Ironman Triathlon Training

The holy grail of the Ironman triathlon for endurance athletes

The Ironman Triathlon is the most challenging of all triathlons. Triathlons come in different lengths. Sprint triathlons are at one end of the spectrum (short) and Ironman is at the other end (long). The amount of swimming you do in triathlon depends on which:

* Sprint or Olympic: triathletes swim ½ mile

* International – triathletes swim .93 miles

* Long: triathletes swim 1.2 miles

* Ironman or Ultra: triathletes swim 2.4 miles

Triathletes used to swim last in an Ironman but for safety reasons it is now the first event. The idea here is that you’d be better off passing out from exhaustion on asphalt than in the big blue ocean.

Open water swimming other than the pool

Swimmers find the open water in a triathlon very different from being in a pool. It’s as different as riding a bike in a gym than riding a bike down a tree-lined trail. Or take your own treadmill experience. Running inside is different than running outside.

While most of us have played in the waves at the beach, we may not have attempted to swim competitively in a straight line for some distance, compensating for the current and looking out for other swimmers. Most triathlons will not have shorelines where swimmers can dive. You will have to run to the point where you can swim. Some swimmers find their experience overwhelming to the point where they lose focus and become disoriented.

Training in your pool is a vital part of your Ironman training. Just don’t leave your training there. Make sure you have some open water time too.

Ironman training needs to focus on more than just endurance training

Ironman training focuses on more than just endurance training. When you’re training for a triathlon for an ultra-duration event like the Ironman, you’re no longer in a training schedule, your training schedule has become your life, 24/7! week!

Your training goals depend on your race goals. If you’re a seasoned triathlete, then your goals probably revolve around improving your time. If you’re new to triathlons in general, you probably want to focus on finishing.

Training for Ironman requires a long-term commitment.

Make sure you don’t cut your training short by limiting your activities to just swimming, biking, and running. You should incorporate stretching and cool down exercises to help minimize injury while you train. You should also make weight training an important part of your workout, as well as consider some form of cross-training to help balance your muscles.

When you’re training for an Ironman, your training schedule should incorporate training in a state of fatigue so your body gets used to those kinds of demands. Training for a marathon is one thing. Consider how running a marathon will feel like when you’re already tired from your swimming and cycling events.

Another important aspect of training for your Ironman is understanding and applying endurance nutrition. Now you must see yourself as an elite athlete; you can’t remain ignorant about nutrition and not expect it to affect your performance.

Do you want to read more? Visit the Guide-Triathlon.