JOE SKIPPER
He’s the fastest British long-distance triathlete in the world, and he finished seventh in Kona in October. Over to Joe for his top Ironman training tips
1 UP YOUR SWIM VOLUME
Increasing my weekly swim volume from around 15km to 24km has made a massive difference to my swim performance, seeing me go from an average six-minute deficit post-swim to making the main chase pack in Kona in October.
2 CARE FOR YOUR BIKE
Aero testing, over-sized pulley wheels and ceramic bearings are all necessary when competing at the top level as the margins are very small – even sprint finishes sometimes determine the winner of an Ironman. But basics such as bike maintenance mustn’t be overlooked at any level, as this could be what causes you a DNF.
3 LISTEN TO YOUR BODY
In July, I competed in three long-distances in the space of four weeks. I took fourth at Roth, then first two weeks later at Ironman UK, and then second at Ironman Hamburg two weeks after that. As I’m self-coached, I was able to taper my sessions according to my body’s daily feedback. Obviously I don’t advocate the same level of racing for age-groupers, but listening to your body is key to getting the best out of yourself.
4 DON’T NEGLECT SPEED
It’s important to train at a variety of different energy levels if you want to reach your potential. My key sessions are always above race pace – I don’t do any training at Ironman race pace, it’s always above or under race pace.
5 START STEADY
When starting the run in an Ironman it’s really important to just run to feel, especially at the start. Don’t go smashing it out of transition as you’ll pay the price for it later on. Instead start off steady, let your legs come around and build into it. I always try to run the first 10-12 miles pretty easy and then pick the effort up in the last half to finish strong.
6 BIKE CHOICE IS KEY
Find a bike that you’re comfortable with and on which you can put out power to your potential. I see a lot of people going for the most aero position they can find, and while they might look pretty they may actually be slowing themselves down. Just because a position is really aero it doesn’t mean you’re actually going to go faster. If a position is 10-15w faster that’s great, but if you’re putting out 20w less power then it’s actually slowing you down.