How Fast Can I Go in an Ironman?

This is the dirty little secret that nobody wants to write about, much less talk about.

Ironman is a 2.4 mile swim followed by a 112-mile bike and then a marathon (yes, Virginia, ALL marathons are 26.2 miles).

We can, without hurting ourselves (but still needing recovery), complete one or more 2.4 mile swims, and one or more 112-mile rides in training. We could, but IMHO, should not, run an open marathon during Ironman training. Why? The recovery cost is too high. To fully recover from a marathon that was run at your best marathon pace requires at least 2 weeks of recovery, meaning little to no running, reduced swimming and biking. Plus, the way you run in that open marathon, while it is technically the same distance that happens at the end of an Ironman, is much different than that Ironman thing. So really, what have you accomplished by racing a marathon during Ironman training? Well, you found out how fast you could go running 26.2 miles by itself, you just cost yourself at least 2 weeks of solid training time that probably could be better spent working on your cycling endurance, and you might have even picked up a URI or musculoskeletal injury in the process. Like it or not, your immune system takes quite a hit in the post-marathon weeks, and you sustain well-documented muscular damage.

OK, now, back to figuring out how fast I can go. I can swim that 2.4 mile open water swim in practice, I can even "race" it. Should I go as fast in the Ironman swim as I did in the swim race? Only to the extent you are able to hold good form and stay aerobic (in terms of heart rate). Believe it or not, even those really fast Ironman swimmers (less than 1 hour) are holding something back during the Ironman swim. Why? Think about it this way. Based on your fitness going into the race, each of us has so many heartbeats or "matches" that we can use up. If we blow too many during the swim, we are left with less to work with for the bike and the run.

In my personal experience, when I do a 2.4 mile swim time trial in training, I am pretty much dead-on for what I can expect in the Ironman race, plus or minus 2-5 minutes for jostling, gaining position, getting hit, congestion, etc. Why? Because when I swim 2.4 miles during training, I have a pretty hefty level of fatigue I'm working on, and if I am going to ride or run long the very next day, this is a good simulation of the speed I should swim during the Ironman.

When you get to that start line on race day, you are all rested and rarin' to go. So it's not unusual for someone to think, "Hey, I'm rested, I should be able to go faster than during that practice swim." WRONG! You are going to ride 112 miles and then run 26.2 after this, dumbass! This is a general statement about Ironman racing. You will not be going faster than you did in training sessions. Ironman is an aerobic day of 140.6 miles, not a fun, fast 100-mile ride at 21MPH (I've done those, btw--lots of fun, but no indication of how fast I ride in an Ironman race), where all you've got to do afterwards is go get something to eat and probably a few beers (if you are like me), and then get home and lay around.

What does it mean if I go a lot slower on race day than in my race rehearsal swim? You could be too nervous, you went out too hard (and slowed significantly), you picked the wrong place to seed yourself and had to fight through more athletes to find your pace, you didn't relax enough, you weren't rested enough. Use the result as an opportunity to think about what happened, and consider if it requires adjustments to your training for the next time.

What does it mean if I go faster on race day than in my race rehearsal swim? Good on you! Please check your heart rate, though, because if you punched it too hard you might want to ease back a little more than normal for part of the bike ride. Remember those matches! It's also possible you were just motivated to swim up to your training/fitness level by the race than during training.

OK, so that takes care of the swim. How fast can I go on the bike? Again, you can and should do some practice rides, that include some running afterwards, of 100+ miles. Ideally, you ride 112 miles on an actual Ironman course. If you live anywhere within 5 hours of Madison, Wisconsin, use that Ironman course for your race rehearsal ride. Same for other Ironman courses, provided they are safe enough. Can I just ride and forget the run afterwards? Not really. See if you know you don't have to run, you ride faster, right? Come on, just admit it. Plus, riding fast at times is what helps you to build your cycling endurance. How do I know how fast to ride these "test" rides? There are 2 options: by heart rate, or by power (watts). Hopefully, you've been training the bike with one or the other and know where your heart rate or watts should be based on your fitness and other tests done along the way. Suffice it to say that you will be riding very aerobically. Again, consider all those heart beats or matches you have to spend over your 140.6 miles. If you spend too many on the bike, guess what happens when you get to the run? Out of gas, bonking, tremendous fatigue, lots of walking.

How much should I run afterwards? Well, you don't have to run as much as you think. 40-60 minutes is all. When in doubt, err on the lesser side. The point is to understand how your legs feel after riding 112 miles; not push into territory where you are risking injury or significant recovery time. The ride itself is plenty taxing and will require some recovery, so if you stack on too much running afterwards, you are asking for trouble. Besides, it takes most people only 20-30 minutes to resume their "normal" running stride. You will know right away that it sucks to run after riding 112-miles--how long do you need to keep running to get that through your thick skull? By the way, you can expect that when you get off the bike, your hip flexors will feel very tired, and your stride will automatically shorten. Here is where it pays off to have practiced that shorter, quicker stride in training.

What does it mean if my race time is slower than what I practiced during training? You might have brought the wrong cassette to the race (always select your cassette based on the course profile and your climbing ability), you might have swum too fast, your stomach might have decided not to cooperate, weather could be affecting you (in which case most athletes will experience the same thing), or you could have executed your race rehearsal improperly. Whatever the reason, you have burned less matches, and instead of fretting over it, consider now you might be able to go faster on the run.

What does it mean if my race time is faster than what I practiced during training? Again, you should be checking your heart rate/powermeter here to see what's gone on. If you were able to maintain your practiced heart rate or power and go faster, EXCELLENT! But if these things are out of whack, assess your condition and use that as a basis to set up your run expectations.

How fast am I going to be able to run that marathon? Here is where it gets dicey. IF you paced your swim correctly for your fitness, AND you paced your bike correctly and stayed aerobic/controlled your watts appropriately, THEN you will be able to run as fast as your current overall endurance, and particularly your cycling endurance, permits you to go. The one true statement you can make is that you won't go as fast as your open marathon time! Other things that will limit your speed on the run include, but are not limited to:

• how well you executed your nutrition and hydration on the bike.
• your mental state--you need to have a pretty good reason to keep going for 26.2 miles when you are already tired to begin with.
• starting the run too fast. You can always get the time back, but like those matches, once they are burned, they are gone.
• humility. If you convince yourself that you are not going to walk, and run let's say the first 9-13 miles, you might be surprised to find out that you need to walk and that perhaps you should have eased into things.

There are other things, too, but if you've paced your swim and bike properly, and executed your nutrition and hydration properly, and you have superior cycling endurance, then with some mental toughness you should be able to get within 20% of your open marathon time. Ironman marathon times are not "fast" by running standards (2:45???). So once you start running, you will be doing the best you can based on your fitness, mental and race execution skills.

What if your run performance was significantly slower than you thought you could do? It could be weather, you biked too fast, your nutrition was off, you lost mental focus, or you just plain don't have the cycling endurance yet to go as fast as you think.

What if your run performance was faster than you thought you could do? I don't need to tell YOU anything--you are probably ecstatic!

For guidance on race rehearsal weekends, which include a swim TT and 112-mile ride followed by a run, go here: http://cruciblefitness.com/etips/rehearsal-week.htm

One more thing--many people want to know how indicative a 1/2 Ironman race performance is to one's Ironman time. Things to consider:

• there is far less time during a HIM for big problems to express themselves. You might get away with some nutrition and pacing mistakes in a HIM, but not a full.
• you can go harder during all 3 sports, if you are a highly-trained athlete, in a HIM. The speed factor is much different.
• the cumulative fatigue you have as you begin the next sport in the progression is significantly less in a HIM than a full.
• if you "blow up" partway through a HIM, you can recover from it and still finish in a decent time. If you blow up in an Ironman, though, most likely it's game over and a death shuffle, if that's even possible, to the finish.

A rule of thumb is take your HIM time, double it and add 2 hours for a first Ironman. Another rule of thumb is that predicting your first Ironman finish time is a crap shoot. I think that if you can do one or two race rehearsals you have a much better shot at predicting a finish time than someone who doesn't do these simulations. Ultimately, it will come down to your overall fitness level, execution skills and mental toughness. As you will see if you read the Crucible Fitness guidance, when you finish the ride in an Ironman, that's the first time during the day when you will really have some idea of what you might be able to do on the run and have a good chance of meeting your goal.

How do you train so that you can swim at an "all day pace" at a decent speed and then bike strongly for 112 miles followed by running a marathon? That is something I defer to coaches and such (even though I know quite a bit about this--and I have coached a few athletes). If you are doing an Ironman for the first time or are looking to improve your time in another Ironman, I highly recommend you get a coach. And then while you are coached, ask questions, pay attention, and learn something about how it's done.

The other thing I suggest for first-timers is to get an Iron Mentor. No, it's not good enough to cruise around on the blogs reading and commenting. I mean latch onto someone that you know is successful at this game (and can even train with, if possible), and ask them to help you along. In addition to the training, there are lots of little details that can make your day more fun and rewarding. I am in the process of compiling a list of tips (everything that I can think of shy of how to train), and when it's finished, I will post it here, but in the meantime, get thee an Iron Mentor. Formally ask that person to mentor you. Be nice to them. Ask them stupid questions. Tell them how you're doing. Tell your coach you have one (trust me, they will be HAPPY you are doing it).

Have a great day and great training!

Iron Camp

If you are an Iron Virgin, these camps, sponsored by my coach, are for you. Check it out:

Iron Camp Midwest
Iron Camp West
Iron Camp East

While you can get a lot of good information about tips for this and that from the Internet, there is no substitute for several days of expert discussion and advice. Plus, you may get to meet me if you attend Iron Camp Midwest! And if you're really lucky, you might get to ride and/or run with me! I'll be up in Madison that weekend biking my brains out in preparation for my next Ironman race.

I originally met my coach at one of these camps in 2003. At the time, I was self-coached, and I was so impressed by Rich and his solid training and execution knowledge that I decided that the next time I was considering utilizing a coach that he would be "the man." And that time came the following spring when I found out (from Rich, actually) that I had secured a lottery entry into Ironman Hawaii.

I would recommend this camp even for those of you who have an internet-based coach, i.e., you do not meet with this person regularly and the bulk of your exchange is conducted via email. I have mentored several other athletes who had such coaches, and while they had solid training plans, there is a lot more to successfully completing an Iron-distance event than the training itself. And even though I have mentored other Iron Virgins, I still send them to camp so that they know what I am telling them is the real deal!

Now you might be thinking, "isn't this too close to the race to be of benefit to me?" The answer is NO. Again, one of the key takeaways I got from that camp I attended was execution techniques. And I was able to utilize them in my very next Ironman race with success!

Sure there's more money involved in attending this camp, but if you look at what you are getting, it's actually a great deal. If you think you might do more than one Ironman race in your lifetime, it's money well spent.

1/17-1/18/2006 Workouts, Blast from the Past and Some Ruminations

The photo at left is the blast from the past. That's me running in August, 2004 in a sprint triathlon where I won my age group and had the fastest overall women's bike split. That was one week before Ironman Canada, where I did my fastest Ironman to date. And followed it up by my 2nd fastest Ironman in Hawaii. Man, I wish I was tan now. I am pasty white right about now (but just as lean if not leaner than in the photo).

1/17 Workout
3:35PM Bike 1:00, 445 kcal, average HR 111, average watts 119. The objective of this workout was just to be on the bike, easy spinning. Well, I did 2 HOURS of that on Saturday, and it was boring as hell (even though I watched Running on the Sun and the first 15' of A Clockwork Orange), but it was necessary I try to not go too hard my first ride back. So yesterday, I thought I would just run through my cogs in the SCR (Small Chain Ring) and then move into the BCR and see how it felt. I only really upped the intensity for the last 20', and it felt good! I didn't feel like I was ready to crank out FT watts yet, but considering I averaged 119 watts for the entire ride (which is in my "steady" or Ironman watts range), I did well. And I just noticed that I was hitting my Ironman watts at a lower than normal HR. YEAH, BABY!

1/18 Workouts:
7:15AM Swim 2700 yards in 57:47. This workout included 4x400 negative split with 20" rest as the main set. I had no endurance issues; the pool was FLIPPIN' HOT--85 degrees! It was SO hard to push myself at all, and when I started the workout I felt like I was in a bad mood (more on that later), so the temperature of the water wasn't helping. But, at some point I decided to focus on one thing during the swim, which was my head position. My head position isn't bad, but I do notice that it isn't neutral enough when I'm breathing to my left side. So when I spent time to focus on it today, I noticed that my position isn't all that neutral to the RIGHT, either. So I worked on that, and even though my speed was non-existent, a good thing came out of the workout. All right! This is a technique anyone can use. There is always SOMETHING you can manage to do of value during a workout even if you feel like crap, are in a bad mood, are tired, anything (except bonking!).

1:20PM Run :45, 373 kcal, average heart rate 116. Can I say how good it felt to run again? IT FELT FUCKING GOOD, THAT'S HOW IT FELT! I felt light as a feather on my feet, nothing untoward in the way of pain (the top of my right foot is still a little sensitive, and it let me know that today), didn't lose any speed, and my HR didn't go nuts! I had an ostensibly easy workout to do, and it went like this: 25' warmup from easy to steady, 10' of strides on the track, and then 10' on the track. The strides felt great, and when I started the last 10', I was curious as to how fast I could go. I wasn't going to look at my HR; just run. I tried not to go out too fast, and when all was said and done, I ended up running 7:52/mile! That is unheard of for me! Actually after I finished 1 mile I looked at my watch and saw 7:55, and I just wanted to hold that, but I guess I picked it up just a tad! It felt GOOD to run fast, and even though I was at (maybe over?) my 5K pace, what the hell, welcome back to running, Crackhead!

Now on to some ruminations. This morning while swimming and feeling in a bad mood, I had this sense of restlessness, because I am not sure what I want to do in 2007. Reality check--it just turned 2006, OK? But still, up until this year, I could pretty much tell you what might be on tap the following year. Not so much right now. Sure, I entered that Western States 100 raffle, and if I win, I guess that's what I'll be doing--but today I was thinking what if I just did one 1/2 Ironman per month from May through September? That would be pretty cool. My training would be something like the following 4-week cycle:
Week 1: Bike and run like hell
Week 2: Bike and run like hell
Week 3: Taper down just a little bit (2 days)
Week 4: Taper up just a little bit with full return to biking by the weekend

How much fucking fun would THAT be? Plus I'm sure I'd come out of it a speed demon. But then back to trying to swim. I realized I was focusing so much on the future, I had better stop and do what I needed to do RIGHT NOW. And as soon as I got my head back to swimming, despite the pool temperature, I felt at peace and all was good with the world.

It IS possible to plan too much, but what I was trying to do today was not so much plan, but force myself to make a decision before I'm ready. I have plenty of time to think about next year, and what it is is somewhat dependent on this year. But I think the point of todays thoughts were that I AM becoming a little burned out with Ironman--other than going to new places and spending lots more money, what is left for me to do there? This is how it gets when I feel I've mastered something--I need some time away for it so that it can become just part of my repetoire to draw on for future free time. Again, I'm not saying I've reached the pinnacle of my fitness or speed by any means, but at some point this old lady is going to hit that final PR and then it is all downhill from there. So I guess I'd rather go out on a high note and switch the engines to the pursuit of something different. Or maybe not. It's too soon to tell.

I think a little of what I'm experiencing, too, is post-big event letdown. I don't feel let down so much as well, my life is still messed up because I'm still not in my regular training pattern/volume. Which is why TWO WORKOUTS today felt better. I may kick myself in the pants in a few weeks if I come back and read this post, but so be it. Part of why I do this stuff is it helps me to feel sane by not giving my overly-active mind too much time to be idle. Not that my mind is ever really "idle," just that I've developed this ability to calm it through training, and while I've gotten MUCH better at doing that outside of training, hey, I'm still human and far from perfect and I haven't achieved nirvana, and so I still get thrown out of whack.

In summary, I am coming to a crossroads in my life. Oh, my fucking craziness! Writing this just now I realize that this happens to me about every 5 years LIKE CLOCKWORK! I've done Ironmans for 5 years, DUH! The 5 years before that I basically got my post-divorce crazy on (if you know what I mean). The 5 years before that I spent figuring out why my marriage was not working for me. It's time for me to do some serious thinking, so I guess it's good that I am working on getting my mental house in order. These watershed events require careful and deep thought, and whereas in the past, I sort of just "rolled" or "defaulted" into the next phase, this time I have complete and utter power to decide where I want to be. What a wonderful problem to have!

1/16/2006 Workouts: Transition Time and Reality Check

7:17AM Swim 2750 yards in 1:02. Easy technique workout. I was surprised that after not having spent too much time in the water in the past few weeks that my swim golf score was way low. Part of the reason is that sometimes I have a tendency to "think too much" when I swim, and that takes away from the natural flow and gracefulness that I've cultivated. But as the workout wore on, I could feel a little upper body fatigue, but not too much. I am actually looking forward to Wednesday's swim workout, so I can see where I stand on speed.

3PM Strength, 3x20 in 1:40. This is the longest strength workout I will do all season! I wasn't sure if I was up to 3 sets of 20 (for the last 2 weeks I did 2 sets of 20 reps), but I figured since I didn't have to run today, I might as well go for it. I can tell you I will be tired from this later on today and tomorrow, but I'm glad I got right back on the strength wagon, as it will help me tolerate higher intensity workouts to come.

Mentally today I felt rather blah--coming down from the high of Goofy Challenge and not working out much last week can do that. So I'm in a transitional period, where I can still feel good inside about what I just accomplished, but it's time to switch the beacon to point at the next objective. I am really looking forward to my first run back on Wednesday, and I even feel like I'll be able to knock out 9 miles this weekend! Wouldn't that be something? Well, not really, I think I've done that before, but I have short-term memory. My biggest concern is how will my legs feel during my first bike interval workout? That may not be until next week. I dabbled a little bit at 1/2 Ironman watts on Saturday, and it felt fine. I have to say, though, those bike FT sessions are NEVER easy, but I know how strong they make me. Shit, I felt like I had almost tireless legs at Disney!

Ralph's is going to be fun. My swim volume is already there (1/2 IM swim is nothing to me), and my run volume is way over where it needs to be, so my guess is it will be time to pick up some more biking. Maybe just add 30-60' onto the long ride with some more quality work. I just can't stand "just spinning" anymore. How boring! I would rather be focusing on something really hard than just going la-di-da.

I think this feeling of "ease" about 1/2 and full Ironman distance racing is what is driving me to begin thinking about my next big challenge. Don't get me wrong--going fast at these distances takes a lot of discipline, training and execution skills--it's just that I have most of it down, at least for the level where I'm competing now.

We will have to see just how well I do at Ironman Brazil. I think that is going to be a real telling event for me. Whether or not I qualify for Kona there, it will be important for me to have a good run off the bike. 4:30 would be a good run off the bike! If I can pull that off, I'll have accomplished my next "phase" of Ironman ability.

I think I pointed to this in a previous post, but for reference sake, here is my coach's take on the development of a triathlete: http://www.cruciblefitness.com/etips/athletetable.htm Yikes I just looked at this again and believe I've reached "expert" level. What does that mean? It doesn't mean I'm the fastest person out there, but it means I am very cognizant of my limits, know that they are mostly mental, have confidence in my fitness level and ability to execute based on it, and am not afraid to bite off interesting challenges.

But I still think that 4:30 Ironman run needs to be done! And logically, I have wanted to qualify for Kona, but I know that isn't doable without that run! Or else suffering through Ironman New Zealand. Someone a little younger than me got a Kona slot there by going like 15:30!!! Sheesh, that would be loafing for me--of course I'm happy for anyone who earns a slot, but I am looking at 12-something to do it in.

If I can hit 12:15 in Brazil, then whether or not it gets me a Kona slot, I will have to think about what's next. Obviously, if I get the Kona slot, I go and race in Kona, and then I think it's time for a year away from Ironman (but not long distance!). If I don't get the Kona slot, but I still make my time goal, well, then I need to decide if getting that Kona slot is really what I want to continue to pursue. I can't answer that question right now.

I've known for several years now that my path has been to find out if I have what it takes to qualify for Kona, and knowing that if I can achieve that goal, Ultraman becomes a reality. I think I just about have it, but we need to do a test! If I fail the test this year, then I will need to look deep inside and figure out my next move.

I realize there are plenty of people (most of them, actually!) who do Ironman without any notion of every qualifying for Kona, yet they keep doing it. I don't know if I'm that sort of person. I have a feeling I would rather try something different, accomplish something new. That's why the idea of a 100-mile foot race is already actually sounding appealing to me. Again, it's one of those things I NEVER thought I would do, or really would WANT to do, but here I am begging people to enter the Western States 100 raffle for me!

I still think I'm on the path to Ultraman, though. One way or the other, I am going to do another BIG race in Kona. It's my destiny. Always has been. Hell, if I actually qualify for Kona, I may just have to finally pull off something I've been toying with for over 5 years--MOVING to Kona! I absolutely love it there, and up until 2005, had been there at least once a year since 1994. So I've figured the way for me to get back there is to qualify for Ironman Hawaii, and then I may finally take stock of my life and get my ass on the island permanently. At any rate, if I do qualify, it is going to make me think about a lot of things, and that is a problem I would DEARLY love to have!

Weekly Workout Totals 1/9/2006-1/15/2006

Swim: 6,100 yards in 2.17 hours
Bike: 2.00 hours
Run: 0 hours
Strength: .85 hours
Total Hours: 5.02
Average Sleep: 9.43 hours/night
Stretching: .75 hours (oops! should have done more, but better than nothing)
Accomplishments:

• Listened to my coach and did not run a single step
• Got lots of sleep to aid recovery from Goofy Challenge
• Did not go harder during my single bike workout than I was supposed to
• Did not do any leg work during my strength session to aid recovery from Goofy Challenge
• Stopped eating (cravings stopped) junk food by mid-week
• Got a mammogram
• Went out with friends on several evenings!
• Entered the Western States 100 Raffle (remember: you can enter and then if you win give me the entry, and the donation is tax-deductible!)

This is the least amount of training I've done during a week with the exception of the week after each Ironman race. I could tell my body needed some serious rest and recovery. It only took 3 days post-Goofy for my quads to come around and enable me to walk down stairs almost normally. I had a rew random aches and pains throughout the rest of the week as muscles, tendons, ligaments and cartilage rejuvenated and readjusted themselves. The top of my right foot is still not right--I am hoping it's just the fascia band that's upset. My right knee is still not right, either--it feels like PFS, but I'm hoping that since I'm not running until Wednesday that it will come around. It doesn't hurt at all going up or down stairs, and it doesn't hurt on the bike or if I jog. I don't have that much training to do this week, so I'm hoping everything will come right by the weekend.