+ x 2 a night x 7 = 2,240 calories
= 10,431 calories for 7 days extra
For moderately active people we need our weight in lbs x 14 and for active athletes we need our weight x 19 in calories per day.
For example an active person who weighs 140 x 19 needs about 2,660 calories a day
Drink natural mineral water with food for the healthiest drink possible if you must have lots of yummy things when you are away.
See how easy it is to put on 3lbs (1.36 kilos) in weight over 7 days!
Ironmate Holiday Tips
Holiday food is usually different, see if you notice if it gives you more or less energy? You may have been lacking something in your diet at home.
Avoid running injuries by not running on the sand for 3 consecutive days.
The soft sand puts a strain on the Achilles and the camber can at the very least cause sore calf muscles or long term injury.
Marbled pavements by the sea kill your calf muscles because they are so hard, much better to run on the side road pavements as they are more forgiving.
Spend more time on stretching after your body core has warmed up.
Complete core exercises often not done at home because you are too busy with life and training.
If you find your performance plateaus during the season a holiday break from routine and training will reward you with a higher level of fitness once you return to your training schedule, due to variety extra recovery and sleep.
Walk as much as possible rather than drive. Most of us sit at work, sit in front of the PC, sit in our cars and sit at home on the sofa, walking is under rated and is demanding.
A 180lb person will burn up about 100 calories for a mile.
The good news is you improve your fat burning ability while you walk on holiday. If you found it hard running below 65% of your maximum heart rate now is your chance to exercise at a low heart rate.
Use the lift rather the stairs.
Sometimes take 3 steps at a time for strength other times take one step at a time for endurance.
If you are not training complete stretching every day and see how much you improve a short tight muscle hinders performance so stretching can help you when you return back home.
Choose salads for starters rather than desserts & sweets.
Have plenty of local fresh fruit and have a fruit salad instead of a pudding which can be 400+ calories x 7 days = 2,800 calories
Run early in the morning, it is usually cooler, the air is cleaner and you can investigate places to go, you will be surprised how far and how much you can see when running.
Explore and check out restaurants and places of interest while you are training to visit later with the family.
Find out beforehand if there is a race going on and the route, many places have the kilometre signs painted on the roads use these for training pace or intervals.
Ask at the hotel do they have a jogging route you can follow?
Swimming and running kit does not take up a lot of room and weighs hardly anything something to consider when air lines have weight penalties if you are over.
Improve other swimming strokes, learn to breath on both sides practise tumble turns and being streamlined as this is what makes us go faster thru the water.
Improve open water skills in the sea including getting in and out using the waves.
Hire bikes or do something active, are there any sports classes? like spin classes or fun exercise classes that you may be able to join in?
Swim 2 or 3 times a day, swim around the pool rather than push off from the sides, practise treading water then starting.
Do swim drills that you ignore because you have not got the time to do them.
Remember it’s NOT training that causes a loss in fitness but the extra weight gained when on holiday.
Try some family swimming relays.
Hold an Aquathon swim & run with friends, let the younger ones do less laps swimming and running.
Holiday tip
Ultraviolet rays (UV) are invisible part of the energy from the sun
Positive effects is they help our bodies make vitamin D (bones & Teeth) and are helpful to prevent rickets and colon cancer
Negative affects of UV they can burn our eyes hair and skin if not protected.
UV can microwave the skin including our scalp, also chlorine and sea water can change hair colour
Holiday tip – Use products specially designed for the hair or skin or scalp to protect you.
Training with a Power Meter
May 14th
IRONMAN POWER
From using a power meter myself in many ironman triathlons and coaching cyclists and triathletes to train and use a power meter and studying numerous power data I have come to the following conclusions.
I have no doubt from the information I have observed
I believe that very few coaches have personally used and have coached Ironman athletes more than me.
Here are my observations
Even power watts throughout the 180km (112 miles) is paramount to great finish time.
Just an extra 20 watts average during the Ironman can lead to a slower overall of time of 15- 30 minutes. The bike ends up being 10-15 minutes quicker but the run can be 25-40 minutes slower. You don’t need a calculator to see you get an overall quicker time by holding back.
I know some who have lost an hour in the run due to trying just a little too hard on the bike.
If you are just looking for a fast bike then hammer it and waste energy fighting the wind.
If you hold back too much you may not be able to have a super fast run as your anaerobic threshold speed will be your limiting factor.
I have spoken to many Triathletes about power who have recorded a 6 hour Ironman bike split.
The power needed to take exactly 6 hours for the ironman bike split varies form 160 watts for a 60kg person to 180 watts for the 70kg person to 200 watts for the 80kg person.
Of course many other factors are related to power from hills wind road surface an aerodynamic bike and aero position to name just a few also plays an important part regarding speed and time taken to cover 180km
Functional Threshold power (FTP) = the highest average power you can maintain for 60 minutes. You can keep going much longer when training just below your FTP>
The fitter you are the closer to 80% you can maintain and still run well after.
I have found that the best age group athletes who have good nutrition and even pace bikes can manage an average power of 75% of their FTP
My FTP power for 60 minutes is 260 watts.
RECOVERY TRAINING.(<55% of FTP)
Active recovery below 143 watts. And below 110 beats per minute
Perception of effort = Easy spinning and light pedal pressure. Automatic cycling.
Breathing – slightly more than normal.
ENDURANCE TRAINING (56-75% of FTP)
Mine is 146 to195 watts and between 112 and 134 beats per minute.
This is almost all day training (5-8 hours) with fatigue towards the end or during a tough climb.
Breathing-You should be able to hold a full conversation without any problems while breathing.
TEMPO TRAINING (76-90% OF FTP)
198 to234 watts and between 136 and 152 beats per minute
Hard cycling intervals and hard cycling up hills.
Breathing – unable to hold a full conversation without laboured breathing
LACTATE THRESHOLD TRAINING. (91-105% OF FTP)
Mine is 237 and 273 watts and between 154 and 170
Threshold one hour anaerobic sports test (TOAST).or Functional Threshold power (FTP)
This type of training will help you have excellent fitness for the Ironman triathlon. Lactate threshold training tests are a very good indicator of potential performance.
Training is just below or above the red line of your time trial effort.
Breathing – Deep fast breathing making talking very difficult.
AEROBIC POWER (106 -120% OF FTP)
Mine is 276 to 312 watts and above 170 beats per minute
Talking impossible.
ANAEROBIC TRAINING. (119% + OF FTP)
Mine is above 310 watts
Short sharp bursts of power
Hammer head athletes who continually push their VO2 max will under perform by not training at different levels.
POWER WATTS THRESHOLD SESSION.
15 Minute warm up at 40-50% of 60 minute flat out pace power watts.
15 Minute @ (91-105%) of FTP
5 minute easy spin @ below 55% of FTP
15 Minute @ (91-105%) of FTP
15 minute warm down dropping from 60% of watts max to recover
AGE
Muscle strength can be maintained with improved training technique up to the age of 50 then it decreases more dramatically.
Female V02 Max declines at a much slower rate than men after the age of 50.
POWER WATTS AND RACING.
Before considering the watts you need to generate for an Ironman triathlon you must be aware of the watts you need to generate for an even paced event and how this will impact on your Ironman marathon. Going hard from the start of the bike and slowing down will give you a different average watt power compared to an even paced ride which will considerably increase the chances of a faster Ironman marathon.
Large athletes
Larger athletes have to overcome greater aerodynamic drag on the bike. Hold back on the bike and gain more time with saved energy from the cycle leg.
The only time this fail proof strategy does not work is if it’s above 95 degrees and heat then is your limiting factor more on the run than the bike.
Small athletes
Smaller athletes go faster overall in the ironman with a more balanced bike (hold back) faster run (more energy). They are smaller on the bike but most lack the necessary power and tend to use their fitness more.
We all have a limited number of calories available for the Ironman going too hard will use them up much quicker just like fuel consumption in a car. Out bodies are perfectly designed for using fat as fuel all day going slow, not ideal if you want to race an Ironman.
You can only ride at the top end of your limit providing you consume 350 calories per hour fluids and solids any less then you will slow down towards the end of the bike or melt down in the first 10km of the run.
Power summary
Most fit Iron men and women can bike hard run slow or bike easier and run fast getting the combination correct is vital for a best time.
The faster you are (create more bike drag the quicker you go) the wiser is it to hold back on the bike for a faster overall Ironman time.
Aerodynamic drag is = The square law = The resistance increases with the square of the velocity. Whatever that means, all I know its feels more than 20% harder for going 10% faster.
Mark has finished over 400 triathlons including 31 iron distance two double distance and one triple Iron Man triathlon.
Weight training for Triathlon
May 10th
WEIGHT TRAINING FOR TRIATHLON
Weight training can improve absolute strength and short bursts of sport power but this will not always transfer to improved endurance performance. Weight train suggestion. 2 sets of 15 repetitions. Emphasis on a light weight, slow and not fast movements to improve endurance. A good warm up before weight training include 10 minutes of running and/or rowing. Good form when weight training includes slow controlled movements rather than fast forceful movements. Avoid gaining weight from to much muscle mass. Increasing muscle and becoming leaner will help you burn more fat.
New to triathlon.
New to sport then weight training is beneficial. Athletes have shown much better results in our experience, as this is better progression than suddenly increasing sport volume from nothing. People new to sport can also lack strength. Reduce the chance of overuse injuries by mixing up exercise, little and often and vary training including circuit core and weight training. Suggestion.
Triathlon competitor for 1-3 years.
For athletes in sport for more than 3 years work on sport strength specific during the racing season. Complete weight training or resistance work during the winter as an alternative to some of your training.
Triathlon competitor 3-10 years
Train more on triathlon sport specific strength. Swimming hand paddles Cycling mountain biking. Run off road on tall grass muddy and sandy conditions. If you feel you have plateau in performance consider 3 sets of 25 repetitions after 12 sessions increase weight and reduce to 20 repetitions.
Elite Triathlete.
The need to work on economy and exact sport fitness is far more important than weight training. Highly trained athletes already have Swim Bike Run specific strength.
Only if you fade towards the end of races then work on economy and better technique than absolute power.
A common mistake is to include weight training for elite athletes who slow down in the latter parts of a triathlon.
Cool down in Triathlon
May 4th
COOL DOWN
Cool down [also known as warm down] think of this as helping you recover ready for the next training session.
The objective is gradually slow things down. This achieves improved removal of waste products that can cause soreness.
Reduces the likelihood of blood pooling especially to the working muscles. Provides better supply and for longer of blood rich in nutrients including oxygen and the removal of carbon dioxide. Lack of proper warm down can result in short tight muscles.
A cool down should be 5-20 minutes below 65% of maximum heart rate [HR] for that particular sport [max HR can be higher by 30 bpm compared to swimming]
Cool down static stretching is a good time as muscles are warm, being wary at first as muscles may have tightened after the workout.
Aim to hold the static stretch for 15-30 seconds and repeat twice, see if you can stretch a little more each time without any pain. If short of time complete at least one for each muscle used or aim to stretch once for 30 seconds rather than twice for 10 with 10 seconds break.
You may feel that the cool down takes up too much time, try and see how much they help with better recovery and improved muscle length.
Heart Rate Training Zones
Apr 30th
HEART RATE TRAINING ZONES.
Training zones all depend on your current fitness type of training you do and what you are training for. If you train hard all the time you may find that during the easier training levels you become tired or lethargic afterwards.
This is because you have not trained in these heart rate training zones and have not learnt to use different types of stored energy. The by-product of energy production is Lactic acid, these levels at rest can be as low as I unit and after very high intense exercise have been measured up to 25.
High lactate acid levels accumulate in the muscles causing a burning sensation causing us to slow down. Training will teach the body to cope with higher levels so we can train and race at greater intensities. Another part of training that is ignored is recovery.
Active recovery after training in level levels 2-5 is known to speed up lactic acid removal. Basically the slower you go after finishing training during your active warm down the quicker you can recover. You need to promote blood flow without causing any lactate acid so aim for around 20 minutes of easy exercise.
Training Zone 1 [TZ1] Heart rate 50-60% – Fat Burning Zone
This easy recovery training that is at 50-60% of maximum heart rate in that chosen sport. Running tends to be higher than cycling. For example if your maximum heart rate is 160 beats per minute (BPM) then train between 80-96 bpm.
It is important to learn to replace energy after any type of training. Expect to find that it is sometimes difficult to stop being hungry even after eating straight afterwards. Training in this zone will use up fat so expect to feel hungry for many hours afterwards.
You should be able to do this effort for 5 hours plus providing you have a carbohydrate drink, solid energy food optional. Training between 50-60% heart rate is difficult unless you have a good level of fitness. Use this type of training for building fitness slowly. Perception of effort would be walking fast. This is low level training at its easiest.
Training Zone 2 [TZ2] Heart rate 70-75%.
Train in this zone the day before intervals, not so easy that you lose any fitness but easy enough to be able to work harder tomorrow. This is a 3- 5-hour effort. This is low to medium level training.
Up to 40% fat is used for this type of energy. You will recover quickly from this type of training within 36 hours depending on age fitness and uninterrupted years in sport. A 20-35 minute work out three times a week will help you keep fit.
Base work training. Perception of effort would be breathing much quicker but able to talk in short sentences. Experienced marathon runners can hold a heart rate 70-75% for the 26.2 miles.
Training Zone 3 [TZ3] Heart rate 75-85%
This is where the majority of endurance of training should be. This is not easy or very hard training. This type of training is perfect for medium length training. Too hard for easy endurance but lacks any real top end quality.
You are training just under the intensity that you can only maintain for 50-70 minutes. Do this type of training during a long training session. Complete a thorough warm up then build to 75-85% for up to 45 minutes then slow down heart rate to 65% for 15-25 minutes.
Threshold efforts at intensities that you can only maintain for up to 60 minutes. At this higher heart rate you will be using carbohydrate. You will feel tired and will be creating stress. Perception of effort would be able to keep the same average heart rate going for up to half marathon.
Training Zone 4 [TZ4] Known as Anaerobic training
Often your heart rate will be above 85 %
This type of training is where the lactate acid caused by hard training begins to build up and accumulate in the blood. By training correctly the better you become at raising this level the greater your performance. High intensity training that takes less than 5 minutes with all out efforts.
Also when you are competing in short running races and sprint triathlons or the end of a marathon or middle or Ironman distance triathlon when you are pushing hard to the finish. Expect your appetite to be suppressed for a while after racing and training in this hard zone. Ignore not feeling hungry and replace with carbohydrate protein and fluid as soon as possible and for the next 3 hours.
You will need at least 73 hours to recover from this type of training, more if you have gone into this session tired.
Training Zone 5 [TZ5] also known as Redline training.
Often your heart rate will be above 90% to 100% after good warm intervals up to 30 seconds will get you above 90%. Perception of effort running 800- 1500 meters. During training in this zone you will be using your ATP system. The Glycolitic system uses glucose and is used for hard anaerobic efforts lasting up to 2 minutes. This system does not use oxygen so you soon get into oxygen debt causing you to slow down or stop.
The above is for your information only. Seek medical advice before starting any training programme.
Also see your doctor if you have heart disease in your family or have not exercised for more than 12 months for a thorough medical check up before starting an exercise programme.
How to run fast in a Triathlon
Apr 28th
How to run fast in a triathlon.
By now you have completed a few races and developed good strength and fitness. However if you are not going as fast as you had hoped, don’t worry, it is easy to adjust things slightly and improve. All your winter and pre- season training is still in the bank. Improving in each race is all about learning and tweaking what you do. So this month our ‘Racing Fast’ topics include:
1. Running Fast off the Bike
2. Improving Pace Judgment
3. Hydration
***Running Fast off the Bike***
You must continually self analyse. Any of the following can be attributed to a poor run split.
Are you kicking too much in the swim?
Are you cycling too fast in the race?
Are you pushing the big gears too often?
Are you keeping up your energy levels with food and liquid?
Are you doing any swim to bike sessions?
One of the biggest errors is not training at your triathlon run pace. If your triathlon run pace is 7.30 per mile but your training pace is either faster or slower than this, you will not adapt your body to run at your triathlon pace. It is so important to have sessions specific to your race pace to adapt the different muscles. The longer your selected event the more important this will be.
The ability to run fast off the bike is also determined by how efficient you are at swimming and cycling. It is often not the fastest runner on paper, who has the fastest run split. An efficient cyclist can often run close to their ability, while good runners are fighting the gears on the bike, wondering where they run legs went. A swim to bike session is often overlooked for bike to run workouts. Don’t forget this very important training session.
If you compared two equal runners time in a 10km and then 2 weeks later they both did an Olympic distance Triathlon, often their run times would vary by several minutes. It would not be the stronger athlete who runs quicker but the most economical one.
Any improvement in your body movement efficiency whilst in the swim and bike disciplines will help your run; sounds simple but how?
In the Swim
Being more streamlined by doing regular drills saves a huge amount of energy.
Swim long and tall, avoid too much rotation sideways.
Work on powerful strokes, you should be swimming strong by now.
Aim for an efficient stroke with good length; keep up a constant high pace, with long recoveries including easy swimming.
Aim to swim quietly with less noise, avoid crashing, slapping and bubbles.
Concentrate and learn to recover in the recovery phase.
On the Bike
Interval work sessions at race pace or above. Take half to the same amount of the interval as recovery time e.g. 4 min effort with a 2 min – 4 min recovery.
Concentrate on pedalling technique. Always be in control of your gear. Practise in the gears you plan to use in the race; in your event you may be tired at the bottom of a hill, so you may need an easier gear to climb the hill than you would normally use.
On the Run
Build up pace throughout run. Make sure you have sufficient back-to-back training in the bank.
Cadence running helps. Length of stride stops you running fast off the bike so overcome this by increasing your cadence with a shorter stride. Training drills should include fast feet drill, high leg turnover with short strides, It takes a while to get good at them, but not many people do them, just like one legged riding on the turbo to improve economy.
***Improve your Pace Judgement***
Better pace judgement comes with experience. You must learn to spread your energy evenly all the time for the duration of the event. Not flat out at the beginning and then hanging on. You are fooling yourself by going out hard and toughing it out.
Make your training specific and relevant to the course and speed you anticipate competing in. In other words ensure sessions are at your triathlon race pace.
Using a correct taper will definitely produce a faster result.
Are you able to lock onto your lactate threshold for the whole duration of the race?
If not, do this session in training – cover half the distance and break it into smaller segments with active recovery whilst hydrating and refocusing.
Your endurance should be good. If not, you are racing too much and not training to rebuild your stores. Make sure that you do an endurance session for each discipline every 2 weeks. If you are tired keep these sessions steady; if feeling good, keep a good pace but make sure you finish strong and fresh. This is not to be a ‘draining’ session.
***Hydration***
With the warmer weather, hydration is an important topic.
Ironmate is always amazed how little is drunk by racing triathletes and how little thought has been directed to what their consumption of liquid during a race would be.
Your intake will be more than in any training ride or run. Plus you cannot drink during the swim discipline, which will be undertaken at a higher effort than your regular pool swim.
Each of us has a different sweat rate, be that due to fitness, weight or genetic. Plus the way our body deals with salt concentration is varied; hence we all react in our own way to changes in temperature. Some of us love the heat, whereas others suffer.
So think through and analyse what your summer sweat rate is. How much are you drinking? How often? What effect is this having on you?
Pre weight and post weight after training in the heat will give you an idea of how much fluid is lost.
The symptoms of dehydration include dizziness, confusion, heart rate elevation, dry lips, extreme thirst and dry tongue. Headaches are common and cramps can occur. Skin looks dry in certain instances if there has been salt depletion. Diarrhoea & vomiting can also lead to dehydration including a loss of salt.
Generally the fitter you are, the much better you perform. You can cope with the heat better partly due to learned training in the heat and the improved fitness levels allow you to cope more easily.
Importantly, if the weather is warm for many days, you could find yourself gradually becoming more dehydrated if you fail to take in enough fluids regularly. Make a habit of always carrying a bottle of liquid with you.
Staying hydrated helps with full blood volume. Blood close to the skin helps you cool down. Drinking also assists in flushing away waste products.
You CANNOT stay hydrated by drinking just plain water – you need a sports drink. An electrolyte drink contains similar electrolytes concentrations to the body for proper hydration. NEVER WAIT until you are thirsty, this signal is nearly always a sign that you are already dehydrated.
If you found this information useful remember to tell a friend.
Cycling in a group
Apr 26th
CYCLING IN A GROUP -
The following information can be used for group cycling or when away during a cycle or triathlon training camp.
First decide what you want to get out of a group ride?
Social – easy talking learning about on the bike skills etc.
Learn -Training purpose so watch observe and learn.
You can easily improve good skill techniques by mimic the more experienced cyclist in front
How they spin, climb, descend or cornering. When to brake and when to release your brakes.
Eat & drink -How to drink and eat effortlessly and when to do this.
Gearing -What gears to be in and when to change. If you need to improve you will soon realise when to do this because the more experienced riders will automatically change at the correct time.
If you don’t have the necessary skills to eat and drink in a group no problem drop safely to the back of the group and then eat or drink.
Training session
Riding with others of similar or faster ability is important during your race preparation build up to improve your fitness but Not at any other time.
Steady ride will be different for each rider even if they have the same personal best time for a particular distance.
For example if cyclist A has their main race in 4 weeks time cyclist B has their main race in 12 weeks time and cyclist B has their main race in 20 weeks time.
Each cyclist SHOULD have a different level of fitness today to achieve ultimate performance in 4 – 12 & 20 weeks time.
A more successful approach to improved cycling performance should start before the ride even begins.
Agree to agree
Have a hill climb strategy within the group. Plan to meet at the top, then its no use the weaker cyclists hanging on as though their life depended on it. They should ease themselves up the hills and re group at the top.
Option 1 -The stronger cyclist can always ride hard up the hills then safely turn round ride some way back down or wait.
Option 2 the stronger cyclist can drop to their easiest gear and spin up the hill.
Option 3 – The stronger cyclist can focus on single legged emphasis with both legs clipped in this will slow the cyclist down and give them an immense training effect.
Pit stops
Agree to have times during the ride to stop for a natural break.
Mistake to avoid – If you need to go to the toilet tell the group you may not be the only one who wants to go.
The longer you put it off the less likely you are to then drink which could result in you becoming dehydrated.
The group can then split into 2 some stop for s café stop and some carry on and meet back at the café at an agreed time.
Type of cycle route
What distance or time will the ride need to be and do you require a hilly or flat cycle route. Agree what you need to do not what you always do. Variety is the key to enjoyment and improving your fitness making you a better all round athlete.
You won’t improve as well doing the same route at the same pace very time you train compared to mixing up what you do when. Hilly-Slow- Steady – Medium –Medium Hard- Hard & Very. Yes there really is many different types of training
Mistake to avoid – Don’t get hung up on speed and distance if you go away on a training camp. The terrain and temperature is likely to be completely different. For example a 3 hour ride in some parts of the UK you will only climb 1800 ft compared to 3,000 plus feet in the French or Italian mountains so expect in a Uk ride to cover 43-56 miles compared ot ONLY 36 51+ miles on much hilly terrain.
The Dos and Don’ts of group riding
Have an agreed sign language because you won’t be bale to hear. By the time you ask “What did you say?” you will be able to guess hole in the road after you have hit it.
Good communication skills are vital not only for safety but can avoid unnecessary stops because a rider punctured needlessly due to hitting an obstruction in the road because the rider in front did not communicate with enough time or the signal was confusing.
Cycle sign language should include the following
Point to high light = A hole in the road
Left hand signal left of bike obstruction right hand signal right of bike obstruction
Drop arm with hand in a shaking action = Loose gravel
Right arm behind back pointing to the left = Parked car on the inside left (when cycling on the left hand side) obstruction
Loud “Under “could mean large hole. This is used when out of the saddle or when its unsafe to take both hands off the handlebars like when descending.
Elbows out – When going fast (down hills) or when its noisy push out elbows 2-4 times to indicate be careful. Can be used for slippery surface gravel lots of hole sin the road.
Arm up in the air = Stopping for traffic lights etc) this is more visible to riders further back in the group.
Also don’t forget early signal to turn right left or straight on at a round about is vital for group cycling safety.
Don’t assume everyone knows the group riding signals and what they mean, I have been in cycling for over 30 years with cycling clubs and signals can mean different things for exactly the same hand signals.
Be flexible
Don’t be like rigid concrete with your training ride if the weather changes for the worse go home early and live to train another day. You must juggle your training around to suit the environmental conditions & not stick to what your plan says you should do.
Tired
If you feel tired either sits at the back and east and drink it may just be, you are low in energy
Decide to let them go you must let the group know that you have decided to ride with the group any longer and instead ride on your won. This is not a weakness but a sign you know exactly what you are doing.
They may say its Ok we will slow down then say Ok but if go are going too fast then me will drop off.
Turn at the front
When its your turn at the front don’t speed up, instead keep a steady pace, its Ok if your pace is a little slower that what you were just doing.
Tip he rider that dropped back may have done so because he had hit a strong head wind so not feel obliged to make a super human performance to maintain the speed.
Always wear a helmet
Always take more food and drink than you need and some spare money should you need to buy something.
In Spain it is a legal requirement to wear a cycle helmet while cycling out side towns. Don’t ask me I don’t make the cycling rule sin Spain.
New bike set up
Don’t EVER try out your new position or new bike for the first 5-8 rides training while with others.
This is asking for trouble as each new bike position and new bike will react different and you need to know how you and the bike will react automatically.
You need to be able to stop and make adjustments on route and listen to your body. Sure you want to show off your New bike but do it now and you will end up with injuries very soon or just waiting to happen just before your key race!
Tip – Don’t forget to take measurements before your first and take the correct allan keys with you while you are getting use to a new bike position. You never know something may come lose or you may need to adjust the position.
Time saving tips
I have some money in a wallet with my ID that I just use for cycling and I keep it stored away in my cycling helmet when I finish its easy always in the same place and saves me time and then I just put it in my back pocket before I start cycling.
Keep everything in the same place.
Clean you’re cycling glasses after a ride so they are ready before your next ride every thing you have to do can make you late and cause you to ride too fast to get to your designated meeting place on time. This will have a knock on affect to your group training ride especially if you forget something in the process.
Speed up the recovery and prevent injuries
Stretch before and after cycling
Motivation Time
Apr 25th
Now its time to get more motivated.
Whether you have been training all winter or now need to a kick start to get ready for the summer?
Longer days lighter for longer in the morning and night its time to up complete double up sessions morning and evening or failed to train in the morning use the light nights to fit in the work out
Think ahead
Plan ahead kit your kit out the night before this saves time and makes it easier to get out of bed and train.
Treat for a Feat
The more you train reward yourself with a DVD or magazine or clothing or that favourite naughty food (Chocolate Cake sweet or dessert or alcoholic drink etc) but ONLY once a week
Fitness gains and losses
We lose fitness much quicker than we gain it so little and often. Don’t feel like a 40 minute run no problem just go out and do 15 minute you never know you might find some saved energy to end up doing your 40 minute run?
Bench mark targets
Don’t set a rigid set of bench mark targets like go faster by 20 seconds each week for 6 weeks during your favourite run. Be flexible with how you may improve otherwise you will lose your enthusiasm after only a couple of weeks.
Timeless runs
Don’t time every run and vary the routes you take and avoid checking your watch every 2 minutes. Variety is key to improving otherwise you end up becoming world champion for your own route but will under perform on any other terrain or undulation.
Focus on
There are many other things to focus on breathing symmetrical arm movements relaxed hands still head forward movements (not side ways motion from your shoulders and feet)
Committed companion
Plan in weekly group training session
Meet up with athletes of similar ability once a week. This is a great motivation to turn up rain or shine and train with like minded people and share your views on everything training & racing.
Little & Often
Train consistently will improve your fitness large increases or nothing then a block of training is more likely to cause and injury. Make a habit of training on certain days don’t despair and stop training all together if you miss just one day.
Equipment
Buying some new equipment or clothing always does the trick and picks up my motivation
Stress less
Don’t feel guilty if life gets in the way it happens to everyone including full time Elite athletes.
Try not to cramp in a work out when you are tense or stressed remember its supposed to be enjoyable and fun instead reduce the time of the session.
Change the same work out
Out & Back a circular loop train in the opposite direction or somewhere new will help keep your mind fresh. At weekends or when you have more time travel (car or bike or train) and then train somewhere new.
Mental imagery
Think about how you will feel acheiveing a seasons or personal best and how easy it will feel without as much effort as normal
Think of the future
Enter an event in the next 6-8 weeks and also 10-14 weeks this helps you stay on track with your training.
Avoid hitting the wall in a marathon or Ironman triathlon
Apr 23rd
HITTING THE WALL – MARATHON OR TRIATHLON.
Over training in the last 3 weeks will cause depletion, which often is not replaced in time before the marathon.
Both your liver and muscles need to be fully loaded. The easiest way to do this is by taking sports carbohydrate drink and mixing to the manufacturer’s requirements during all training sessions. And then from four days prior to your marathon.
Dehydration can also be confused for the feeling of running out of energy because your performance slows dramatically.
Glycogen converted from carbohydrate in the diet and is stored in the muscles and the liver. It is easily converted into blood sugar. A trained athlete can store up to 2,000 calories enough to run 20 miles.
Hitting the wall is a marathon term for a point when you run out of energy, the runner experiences cramps, the body then switches over to fat reserves as a fuel source. This type of energy is inefficient so the athlete has to slow down. Negative thoughts suddenly happen due to low blood sugar,
Feeling light-headed happens because of a combination of dehydration and general fatigue.
Consuming carbohydrates drinks or gels will delay low glycogen energy levels. This needs to be practiced in training as sometimes digestive problems are experienced, much to better have a bad training run and learn than experience a problem in your marathon or endurance event.
On race day caffeine provides a small improvement in aerobic exercise.
Training increases the body’s ability to sore energy muscle glycogen.
The liver only has about enough stores for 2 hours of continuous exercise.
The only way to improve fat burning is to train slowly NEVER GOING above 65% of maximum heart rate. By training at an easy pace the body adapts easier to switching from different energy levels.
Carbo-loading three-four days before encourages the body to store glycogen in the muscles and liver.
The most important on race day is to stay hydrated this single factor will allow you to perform to the best you can on the day. Getting dehydrated will slow you down or cause you not to get to the finish line.
Glycogen is a fast release fuel and Fatty acids are slow release form of fuel.
When glycogen runs out the athlete have only fat reserves to use.
Foods rich in carbohydrates include cereals fruit juices breads pasta potatoes rice.
Eating more carbohydrates can make you constipated so include more fibre from fruit and extra water.
Consume 150-300 calories after the first hour in the marathon.
If you have been injured and cross train Ironmate suggests that keeping up your blood volume by training that will not hinder your recovery from injury but improves your fitness levels.
Some athletes believe that swimming cycling running weight training improves the ability to improve your glycogen stores. To run well you have to run and doing other sports may not be specific but builds up mental toughness and peak fitness levels.
Having run 71 marathons all less than 3 hours I have learnt the hard way and made my fair share of mistakes. Your longest run or longest race should be at least 4 weeks before the marathon.
Try and find a 10 km two weeks before. Your last long run should be no later than 10 days before.
During hard training especially when feeling tired it can take up to 14 days to recover.
Three weeks before run 70 percent of mileage two weeks before run 50 percent of normal mileage and last week run just 10 minutes a day with a rest day 2 days before.
Snack regularly and try not to put on more than a couple of pounds.
Do not just drink water in the days leading up to the race especially on the plane as this will mean you go to the bathroom more and get rid of some stored minerals. If in doubt leave it out.
Do not change your diet too much and do not over drink.
Get plenty of sleep in the week before, as you may not have a good night sleep the night before race day. One poor nights sleep will NOT make much different but several days within a week will make you mentally tired and not allow you to tough it out on race day if things get difficult.
Carbohydrate-rich foods include cereals, fruits, juices, breads, rice, plain baked potatoes and pasta with tomato sauce.
MARATHON TIPS?
Even pace marathon running.
It’s the Pace that Kills
2-4 minutes too fast in the first half can be 20 minutes too slow in the second half!!
i.e. Athlete A 1:25 first half can end up with 1:50 second half = Total finish time of 3:15
i.e. Athlete B 1:40 first half can end up with 1:55 second half = Total finish time of 345
i.e. Athlete C 1:50 first half can end up with 2:10 second half = Total finish time of 4:10
Had a more even paced run be done athlete A could have achieved sub 3 HOUR or Athlete B a sub 3:30 or Athlete C could have run sub 4:00 marathon.
Even pace running can stop you hitting the dreaded wall in the marathon.
If aiming for sub 4-hour marathon.
Aim for 1:55-1:57 hold on until 22 miles then go for it.
Keep your arms away from chest as you run to the finish, try not to stop Heart Rate Monitor or stop watch as you cross the finish line otherwise the photographers will not see your race number.
The race organizers will record your time and often in many professional events a computer chip timing system will accurately record all your splits and your individual finish time.
Last minute marathon training tips.
Use training shoes rather than lightweight racers.
In theory light-racing flats save precious grams saves energy and should allow you to run faster. In practice the less support and shock absorption can fatigue your legs more causing slow down in the later stages.
The night before eat your last main meal before 4pm then just snack with fruit or another light meal 2-3 hours before you go to bed.
The mistake people make is eating a big meal late and not being able to get to sleep, then trying to have a big breakfast at 5-6 am on Race morning. With the nerves etc it makes it hard to digests all this food from your stomach.
Have a drink by your bed if you get thirsty it saves getting out of bed. Often when away from home and you wake up it can be more difficult to get back to sleep in unfamiliar surroundings.
Race Day
Warming up by gently jogging. This gets you ready and allows you to decide what to wear. You should feel cool in your warm up if you get hot then you are wearing too much.
Wearing sunglasses either clear tinted or a sun visor keeps the wind dust bright lights from your eyes. Relaxes your eyes, which can help your face relax.
Expect to feel heavy legged in the warm up and first part of the marathon this is partly due to nerves but more importantly tapering easing back your muscles should be full of saved energy which also stores fluid at the same time.
Breakfast
Breakfast morning only eat up to 50% more than normal you should have practiced this routine before some of your long runs beforehand.
Chafing can happen even in the most unexpected places to stop or delay this happening use a greaseless petroleum jelly in armpits area (above and below seam where from singlet or T-shirt seam. Also smear in areas of nipples inner thighs between toes but not too much as your clothing can stick and clothing may rub in a different area also apply to eye brows to divert sweat to trickle down side of face and away from eyes.
Use either elastic shoelaces or quick release toggles.
This stops shoe laces coming loose and are easy quick to adjust if feet expand.
Stay hydrated helps with cooling by evaporation from the skin any dehydration will cause u to slow down and can cause cramps
DO NOT do anything-new race week and especially marathon day. No new shoes new kit or socks.
30 minutes before the start
Consume. 330cl of a 4-6% carbohydrate drink in last 30 minutes before the start once you begin exercising your kidneys almost stop working.
Mark has a personal best marathon of 2 hours 24 minutes & 40 seconds n the London marathon and has run 71 marathons faster than 3 hours.
Three-week marathon taper having run 71 marathons all less than 3 hours I have learnt the hard way and made my fair share of mistakes. Your longest ever run or longest race should be at least 4 weeks before the marathon. Try and find a 10 km two weeks before as this can improve your anaerobic threshold, aim to run 2-4 miles at marathon pace within 5 minutes of completing your 10km competition. This will help you stimulate running tired with low glycogen levels. This is far more beneficial for the marathon than just another long run. Your last long run should be no later than 10 days before. During hard training especially when feeling tired it can take up to 7 days to recover and then another 5 days to improve from the session. This all depends on your age recovery rate and volume of training.
Three weeks before your marathon run 80 percent of average mileage. No junk mileage 3 weeks before race specific and easy recovery running. If you normally run 43 miles a week then run 35 miles Two weeks before run 70 percent of normal mileage. No junk mileage 2 weeks before race specific and easy running. If you normally run 43 miles a week then only run 30 miles including a medium long run and 35 minutes at predicted marathon pace. Race week just 10 minutes a day with a rest day 2 days before. 5 days before jog 5 minutes then run marathon pace to 15 seconds a mile faster than marathon pace efforts 4 x 60 seconds with 2 minutes jog recovery between, total run time 22 minutes. For a three-hour marathon runner this equates to 1 hour 2 minutes of running in the 6 days before your target marathon.
The biggest mistake marathon runners make is running too long and too hard on each session race week. For example even if you cut your mileage down by half race week= 21 miles plus the marathon and warm up you end up running 48 miles no wonder you struggle from 22 miles in the marathon! because at 22 miles plus the 21 miles race week you have already covered 43 miles and you are now running more than you usually do.
Try and run at your marathon start time, usually in the mornings if not possible run earlier to get use to morning training. Race week also continue to snack regularly and try not to put on more than a couple of pounds in weight. Do not just drink water in the days leading up to the race especially on the plane as this will mean you go to the bathroom more and get rid of some stored minerals.
Two-week marathon crash taper Two Weeks before. Aim for 65% or normal average weekly miles for last 14 weeks. I.e. if you have covered a total distance of 602 miles this would be an average of 43 miles per week. So you need to cut back total distance to only 28 miles. Try and run at marathon pace- If aiming for 2:59 marathon at 6:55 -minute miles for 15-25% of total weeks mileage for week minus 2. If you run 43 miles a week aim to run 6.5-11 miles at predicted average speed this is more important than just another long run. No junk mileage 2 weeks before race specific and easy running. Race week. Nothing anaerobic in last 7 days before marathon.
Predicted 3-hour marathon pace. As you plan to run 26 miles in the marathon Pace 1. Try and run at marathon pace 7-minute miles for 20% of total weeks mileage for race week, this may seem a lot but you are actually only running in the 6 days before only 9-13 miles. Run every day and have a complete rest day two days before. If you run 43 miles a week then 4-6 miles must be at marathon pace plus to 15-30 seconds easier.
Final marathon tips. No junk mileage 2 weeks before race specific and easy running. A marathon needs 10 day taper hence the big decrease in time/mileage in the 14-7 days before. Last long run 14-16 days before (2 weeks)
Last big meal 36-48 hours before then just keep snacking.