Hi! I am Tony Deboom and through out this show I am going to give you some Ironman tips, which will hopefully help you race faster and avoid some of the negative experiences I have had as an Ironman Triathlete. The Ironman tapper is also another item that is very different from a short distance triathlon event. It's way better to be over rested than over trained going into an Ironman event
So three or four weeks out before the event, if you have any doubt in your mind about whether you should do a workout or not leave it out. That's the mantra I use 'When in doubt leave it out' then you'll thank yourself on race day when you feel little fresher at the 18 mile mark on the run.
The morning of an Ironman event I wake up pretty early and try to eat something roughly three hours before the event starts. It will be something basic like a some sort of carbo protein smoothie and maybe some a couple of fried eggs something that they goes down real easy.
You know you got a long day of racing ahead of you so you've got all day to eat, people are having cookies and bananas and everything, so don't worry about stuffing yourself with a whole lot of calories before the race. Get enough to get through the swim and realize that you have enough calories on your bike and throughout the race course to help to supply you with all the energy you need for the day.
One of the major difference in short distance and long distance triathlon racing is the warm up. For short distance triathlon racing, you want to be really warmed up, really loose ready, really ready to go. For Ironman racing less is better. Some people getup and walk to the starting line and that's enough warm up. I am one of those types, I basically jump in the water, shake my legs out and I use the swim as the warm up.
The most important thing at the start of the long Ironman day of racing is don't sprint the beginning of the swim segment. You have got a long day, just whatever you don't start out with a 20 meter sprint or a 500 yard sprint you just relax and try to take deep breaths and make it a controlled effort.
So you have finished the swim, you go through the transition area, again tempo is everything, it's not sprinting you get on your bike and most important thing is don't start gobbling down all your foods and goose and bars. Take at least 20 minutes of riding before you start taking in any serious calories or else your stomach is going to feel it.
When I hit the run transition area in an Ironman race two things I do, I put on socks and I put on shoes for a little bit more cushion. The socks will prevent any blisters you may get from all the water been dumped on you and all the stress your feet go through in a 26 mile run and the cushioning will also help your legs from breaking down throughout the event.
One more important Ironman and racing tip is throughout the entire day make sure you control your effort throughout the race. The only time you should be going all out is if you are in a final sprint with your competitor right by your side. You need to control the urge to go faster throughout the day.
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