The coaches at the Rock Star Triathlete Academy want to let you know about 6 key elements to having a smoother Ironman triathlon. In nor particular order here are six pieces of advice you need to know.
1) The Volunteers Don’t Have Built-In Auto-Banana Releasing Switches. When you zoom past on your bike, with your hand extended for a water bottle, gel, banana or any other aid station item, the Ironman triathlon volunteers don’t necessarily KNOW to release their death grip on that item as you grab it. This especially holds true if you’re a fast swimmer and one of the first
You may not get your fuel with the first few hand offs. Be patient and grab your fuel ASAP.
2) For The First 5 Miles of the Bike, Drafting Rules Don’t Really Count. If you swim anywhere from 55 minutes up to around an hour and 20 minutes, you’re going to be in a “sea of bikes” for the first few miles of the Ironman triathlon, as the majority of swimmers are going to exit the water around this time. Plan for this cycling cluster, and don’t let it upset you or ruin your day when you glance around and see a half dozen riders who appear to be drafting off your wheel. It takes a little while for everyone to get spread out.
3) All Your Pacing Rules Get Broken In Transition. You know your tidy little heart rate graph or specified zones that you plan on following during your Ironman triathlon? Be warned that as you rush into transition from the swim, and go from a horizontal to upright position, and also as you leap from your bike and power it into the transition area, your heart rate is going to go up.
Stay calm. It will most likely be a good 10-20 minutes before your heart rate starts to clam down to where you want it to be. It can take a good 5-10 minutes on the run before your heart rate begins to fall as well.
4) The half way point with your special needs bag is not always half way. Are you planning on getting your special needs bag at the exact half way point on the bike and run of the Ironman triathlon? Often the half way point with the special needs bag on the bike and run course is not bag on half way. Study up on the course and find out exactly where the special needs bag pick is so you can have enough fuel to get you there.
5) Wetsuit Strippers Aren’t Necessarily The Fastest Way to Go. Unless you have slipped out of your wetsuit, removed your arms from the sleeves, have pulled the suit down to your waist, sighted to make sure there’s not a line of swimmers waiting for wetsuit removal, and are prepared to do a baseball-style slide into the wetsuit stripping area, it may actually be faster to simply remove your wetsuit yourself in the Ironman triathlon changing tent.
6) Don’t plan on seeing your lucky charms again. Any thing you put in your special needs bag you may never see again, including CO2 cartridges, tubulars, photos or even wedding rings. So if you want to see it again avoid putting it in the special needs bag.
Learn more about Ironman triathlon #1. Stop by the Rock Star Traithlete Academy site where you can find out all about Ironman Triathlon #2 and what it can do for you.
Leave a Reply