- As we know, triathlon is an endurance sport,
and with that, it requires an element of pacing.
But an Ironman, or a long distance triathlon
on the other hand, is a whole different beast.
So it's vital you get your pacing right.
But you may have heard of the phrase,
swim, overbike, walk.
It is a common sight at Ironman events,
but it really does not need to be that way.
So today, I'm gonna help you out.
I'm gonna be running you through how to pace an Ironman.
(upbeat music)
So before we delve into each discipline,
it's worth taking a step back
and thinking about the race as a whole.
Now this isn't to put you off
because hopefully you know what you signed up for, right?
Well, anyway, an Ironman can take anywhere
between eight and 17 hours, depending on your level.
Obviously the eight hours is referring more
to the pros and the pointy ends of the field.
Either way, that is a heck of a long day out,
so it just highlights how important the pacing needs to be.
By the time you get to the run in an Ironman,
you'll have been racing for anywhere
between five and a half hours to 12 hours,
and then you have a marathon to complete.
Now, it's never gonna feel like a walk in the park,
but you can certainly make it easier for yourself,
more enjoyable, and improve your race time.
So let's run through your pacing for each discipline.
So your swim in an Ironman should be done
at a steady, and aerobic pace.
After all, this is stage one of a rather long day,
so you don't wanna be burning any matches at this point
and going too hard and into the red.
So there are several ways of pacing yourself
including heart rate, pace, and feel.
However, using perceived effort
of exertion works really well
because, well, trying to look at your watching
during a swim is near impossible anyway.
So if we use a perceived effort
of exertion scale ranging from one to 10,
one being easy, 10 being hard,
an Ironman swim should sit somewhere in the middle of that.
Something like a five out of 10.
And if this is your first triathlon of this length,
then I suggest trying to think of the swim
as a warm up as opposed to a race.
And that includes setting yourself a target swim time,
because that just sets unnecessary pressure
on yourself to perform and hit that time.
And also, if you don't hit that time,
then you just start the bike feeling demoralised,
or worse, you try and catch up to the time that you've lost
and go far too hard during the bike leg.
So it's a good idea to practise this pace
during your training to make sure
that you're really dialled in.
And this equates to around 60 to 70%
below your maximum heart rate,
or around 30 to 50 beats below that max heart rate.
Or alternatively, you can use critical swim speed,
or CSS for sure.
We have already done a video on that,
so you can watch that after this one
to find out how to work that out.
Basically, just add 5% per hundred metres
to your critical swim speed time,
and that is your Ironman swim pace.
(upbeat music)
Now for the bike,
probably the one that takes the most mental strength
to pace correctly, because it's all too easy
to go too hard during this section of the race.
Yet, it takes discipline, and it takes courage.
Especially, when other competitors are overtaking you.
But, it really does work, because on race day,
around that 80 mile point, you'll start
to see those other competitors fade and drop off,
when hopefully you come flying through.
And those mistakes that you want to avoid are,
surging during the bike.
Ranging from easy to hard,
it creates a huge level of fatigue.
Another, is trying to ride at a constant power
that's just a little too hard for you.
(panting)
And then there's the classic,
riding too hard on the hills,
probably due to inappropriate gearing.
The best advice I've heard is to treat the bike leg
like a training day.
So try not to get carried away
with the idea of it being a race.
And, if you start to feel the burn
from lactic at any point in the race,
then you should definitely, definitely back off.
Now a power metre is a really useful tool.
It's instantly reactive and it gives you a measurement
of how hard you're working.
If at any point you see the numbers
going too high, then you can simply back off
and see those numbers in real time.
And if you do already have a power metre,
then I suggest doing a 20-minute
functional threshold power test, or FTP for short.
So using your result from that,
you want to pace your Ironman bike leg
between 65% to 80% of your FTP.
So depending on how fast you are,
or you're hoping to go,
the higher or lower that percentage.
And on screen right now I have a rough guide
of that for you.
And rather than me running through each bit one-by-one,
why don't you just take a screen shot.
Yeah, go on, we'll wait for you.
Just take a screen shot.
Again, don't be over-optimistic with these percentages.
You're actually fine by riding at the correct intensity,
you'll be able to digest drinks
and energy snacks far easier, and therefore,
maintain your energy levels going on to the run.
Now, don't worry if you don't have a power metre,
because they're not the only answer.
Although, they are very useful,
you can complete an Ironman very well without one.
So I suggest using a perceived effort of exertion,
and you're aiming for something between three and five.
I know that sounds very low,
but you'll be pleased come halfway point
during the Ironman.
And using heart rate, or your maximum heart rate,
you wanna ride at something around 72 to 84%
of that maximum heart rate.
And those values are on screen right now
for you to take a screen shot of.
And obviously, the faster you're hoping to go,
the higher that percentage.
(upbeat music)
Okay, by this point of the race,
you're gonna be tired and low on energy.
So getting the pacing of the run is equally as important.
Allow yourself the first couple of kilometres
to relax and find your rhythm.
And if by some miracle you still feel great,
then don't fall into the trap of going hell for leather
in the first half of the run,
because more often than not, this comes 'round to bite you.
So you want to start your Ironman run
around 65 to 70% of your maximum heart rate.
Or using perceived effort of exertion, a level four.
That does sound quite low, and it is,
and that's for a reason.
Because you want to get through
that first half marathon comfortably.
And if you do feel good beyond that,
you can start to gradually pick that pace up.
Now, I've picked up a really good tip
from Jan Frodeno, previous Ironman world champion,
and that is to take your time
going through the aid stations.
There's a chance for you to refuel and rehydrate,
but also, to compose yourself,
and to break the race down mentally.
As you can probably tell by now,
Ironman racing and long distance triathlon
is all about patience.
So try not to get too much into that race mindset
and make the day very difficult for yourself.
Just relax, take it easy, and enjoy it.
Now, if you like this running kit, the GTN running kit,
you can head on over to the shop and grab that.
If you wanna see more videos from GTN,
just click on the globe and subscribe.
If you'd like to see our FTP,
or functional threshold power video, and how to do it,
just click down here.
If you'd like to see our video
on critical swim speed, again, how to do that,
you can see that by clicking just down here.