Endurance Nation | Triathlon Coaching, Ironman Training, Half Ironman, Beginner Triathlon

You’re almost there! Almost ready for that moment, 30′ into the bike, when the chaos of the swim is over, you’ve got your legs back and now it’s just time to go to work and get it done. No more thinking about the race, no more planning, no more tomorrow. Your entire world extends only about 20′ beyond your front wheel. Live in the now, just get it done!

In this chapter we will discuss:

• Peaking
• Race Week
• The Endurance Nation Four Keys of Ironman Execution
• Race Prep and Tactics
• Race Day Checklist

Peaking

We are often asked about the proper long-course peak, or taper. Athletes want to know how much to decrease their training, where to continue working to stay sharp, etc. Ultimately they want a formula, some kind of random “X hours times Y effort divided by D discipline ALL multplied by a percentage of total V volume for that given week” which will somehow yield the appropriate amount of training to be done. There are some serious problems with this taper assumption, and they are important to cover quickly so that you know where we are coming from:

1. Most Folks Don’t Have A Plan In The First Place: You know these folks well. They are the ones who either (A) do whatever it is you do that weekend, kinda just tagging along and then copying your workout. These folks are easily identified as they are always asking, “Soooooo, what are you up to this week?” The second type, (B), just do the same thing week after week. These folks will do the same century ride, every weekend, for three months (ouch), usually followed by some sick 10-mile run. Then they’ll run the next day just to “practice” running on tired legs (don’t even get us started on h that one!). Not only is the lack of creativity enough to crush you mentally, the fact that there is no real recovery means that most of these athletes will have no race in their legs – regardless of the taper – by the time the big day arrives.
2. A Formula Would Assume That We’ve All Done The Same Work Thus Far: Even with the athletes we coach, for the same event, there is such a huge disparity in the VOLUME of work done as well as the INTENSITY of the specific work that if we were to just assign a general protocol for tapering, everyone would lose out. Think about it. When’s the last time you completed all your specified training in a given week? To the letter; right to the intensity specified? You know, where family, work, weather, landscaping, darkness, or some other factor didn’t interfere? That’s what we thought. Most IMers just want that security for themselves as they prepare. Which leads me to my next point…
3. A Huge Desire for a Special Taper is Usually Linked to an Underlying Concern For The Event: In other words, folks who really want a taper, really badly, are simply expressing their concern that their training, up until now, has been ineffective and maybe, just maybe, this magical taper protocol will help them to salvage their race day. If we had any marketing savvy, we would spend all my time/resources on just selling taper plans instead of coaching athletes for 6+ months. Folks are so nervous at this point that they are renting Zipp 808s for race day (even though they’ve never averaged faster than 18mph in training), buying supplements they’ve never tried before, checking out aero helmets online, even posting to forums about whether or not they should shave ALL their body hair for race day (yeah, getting that bit behind your elbows / right below your triceps makes a killer difference in the aeroposition).

If you find yourself in any of these places, it’s time to take a deep breath and relax. Your work is done. Repeat after me: My Training IS Done. There is, seriously, no tangible performance benefit to be gained from any last killer workout in the final three weeks leading up to your IM race day. Sure, depending on your strengths/weaknessess, fitness level, and race day goals, there might be a few key workouts left to do, but in general you can do more damage to your race day now than anything else. In our five + years of coaching, we have seen it all, from athletes crashing their bikes, to breaking a collarbone or elbow, tweaking a tendon or calf muscle, even doing some ridiculous carbo-loading protocol that led to them looking more like a cheese-puff than a triathlete.

Just Do the Plan

As for workouts, in the last three weeks, just do the plan! The workouts in the last three weeks of your training plans have been tested over 1000 athletes. Trust the plan, trust your fitness, do the plan. Now is not the time to make up any homework you missed.

From our perspective as coaches, we have three distinct goals for our tapering athletes.

1. Mentally Prepare Them To Execute On Raceday: There are a lot of important elements to executing your race well. Mess up any of these (pacing, nutrition, gear, focus, etc.) and your day can be done before you know it. As most athletes have been training 6+ months for this event, during the taper period we really try to help them learn their race plan. We write it to them. We talk about it. We have them repeat it back to us. We call them two days out and we discuss it again. There can never be enough conversation about the plan, and the “newer” the athlete, the more important these discussions are. An appropriately paced bike at IM Wisconsin (say 6:45) despite all the fast bikers, led one of our athletes doing her first IM race to pass over 800 people on the run as she ran a 4:30. 800 people. If we could tell you how to pass almost 50% of the finishing field on raceday, you’d listen up. Well, it’s called having a plan and sticking to it. Check it out.

2. Physically Prepare Them For Raceday: Yes, this part includes some workout stuff. But first, it’s more important that folks have the right gear for race day. Racers should pack every tri thing they own to bring with them, including stuff for rain, cold, heat, etc. They should have their bike overhauled two weeks out so they can test it. They should check their run shoes at six weeks out to make sure they are in good enough shape for race day. They should be doing their final tune up rides/runs in raceday gear with all the stuff on their bike so they know what does/doesn’t work. They should be rehearsing their transitions (at least once physically) so they can execute without freaking on race day.

3. Impart A Sense of Perspective: This is the most important thing we can do. Without this perspective, folks can really get themselves out of wack. They can get uptight, angry, twitchy, mean-spirited, carried-away, you name it. Here’s the deal. You are going to do an weronman. You are physically-able to swim bike and run. You have the support of your family and friends. You have the money to be able to buy the gear you need. You have the job that allows you to take time off to travel and race the event. You have the means to buy the food you need to eat, etc. You are an incredibly fortunate person.

The Endurance Nation “Four Keys” To Ironman Execution

Here is the Endurance Nation no-nonsense look at long-course racing. While the essay below is intended for athletes racing iron-distance events, the lessons are applicable to the half-iron distance as well.

1. Execution, not Fitness. All you’ve done for 9 months is build a vehicle. Ironman racing is about how you DRIE that vehicle, it is not about the VEHICLE ITSELF. The majority of athletes on race day are fitness-focused (look at my T-shirt, look at my abs/veins/etc, look at how fast we can go in the first hour of the bike, etc.). As coaches we can make you stronger, but we can’t fix stoopid if you decide to race your own way.
   
2. The Line. Nothing on race day really matters until you reach The Line on the run. The Line is the point at which continuing becomes very, very difficult. You define success as simply not slowing down at The Line. EVERYTHING before The Line is simply about creating conditions for success for when the Line comes to you. Additional Kool-Aid flavored thoughts we’d like to put in your head regarding this point are:

• • A successful race = a good run. There is no such thing as a good bike followed by bad run, period. In our world, if you showed up with solid run fitness, had a “good” bike and a poor run, we will ALWAYS assume you boogered your bike pacing unless you are missing a limb or are in the ICU with an intestinal parasite.
  • If you think you can ride faster than we’re telling you, prove it by running well off the bike first (preferrably not attempted for the first time on IM race day).
    
  • Ride your “should” bike split vs your “could” bike split. Your Could split is what you tell Timmy you could ride on a good day, when you’re out together for your Saturday ride. If you say you “could ride a 5:50,” your Should split is likely 6:00 and defined as the bike split that yields a good run (see above).
  • Don’t eat the paste. Ironman in general, but especially the bike leg, is at best a special ed class: you only have to show up with your C game to be at the head of the class. If you find yourself doing the opposite of everyone else, you’re doing the right thing. If Jimmy and everyone else is in the corner eating the paste, don’t join them! Sit down, do what we’re telling you, and don’t eat the paste! Lots of people passing you in the first 40 miles? That’s good, don’t eat the paste. Going backwards through the field on a hill? That’s good, don’t eat the paste.
  • Think you made the mistake of riding too easy? You now have 26 miles to fix that mistake. Make the mistake of riding too hard? That mistake now has 26 miles to express itself, to the tune of X miles at 17-18′ walking pace vs X miles at 8-10′ running pace. Do the math. How is that bike split going to look as you are walking/shuffling the last 10 miles of the run?
  • Every time you feel yourself about to get stupid, look at where you are. Are you at The Line? No. Then sit down, shut up, do what you’re told and don’t be stoopid. Please.
    

3. The Box: all day long you are going to race inside a box defined by what you can control. Ask yourself “What do we need to do right NOW to create the conditions for success at The Line? wes what we’m doing right now counter to this goal? From what we’ve seen first hand on the IM courses this season, we believe you should ask yourself “Am we participating in some short-term tactical masturbation?” If yes, STOP!!

On the swim, the Box is the space your body occupies in the water: focus on your form and the rest will come. On the bike, the box is probably about one aid station long. On the run, the box begins as 2-3 aid stations long but often diminishes to “from here to the next lampost/manhole cover/mail box.” Regardless:

• • Keep the box as big as you can for as long as you can.
  • Keep in the box only the things you can control. Let go of the rest.
  • Exercise this decision-making process inside your box (the “OODA Loop”): Observe the situation, Orient yourself to a possible course of action, Decide on a course of action, Act.
    

4. The One Thing. If you swallowed the Kool-Aid we’re serving you here, you will show up at the Line, in your Box, ready to git’erdun and simply not slow down. But we’re not done yet. There is still some psychological stuff you need to address.

During the course of your race day, expect your body to have a conversation with your mind: “Look, Mind, you’ve had me out here slogging away for 132 miles. This is really starting to get old and very painful. You need to give me a good reason to keep going forward. wef you can’t give me a good one, we’m gonna slow down and you can’t stop me!” Before the race, you need to ask yourself “Why am we doing Ironman?” In other words, you need to determine what is the One Thing that put you in this race? To finish in the daylight with a smile on your face? To run a 4:10? Whatever your One Thing is, be absolutely clear and rehearse your mind/body debate beforehand. But be warned: your body can be a helluva good negotiator at mile 18, especially if your mind hasn’t prepared its rebuttal arguments beforehand.

Unity of purpose creates clarity of focus, yielding breakthrough performance.

What have we not talked about so far? The things you are likely most torqued about: heart rate, pace, speed, watts, how to eat, what to drink, etc. We believe that if you can keep yourself focused on the Four Keys above, the rest of the day is relatively simple and you don’t need to worry about these relatively small details. wen other words, all the whiz-bang guidance in the world can’t help you if don’t have your mind right about the Four Keys above.

But because you’re a Type A Triathlete and you want the details, here they are:

• The Swim: Swim only as fast as your ability to maintain form. When you feel your form go, slow down. Counting strokes is an excellent technique for bringing your mind out of the race and into the Box of maintaining your form.
• The Bike: JRA (Just Ride Along) for about 45-60′. Then shift from JRA to Easy (5:45+ should split) to Steady (sub 5:45 could split). Gauge how well you’re doing by how well you’re NOT doing what everyone else is doing. REMEMBER: You only need your B-game to excel here!
• The Run: Jog for 4-6 miles, with a jogging, do-no-harm pace and heart rate cap. Jogging is defined as a pace you could sustain for hours if we kept feeding you. After 4-6 miles, shift from jogging to “running,” running comfortably, getting what you need, and preparing yourself for the Line, where things become very uncomfortable. At the Line, typically mile 18, just suck it up and giterdun.
  

Conclusion
That’s it, that’s as complicated as racing Ironman needs to be and we can’t say it any more simply. We’ve basically given you a Vegas betting strategy, having managed and observed many rolls of the dice. wef you do what we have outlined, you will have a good day. The more you stray towards the Ricky Racer side of the execution scale, you begin to rattle the dice.

Athlete Feedback on Four Keys
The results and feedback of our athletes speak for themselves:
“First, the things Rich and Coach P preached were a lot of common sense, but somehow they seemed to hit home.

1. There is generally not failure to train, but failure to execute an effective race plan. Test your plan prior to race day, know it, use it.
2. Don’t get caught up in other people’s “stuff”, e.g., trying new things 24 hrs before the race. Do the things you have tested long before race day
3. Race your race. wef the other guys want to blow past you on the bike, let them. You WILL see them again. Know your training data and use it.
4. Prepare yourself mentally for the arguments your mind and your body are going to have toward the end.
5. Swim: only as fast as form stays good.
6. Bike: pace within your ranges (power/hr) ignore “speed”
7. Run: start SLOWLY, you don’t want to have to walk 26 miles,the real “race” starts @ mile 18
8. Enjoy what you’ve worked for and know that while you are suffering Rich and Coach P are somewhere sucking down a Starbucks!!”–Gina

“I passed 20% of the field in my first Ironman marathon, and I am far from being an elite runner. I credit the EN masters with allowing this to happen. Simple, repeatable concepts & key words helped me to remain patient, focused, and detached from other competitors. Look out, ‘cause we’m taking another sip of their Kool-Aid in ’08.” — Dan

“Pre Kool Aid – I had completed 3 previous IM without Kool Aid. They were each about survival rather than completing the event with confidence. I walked the majority of the marathon in each of these events. I honestly thought that maybe I wasn’t cut out to run the weM run. Post Kool Aid – An hour run PR. I ran the whole run. Finished with confidence and absolutely “flew” on the second half of the run. Thanks to the EN pacing guidelines, I ran a 10 minute negative split. It seemed surreal, to think I could actually enjoy the IM run. What an incredible experience! More coaches need to preach execution just as much, if not more than the training phase.” — Alex

Now that you have a sense of how we’d like you to execute your race, it’s time to cover more salient details…such as what you need to pack! When preparing for a triathlon, regardless of the distance, it is important to make sure that you have everything you need (and more) as there is almost always something extra needed. Here is a checklist to help you prepare yourself for a triathlon.

Pre-Race

• All race documentation (in case they do not have you as a registered athlete)
• All hotel documentation (same deal as above)
• USA Triathlon Membership Card (or $10 for race day license)
• Map and directions to the race site, race host hotel and to your hotel (wet will only add stress to your race if you get lost the day before the event)

Race Equipment

Swim: Wetsuit, Goggles (tinted?), Skin lube to prevent chafing from wetsuit

Bike: Bicycle (wet’s been forgotten before), Helmet, Bike shoes, Floor pump, Race belt for number (or you can use provided safety pins), spare tubes, CO2 cartridges + adapter, multitool/allan wrench set, sunglasses, arm warmers, light gloves, vest.

Run: Running shoes, Shoe inserts (if you wear them), Socks (optional for bike, mandatory for run), Hat/visor, Hydration belt.

Nutritional supplies: Bottles, Bars, Gels, Salt tabs, Race numbers, etc. from checking in at the host hotel (Don’t forget to do this)

Other: Sunblock, Sandals (post-race “friends” for your feet)

Transition wetems (not all for weM events): Beach towels for ground, hand towels to wipe feet off, garbage bags + tape to cover handlebars overnight.

Night Before

1. Have a good, sensible meal. Now is not the time to try some magic elixir or anything else funky.
   
2. Put this on your mirror: Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast. An action performed smoothly and deliberately is faster than an action that is forced and rushed. All day, especially in T1, take a few seconds to gather yourself then go about the task at hand. Chances are you will make fewer mistakes and be faster in the end.
   
3. Go to be bed early.

Race Day

1. Wake up early.
   
2. Read mirror: Everything today is “Slow and Smooth.” Relax, take deep breaths, make slow deliberate movements. Get into a rhythm and let it carry you to the race.
   
3. Have a large breakfast, 600-800 calories. You want to replace all of the calories that you burned while you were sleeping. If you think you will be nervous and unable to eat a big meal, either wake up early, eat, and go back to sleep, eat less, or maybe use a meal replacement drink.
   
4. Plan your morning so that you get to the race very early. You can fix a lot of problems if you have time to fix them. Show up pressed for time and you’ll just be rushed.
   
5. Set up your transition area and then ask someone to take a look and offer any suggestions.
   
6. Check to make sure your bike is in the proper gear.
7. Do powermeter offset, pre-ride flight check, etc.

Start time minus 40-50 minutes

1. Go for a very short run, specifically to accomplish the following: View the transition area, from swim entrance to your bike, then from your bike to the bike exit. Know where your rack is, how to get there, and where to head once you have your bike. Also, walk from the bike entrance to your rack, so you know where to go when you come in from the bike.
   
2. Find the entrance to the transition area from the bike course. Walk it and look for hazards or landmarks. Don’t rely on course markings or workers to tell you where to go. Learn it yourself. You are responsible for knowing where to go.

Start time minus 20 minutes

1. Take one last look at all of your gear: the essentials are helmet, sunglasses, shoes (bike and run), bike in proper gear.
   
2. Put on your wetsuit, spray the legs with Pam, don’t get any on your hands.
3. Take a gel with lots of water to top of your glycogen (optional).
   
4. Suggestion: wear your race singlet under your wetsuit (trying to put on lycra over wet skin is a disaster).
   
5. Walk to race start. When you get there, ask someone to zip you up.

Start time minus 10-15 minutes

1. Get in the water and warm-up.
   
2. If navigation looks like it might be tricky, get in earlier. Specifically, pick out navigation markers above the horizon, and try to get a view of the exit from the water.
   
3. If it is an ocean swim, practice 2-3 surf entries and ask the lifeguards if there is any current. You may want to adjust your start location or planned line.
   
4. Get out of the water 3-5 minutes before start.
   
5. Self-seed: if you know you are a strong swimmer, get in front. wef a weak swimmer, get in the back or to the side. Use common sense here.

Swim

1. If it is a large, mass start, expect to be knocked around. wet helps to keep your head down.
   
2. Unless you are a very strong swimmer, avoid the temptation to sprint at the start. Conserve your energy and be patient. The purpose of the swim is to get you on the bike. Just relax and concentrate on technique and on being as efficient as possible.
   
3. Things to help you relax: focus on breathing, make sure to exhale continuously between breaths. Count your strokes. Try to ignore everyone else.
   
4. Navigation: lift your head to sight every 6-12 strokes. wef you know that you tend to swim to one side, put someone on that side.
   
5. Drafting is legal, use it to reduce how hard you work and for navigation.
   
6. When you are 200-300 yards out from shore, begin to kick more and think about what you are going to do when you exit the water.

T1

1. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Slow, well-rehearsed movements, rather than rushed, inefficient movements.
   
2. Expect to make mistakes. wef you do, fix it and carry on.

Bike

1. Expect your heart rate to be very high: you have no blood in your legs and now you are asking them to work. They need some time to get started. You can help this by spinning at a low to moderate effort.
   
2. Make an effort to go slow the first 5 minutes: spin, breathe deeply, let your heart rate settle in.
   
3. After 5 minutes, shift gears and start racing!!
   
4. Race hard and smart: best strategy is to negative split the bike, second half faster than the first half. Consciously hold something back the first half, then turn it up the second half.
   
5. Try to relax, have good cycling form, and use every opportunity to conserve your energy.
   
6. Obey all race rules: safety first.
   
7. For a sprint race, you should really only need to drink maybe a half bottle of water or sports drink. Regardless, practice in training first.
   
8. 1-2 minutes out from the transition area, it’s time to quit racing on the bike and time to start preparing for the run: get out of the saddle and stretch, especially your calves and hip flexors.

T2

1. Same drill as T1: slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
   
2. Expect to make mistakes and if you do, fix them and carry on.

Run

1. Expect your legs to feel very awkward: take short strides and conserve your effort so that your body has some time to adjust. wet usually takes about 5-10 minutes to feel as “normal” as you are going to feel.
   
2. Negative split.
   
3. Don’t forget to smile for the finisher’s photo!!

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