Our coaches' top tips for your first IRONMAN
The athletes we work with as a collective and the coaches themselves have competed in countless IRONMAN events worldwide. Drawing on their vast experience, we want to know - what have they learned? Looking back, what would they have told themselves before they took on their very first IRONMAN. Read on to pick up their top tips for first-time IRONMAN athletes.
Pre-Race:
Practice in your race day kit
Before you take on your first IRONMAN, make sure you have trained in your full race kit. Don’t wear anything new on race day. Coach Alan recommends doing plenty of long swims in the open water with your wetsuit as well as some swims in your tri-suit before race day. Alan recalls coming across an athlete trying out their brand new wetsuit, which they had just bought at the expo, the day before their first IRONMAN. It also happened to be their first-ever open water swim. Not the best preparation!
Take it easy
In the days leading up to your IRONMAN event, Coach Diogo recommends taking it easy. Some triathletes really struggle to relax, especially after many months of solid training leading up to the race. Spend as much time off your feet as possible. Save the city sightseeing for the days post-race. Walking around all day can really sap your energy. Diogo especially recommends holding back at the IRONMAN Expo - ‘Just visit the expo once and only once - you’ll save your legs and your wallet!’ Having some good films or a series to watch on your laptop or tablet is a good way to distract yourself a little and relax.
You’ve earned it
When you arrive at your first IRONMAN race venue, you may become overwhelmed by all of the extremely professional looking athletes, the incredibly expensive bikes and all the shaved legs! At these times coach Philip recommends ‘reminding yourself you’ve done the work and you deserve to be there’.
Get organised
There is so much to do and so much kit to sort out before an IRONMAN. Take your time, plan ahead and get organised. Coach Jon recommends, ‘making a list of all the things you need in each of your transition bags, lay the bags out and check all the items on your list are in the right bag. You don’t want to be rushing around searching for that missing item of kit in the last few minutes before the race.’ Our helpful kit list can help you here.
Lube up…!
Coach Alan wouldn’t go anywhere near an IRONMAN event without copious amounts of lubrication. ’ The key place to watch out for are - toes, armpits, nipples, crotch, glutes (and between them) and any ill-designed seams in a tri suit! You could also put some extra lube in your T2 bag in case of emergency and if you are using a special needs bag put some in there as well. Those little mini-pots of Vaseline will help you slide out of any difficult situation you find yourself in. Nobody likes being rubbed raw... not even ironmen or women.’
Look after your feet.
Keeping your feet dry can help prevent blisters in your IRONMAN run - putting talcum powder in your shoes and socks can help. Unlike short course races, most coaches would advise athletes to take the extra 30 seconds to put on a pair of good quality running socks for the marathon. Before Coach Tracy’s first IRONMAN experience, in the heat, she would have told herself to ‘pack a bigger sized pair of shoes for a hot race’ - her feet swelled up so much with the high temperatures that she couldn't get her running shoes on in T2! Something to think about if you’re first IRONMAN is in a warmer climate.
In the race:
Stay calm
Coach Soraya would encourage new IRONMAN athletes to stay calm - - ‘all the hard work is done, now it’s time to enjoy the day!’
Pacing is key
Coach Diogo would remind first-timers ‘not to push too hard when you feel good - stick to the plan and don’t be fooled by all the extra energy!’ Pacing is everything. It’s a long, long race.
Race your own race
Coach Diogo would also advise first-timers not to worry about other athletes. ‘You have to forget about athletes overtaking you on their superbikes’. Focus on what you have to do; everyone gets passed at some point; it is part of every race day. Coach Alan would add ‘if you are the one overtaking, stay focussed on your plan and don't get carried away, triathlon always has ebbs and flows due to different discipline strengths and weaknesses.’
Don’t panic
Coach Soraya would advise athletes to stick to their race plan, however, if something unexpected were to happen Soraya would say ‘ don’t beat yourself up about it, ‘just go with the flow’. Coach Alan advises thinking about ‘what If’ scenarios ahead of time. Having a plan in place for what you will do when certain things go wrong can help you quickly put the plan into action on race day.
Keep eating
First-time IRONMAN athletes should ensure they have practised their nutrition strategy before race day. Still, coach Soraya also shares this advice: ‘Don’t forget to have lunch - grab a sandwich on the bike!’ - for some athletes having something savoury can give your stomach a nice break from all the gels and bars. Check out our blogs for more information on how to fuel your IRONMAN and how to stay hydrated in your IRONMAN.
Persevere
Everyone has those dark, ‘I can’t do this moments’ in their first IRONMAN. Coach Soraya tells her athletes to keep themselves going with positive self-talk and mantras - ‘Whatever you do, keep moving’. Coach Tim recommends breaking down an IRONMAN marathon into manageable ‘chunks’. He would recommend a walk/run strategy for many first-time IRONMAN athletes. To read how a walk/run strategy could get you to the finish line quicker, check out Tim’s blog.
Don't fixate on your time.
Many first-time IRONMAN athletes push themselves too far too early in their first IRONMAN trying to get themselves under ‘a magic time’, coach Jon would say ‘don’t obsess over the time, it’s a race against your body - let the time look after itself.’
Embrace the support
The atmosphere at an IRONMAN event is electric - Coach Philip recommends soaking it up and using it to your advantage - ‘the support at an IRONMAN is unreal, it will give you that extra 10% you need to push it all the way to the finish line.’
We have lots of blogs available to help you prepare for your first IRONMAN, and our coaches are always on hand to answer any of your questions. If you are still unsure about taking on your first IRONMAN, you could even go and spectate at an IRONMAN branded event. This will help you get a feel for what to expect come race day.
Jon has been coaching with his local triathlon club in Hertfordshire around his full-time job as an airline pilot for several years. Unfortunately, Jon lost his pilot’s licence for 11 months in 2019 due to being diagnosed with testicular cancer (read his story here). He used the time off from flying to complete his Level 2 and Level 2 BTF diploma qualifications as well as a L3 Personal Trainer qualification. With his new coaching qualifications under his belt, Jon was able to join Tri Training Harder as a coach in 2019. He has now recovered from cancer, started flying again and is training hard for the coming triathlon season.
Jon has a flexible approach to coaching and training, from his own busy lifestyle he knows how to balance training around family, friends and social commitments. Jon loves to utilise the knowledge gained on his Personal Trainer course and finds incorporating well-structured strength and conditioning sessions vital to triathlon performance.
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Tri Training Harder are one of the leading Triathlon coaching providers in the UK, using our wealth of experience to unite scientific and technological research with already well-established and successful best practices, to create a formula for triathlon and endurance coaching that works.
The result is an honest, dynamic, yet simple new way of constructing an athlete’s training to allow them to reach their potential.
If you’re planning your next season, just starting out in the sport or are looking for extra guidance at the very top end of the field, we are here to help, and our coaches would be delighted to hear from you. You can contact us via the website, and one of the team will be in touch.