Master Tri Tech Conquer race day

You’ve done the training and the big day has arrived. But how do you put your iron plan together? Here’s the legend Tim Don’s podium-topping advice

“EVEN IF YOU CHOOSE TO RACE ON FEEL, A POWER METER IN TRAINING HELPS TO MEASURE YOUR PROGRESS”

Don’t be all the gear with absolutely no idea come race day. Here’s British superstar David McNamee and his winning multisport technology tips

BIG GEAR, LOW CADENCE

Improving your strength on the bike is key to a fast Ironman cycle leg, and this is where many competitors can struggle. I do a lot of my training pushing a bigger gear at a lower cadence. I typically race at a cadence of around 90rpm (rotations per minute), so an example session would be an interval set of 4 x 10min at Ironman 70.3 race pace with a cadence that nestles between 60 and 70rpm. The rest period between efforts is 5mins so I’m relatively fresh to go again. I elevate cadence to 100rpm in an effort to clear out the toxins.

TRAIN FOR TRI-BARS

This is a simple but hugely effective one: train more in the aero position. It’s great to see age-groupers out on their time-trial bikes, but many spend too much time on the hoods without becoming accustomed to the position they need to use on race day. You need to train this consistently so that your back and neck muscles strengthen to hold your head, and you become adjusted to pedalling with a more closed-off hip angle. It’s particularly important to stay aero during race-pace intervals to mimic race-day conditions.

FEEL THE POWER

They may not be cheap but, if you’re serious about your Ironman racing, one of the soundest tech investments you can make is a power meter. I’d never used one through my ITU draft-legal racing career and simply didn’t realise how beneficial it could be. Even if you choose to race on feel, using a power meter in training will allow you to measure your progress and understand what effort you should be able to sustain come race day. If you can combine power with heartrate, then you have the best of both worlds.

FUEL SUPPLIES

The surest way to hit the Ironman wall is running out of energy. That’s why I can’t stress enough how important it is to make sure you know where the aid stations are prerace so you can factor in any stops, when you’ll take on nutrition and any extras you might need to carry with you. This’ll really help with your pacing plan as well. Find out which nutrition brand and specific bars/gels, etc. are going to be on offer during the race and practise using them in training. Your gut will need to adapt, so start at least two months prior to the race.

BE PRACTICAL

When I’m racing, there have been a few times when my mind has wandered and my head comes out of the game. It then becomes tougher to get the legs going hard again. When it comes to mind over matter, which is very much the case in this instance, I deal with it by being extremely practical. That means breaking the bike into small segments and trying to focus on the here and now.

STAY IN THE MOMENT

At the start of the bike, I try to stay in the moment and go over the practicality of the first 10-20km – get my shoes on; settle down into my position; take on some fluids; check my nutrition is all sorted; check my kit and sleeves are all nice and straight (aero is everything!); get into my bike power zones… While I’m focusing on these things that are very much in my control, 20km will have passed. Then an aid station will be the next focus.

KNOW THE COURSE

Knowing the course and how it flows is imperative so that you know what to expect and how best to deal with it. Before the race, check out the terrain, the hills, any technical sections, find out if the wind is going to be pumping at a certain stage, where you need to put the power down, and where to let it off and stretch out.

DRAW ON YOUR TRAINING

Sure, there are times when I’m like, ‘Wow, I still have 75km to go!’ But I mentally go back to the training I’ve done and draw on the confidence from hitting the sessions, even when I’ve been in a whole world of hurt but coming out on top. It’s this that I turn back to over and over throughout the bike section to keep my legs turning over. In training, aim to think of all the possible problems you might encounter and go through how you’ll overcome each of them.

FOCUS ON THE REASON

I’m more a practical racer, so I won’t really be thinking about my wife and children. Of course, that might work for you. Similarly, if you’re raising money for charity and are thinking of the reason behind why you’re doing the event, this might just be what you need to help you finish. Whatever, have a reason.

TALK TO OTHERS

Have a coach or friends who have raced Ironman? Then talk to them. As much as we learn from our own mistakes, we can also learn from others. Find out what techniques they used to help them keep their mind in the game and focused on the task at hand.

DON’T GET CARRIED AWAY

The last 40km or so can be really tough as you’re in that mindset of ‘Only 40km to go… oh wait, I still have to run a marathon.’ I know I get a little excited towards the end of the bike, but do as I do and draw on this energy, stick to your pace and use it to keep focused.

“HAVE A COACH OR FRIENDS WHO’VE RACED IRONMAN? THEN TALK TO THEM. AS MUCH AS WE LEARN FROM OUR OWN MISTAKES, WE CAN ALSO LEARN FROM OTHERS”