Sep 10
25
Training For An Ironman -Simplest Version
The no bull version
-Long Bike-Built it out to about 4.5hrs
-Long Run- Build it out to about 2.5hrs (preferably the day after your long bike)
-Long Swim-Build it out to 1hr
-Do it consistently.
Thats it
having participated in a number of discussions and tried all manner of combinations of overload, the above works for more people than it does not.
common threads
-You DONT need to cover the race distance in training
-It DOESNT need to be “slow” just because its long- aim to do it close to the pace you want to race at (putting draft/aero wheels/terrain discounts on that)- IM Race Pace is NOT fast its aerobic. If you have all day then by all means go longer and drop the intensity a bit- these rides are great IF you have time. There is nothing wrong with doing all your workouts in a mid/upper aerobic range provided you dont overdo the duration and give yourself rest
-Long Bricks are highly overused/overated – they take a long time to recover from and often just teach bad form. Great occassionally for confidence (eg beginner) but not a staple
-Running on tired legs is a requirement of IM- why avoid it in training?
-You DONT need massive volume
-Aim to finish all sessions with the back half going harder
-Aim to get through all sessions with maximum economy- try and “save” something- if you had to go longer
-Long runs/long bikes should always incorporate some intervals/change of pace
-If all you did was those 3 sessions and NOTHING else but rest you’d go pretty well at IM. The best guys do this consistently all year round but even 10-12 weeks before an IM will get results. All the rest you build around that. Once you start doing it for months on end THEN you need other things. Thats because your body needs some variety in order to make adapations (it stagnates-same as if you ate just rice for every dinner)
-Why do people make it so complicated? Put those 3 on a wall and tick them off for 10 weeks. See how you go
