Part I of the series touched on how to use race simulation workouts for Sprint and Olympic distance triathlon races. That article can be found below:
The race is on—Part I
The ground is thawing out and triathlon races are on the schedule. That also may mean you are making the transition from building fitness to sharpening race skills.
This week, we cover a similar idea for longer races such as 70.3 and Ironman.
What’s the point?
Setting realistic expectations
In a short race like a sprint, you can probably get by with a pacing error. It may suck, but you’ll finish. When the distances get longer, a critical pacing error can make for a long day, or worse, a DNF. A race specific training day can help dial in your expectations.
Can you stomach the distance?
Fueling becomes more important with longer races.
Too little intake
Too much intake
Over/under hydration
A product your stomach does not agree with
All are enough to ruin your day, but can be ironed out if you have practiced using gels, bars, chews, or drink mix in the
Quantity you need
At race intensity
“Everyone should use _____” is bad advice. You may need to shop around to find what works best for your own situation.
Half-Ironman 70.3 (1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run)
Regardless of ability level, a 70.3 is a long way and prioritizing a stellar run can put you a cut above your competition (who will often over-bike at this race distance).
An example race simulation day is as follows:
Swim—Pool or open water
Choice warmup of ~1,000 meters then…
5x400 steady with :15 rest
If you have a marked course in a lake near you, hitting these longer reps in the open water is great practice. If not, the pool will still work. The purpose of this workout is to find a pace or effort level you can sustain without degradation across the set of 400s. It should feel relatively comfortable. If you have trouble with the 4th and 5th rep, I can guarantee you that you will not be holding that pace on race day…and if you do, it will likely come at an unnecessary cost to your bike/run performance.
Take a few hours to rest and refuel.
Bike/run brick—
Bike—2.5 hours
30’ getting the legs moving
40’/20’/30’/15’ (all with 5’ easy between)
The goal of this workout is to ride the interval portions at your target race power, heart rate, or effort level depending on what metrics you like to use. If your goal is 200W average for your race, then 200W is your target for the workout.
Starting out with a 40-minute segment right off the bat forces you to be honest with your pacing. Anyone can clip off 15’ or 20’ at your race effort….at least I hope so given that you may be on the bike for far longer than that in race. But executing a higher total volume of these efforts will reveal how realistic this pace might be.
Run—10KM
5KM build up to race pace
Self-supported aid station stop
5KM settle into race pace
Much like the Olympic-distance, it is easy to overcook those first few miles or KMs. Give yourself a chance to build into the effort and find your legs. It may also be a good idea to set up an aid station on your route to practice taking on fluids or nutrition.
In my first 70.3, I walked two aid stations to make sure I got fluids down on a hot day. I still was able to deliver a 1:26 run. The next year, I did the same and ran 1:22. It does not eat into your time as much as you think if you slow down the mind and take care of business. It does eat into your time if you are walking due to a bonk.
Another option for 70.3 race practice is to hop in an Olympic-distance race. If time, energy, and finances allow, a strong 10K run off the bike, in a competitive scenario, feeling like you have more in the tank can be the confidence boost you need with a half-iron race on the horizon.
Ironman (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run)
You’ll never be able to simulate the feeling of being deep into the marathon in an Ironman. I’d also argue that you don’t want to find yourself in that scenario outside of race day. However, there is some value to having a long day on the tools in preparation for the Ironman distance.
An example race simulation day is as follows:
Swim—Pool or open water
1-hour continuous
It is boring. It is long. It is also informative. Most amateur Ironman athletes will be swimming longer than hour, so it is important to get familiar with swimming without a break on the wall like you might take during a swim session. Bonus points if you execute this swim in open water to gain some familiarity with waves, murky water, and no wall to push off.
Take a few hours to rest and refuel.
Bike/run brick—
Bike—4.5 hours
3 x the following
1 hour easy effort
30 minutes steady
For the average Ironman amateur, there is no such thing as “Ironman pace”. Your best race is going to come from the ability to maintain “easy training pace” across an entire day. After about 10 hours, the duration of the event is going to be plenty hard enough to where easy no longer feels like a walk in the park. If you are in a hurry to make the race hard, it is going to be a long day.
Run—10KM
Find your legs and settle in
When you start this run, you will already have bagged 5.5 hours of training between swim and bike. That is quite a bit. The run here is intended to give you a glimpse into how you are operating after a swim and long bike. Given that this is still training, you want to make sure you are able to recover from a day like this, so 10 KM off the bike is enough. There are no pace expectations other than staying relaxed and shaking out the jelly legs. Remember, pushing the pace out of transition can end poorly.
The Races is On Series was intended to provide you ideas for how to gather data on your preparedness. Practice races can often be expensive or time consuming. Setting up your own simulation can be an efficient and productive endeavor that boosts both physical and mental fitness.
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