Joe Friel - How to Have a Personal Best Ironman

Still kicking the tires on this idea...although I really like Joe Friel's plan. Seems simple to follow too :-)

Click here to read his full blog post

How to Have a Personal Best Ironman

I.  Hire a smart coach, or if self-coached follow these guidelines…

II. Select a race that matches your strengths

            A.  Hilly = strong cyclist course; flat = strong runner course VINEMAN!

            B.  Wetsuit = swim is weak; no wetsuit = good swimmer VINEMAN!

            C.  Consider conditions: typical temperature, humidity, wind

            D.  Avoid higher altitude (~1% loss of VO₂max for every 1000’ gain)

III. Training overview

             A.  Philosophy: Ironman is a bike race with a swim warm-up and a jog to the finish (wrapped around an eating contest) I LOVE this philosophy!!!

            B.  Training stabilizes at ~15+ hpw by 15 weeks prior

            C.  Plan weekly training time by sport starting from base of: S-20%, B-50%, R-30% (adjust for limiter)

            D.  From 15-3 weeks prior, long weekly workouts are key sessions

            E.  Do 2 “Big Days” ~11 and ~5 weeks prior to race day Already on my calendar!

            F.  Recover for 3-5 days when the body says it’s time

IV.  Swim training (last 15 weeks)

            A.  Swim 2-4 times per week depending on if swim is a limiter

            B.  If not a limiter…

                    1.  2-3 swims per week I like this number! LOL

                    2. One long (~1 hour) Wait...an hour is considered long! Yay!!!

                    3.  1-2 short & fast preparing for start

            C.  If a limiter…

                    1.  Focus only on speed skill limiters: PDLC (posture, direction, length, catch)

                    2.  3-4 swims per week

                    3.  One long (~1.25 hours)

                    4.  2-3 x 30 min workouts doing only “speed skill 25s” (focus on P, D, L, or C)

V.   Bike training (last 15 weeks) Lots of riding...I like it!

            A.  Determines outcome of race

            B.  Get a professional bike fitting prior to 15 weeks

            C.  Get as fit as possible—then hold back in race (must rehearse)

            D.  Ride 4-6 times per week Wow, that is a LOT of riding! LOL ...still like it ;-)

            E.  Use a power meter  Hmmm...Garmin pedals for my b-day???

                        1.  Determine appropriate race intensity factor (IF 65-75%)

                        2.  Do weekly long ride (5-6 hrs + 15min run) focused on race IF

                        3.  Other rides are race conditions & terrain focused

            F.  Steady pacing—NO SURGING (the most common cause of poor run)

VI.  Run training (last 15 weeks)

            A.  Run 2-3 times per week depending on strength vs. limiter

            B.  Weekly long, easy run of 2-2.5 hours

            C.  Other runs are short: speed skills, conditions & terrain focused

            D.  No intervals, no “speedwork” – always comfortable (lots of z2) Always comfy!

VII. Eat the least amount necessary

            A.  Too much leads to bloating, nausea, DNF

            B.  All you need is water and sugar—everything else is optional and likely to cause bloating

            C.  The slower you go, the more you can take in

            D.  Rehearse & refine eating on ALL long rides

VIII. For more details search my blog