A Beginner's Guide to IRONMAN – Before you Sign up

In the first of our three-part articles, coach Soraya talks us through the key steps to go through just before you have signed up for, just after signing up for and the final lead into to an IRONMAN race. Read on for the beginner’s guide to IRONMAN.

“That’s further than driving from Casablanca to Marrakech! Why would anyone do that?!”

This was my reaction when I first heard about long-distance racing. To me, the idea that someone would voluntarily put themselves through a 3.8km swim, a 180km cycle and a 42.2km run was utter madness. Yet, something about it intrigued me, and after witnessing my first IRONMAN as a spectator, I knew that I would one day be at the start line of one.

What are the most important things you need to know when tackling your first IRONMAN?

Before signing up

There are specific questions you need to be answered before actually signing up.

1) Why do you want to do an IRONMAN?

This seems like a silly question, but it’s the most important one. “It sounds like a cool thing to do” probably won’t get you to the finish line - you need to understand what is motivating you to do this so that when things get tough, you can stay focused on the task at hand (both in training and during the race).

2) What is your current endurance fitness level and how long do you need to train for an IRONMAN?

Anyone can do an IRONMAN if they want to. If you are considering it, then there is no doubt that you can do it too… with a bit of self-belief and hard work, you can achieve anything.

#believe in yourself,

#strive and work towards it

#achieve it

However, you need to give yourself the best chances of success. Be honest with yourself when evaluating your current endurance fitness level. Note that I put the word endurance in there – you may be the fittest cross-fitter or sprinter on Earth, but if you are not used to endurance sports, then you need to build that up slowly in a similar way a beginner does. Unfortunately (or fortunately, as training is part of the fun!), there are no shortcuts. Just give yourself a bit more time to prepare and build up the miles safely. I would say a year is a reasonable time frame for most already-active people.

3) Can your lifestyle handle IRONMAN training?

Most active people can “wing” a 70.3. This approach won’t get them the best results, but they will probably finish the race, hopefully uninjured. This is less true for an IRONMAN - sure, there’s always that guy (or girl) that can wake up one morning and say “tomorrow, I’m doing an IRONMAN”, and then go off and do it in under 11 hours. Those people do exist, but they are rare. It’s probably not you, and it most certainly isn’t me. So for the rest of us ordinary people, training for an IRONMAN requires dedication. Whether your goal is to qualify for Kona or to make the cut off time, you will have to work hard to cross that finish line. This means you won’t have much time for family and friends, as when you aren’t training or working, you need to be recovering. Think about your existing commitments and whether you have the bandwidth to train (& recover) for an IRONMAN.

Still keen? Good, read on!

4) Picking your race

There are hundreds of races out there - so how do you pick? Here are a few factors to consider:

Location & scenery that inspires you.: this is more important than you’d think. You are spending many hours on the course so you might as well enjoy the view!
Weather at that time of year: think about if and how you can train in similar conditions
Cost of travel and accommodation.
Your non-IRONMAN commitments (i.e. life): what time of year are you best able to train? Think about when work, social or family obligations get busy and make sure that doesn’t clash with your highest training load months leading to the race
Swim course: if you are nervous swimming open water, pick a race with a similar swim venue to where you can train (i.e. don’t choose a race with a sea swim in potentially choppy waters if you have no way to prepare for that)
Bike and run course: check the profiles. Do you prefer hills or a flat course?
Race environment: a large happy crowd makes all the difference for some people. Are you “some people”?
COVID-related limitations

Once you have picked your race, you are confident you have the capacity to train for it, and you are motivated to complete the distance. You are about to embark on a fascinating adventure of self-discovery and growth along with a lot of excellent training too! Read on to find out what to do after signing up!

We’re here to help

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.

Soraya MerryleesSeptember 25, 2020Soraya Merrylees, Triathlon, IRONMAN, Racing, Training, Coaching, 1stironmanComment

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