Establish a plan
Training for Ironman and that marathon run will impact on your lifestyle. But finding a balance is possible, says Ironman UK finisher Janine Doggett
01What analysis did you do of the Ironman UK run course? Did you replicate it in your training? Bolton’s run course is pretty straightforward – a mostly flat route with 380m in total elevation and no more than 40m at any one point. Given it was a lapped course in a less than scintillating location, though, it was set to be a mental challenge. So, my training took in repetitive urban sessions, build-up races that included laps – like the Immortal Half – and weekly visits to the track from week 11 onwards to add some interval efforts while building mental resilience, too.
02What were your longest runs in the year before Bolton? Halfway into my six-month training programme, my long runs were two hours and my mileage peaked four weeks out of event day at 36km – still 6km short of a marathon, but I knew the home stretch would be mostly mental. My longest run should’ve been around three hours max, but it was a coastal trail event that added both mileage and time after getting lost, likely overcooking my legs too close to the big day! So I’d recommend picking warm-up run events that reflect the course terrain, or even sticking to solo runs to keep time and pace in check.
03What race-day tactics did you prepare for in training?
While I had a walk/run strategy in my back pocket, I was planning to run the whole way, relying on my decade of running experience. In reality, the need to walk hit me harder and faster than I’d anticipated, so I chose to run/powerwalk the second lap of four – a good one to pick given that the middle miles can be the toughest mentally – and committed to running the last two. Next time I’ll add more brick sessions and focus on glute strength to help with keeping pace once fatigue arrives.
04How did you decide what time you’d be aiming for in the Ironman marathon?
I started with my previous marathon time as a race-day estimate, then added some science to my pacing with a VO2-max fitness test at the local bike shop. This revealed my training zones, which meant I could use a heart rate monitor for run sessions until I had a good feel for how hard to push it. This was handy because, not only did it reveal I’d been spending most of my time in zone 3 enjoying socalled junk miles, come race day I could confidently leave the monitor behind (for comfort) and pace myself using RPE.
05Did you add bike legs before your longer runs?
Three months into training, I added steady bike sessions of
50-120km before my long runs. Any runs over 20km were dedicated sessions, though – my programme called for more bricks than I completed, but I knew that they could add stress to previous run injuries, so I erred on the side of caution. While this meant I made it to the start injury-free, the trade-off was not having enough off-the-bike run miles in order to be properly adapted come race day.
06How did you manage injury prevention on the run?
I swore by a good bike fit, regular yoga sessions and decent recovery (nutrition, rest and compression tights). When my weekly training hours hit double figures, I added in weekly sports massage, too, which was great for keeping my muscles fresh and also meant I had a professional to quiz on a regular basis, so I felt supported. It’s not the cheapest approach, but Ironman is such a financial investment anyway that I wanted to give myself the best possible chance of success.
07What about nutrition? How did you experiment to stop GI distress on the run?
I discovered the importance of diet in Ironman training by burning out just a few weeks into my programme! I found it tricky to eat adequately for my training load, but building in some simple tricks – like extra protein and post-session shakes – made a huge difference. For race-day nutrition, though, I was more prepared – I bought several brands’ bars, gels and carbohydrate drink six months ahead to see what sat in my stomach well, then stuck to them religiously on training rides and runs. Unfortunately, I mislaid my special needs bike bag on event day and needed a top-up come lunchtime – so don’t do that!