what to consider when planning for a 70.3

The Phases of an IRONMAN® 70.3® Training Programme

Education, April 02, 2020

There are some key phases to your Training Plan. It is important you understand the purpose of each stage and why you are doing them

Overview

Our IRONMAN® lxx.three® plan comes in iv Phases - Preparation, Base, Build and Race.  Each phase progressively increases your training load and will address the necessary energy systems to have you grooming optimally as you lot come towards your IRONMAN® lxx.3® race day.

Preparation: 1-3 weeks

These three weeks will advisedly bring your fitness levels up...consistency trumps book in this phase of a Training Program.

This is a great time to make certain y'all understand the gear and equipment y'all need for the training (or at least make a list of things you have to get).  If you are unsure if your current equipment is going to exist suitable and then inquire someone who knows what they are talking about. This will too allow you lot to discuss with your pregnant others as to the things y'all will need to acquire over the coming months so there are no unexpected surprises for them.

If you feel your swim or run technique, or cycling skills aren't quite upwardly to scratch and then seek communication from an proficient in that area and start working on making improvements. Sessions in this grooming phase are all-time dedicated to improving known technique weaknesses.

At this phase y'all don't really want to worry well-nigh the amount of grooming yous are doing, or the speed you lot are doing it at. The focus correct now is developing a little bit of consistency and getting used to the routine of doing something about every twenty-four hours.

The sessions are short, depression intensity and done more on feel than any measured metrics. Just the routine of 3 consistent weeks volition play a big roll in allowing your trunk to settle into the work ahead. If you are coming off a bit of time away from training you may even find you're a flake tight and stiff after a few days....that is why you have a day off each week during this phase.

Base of operations - 4-6 weeks

The Base Phase is frequently a favourite equally the workouts aren't particularly intense just y'all volition see significant gains coming from them just past virtue of the structure of the training and maintaining consistency (over again, consistency is key!).

This phase is laying the foundation for the work that is to come in the final few weeks.  Putting the work in here volition ensure you lot have a stronger aerobic engine to enable you to push button yourself harder when yous phone call upon information technology.  The Base Phase is very important for developing resistance to fatigue, which you volition need come up race day, when you are in the closing stages of the race.....remember, your performance won't exist defined by how fast yous go in the first half but by how piffling y'all slow down in the second half.

You will meet there are a few test sessions in the coming weeks.  Once you lot have completed these workouts and found out your Threshold HR/Step/Power you tin can refer to this article for information on how the Zones are divided upward based on your Threshold. (Or your Polar/Garmin websites that yous pair your watch to will also have a method of calculating these.  If you lot are recording your data through Strava or uploading it to Grooming Peaks so there are calculators congenital into their software to help determine the correct zones for you.)

The sessions are set largely at a depression to moderate intensity but over increasing periods of fourth dimension.  Nosotros wont really pushed your aerobic limits here, but the post-obit blocks will beginning to do this.  You volition see there is some interval work existence introduced but these are for a very short duration. There are not many total rest days, but with the training remaining at a low intensity and the focus on building endurance, this is necessary, however if you experience you need a solar day-off then there'due south no harm in taking one....mind to your body!

Build - 4-6 weeks

In the Build Phase, whilst you lot will still go on developing your aerobic endurance, yous will also encounter some sessions that will outset developing the ability house of your body.  This phase is about developing the strong and powerful musculature which will be called upon in the final sections of the swim, bike and run courses.  This function of your musculus physiology will be used deep in the event when your aerobic stores take become depleted from the hours of exercise prior, but the stronger you are from this phase of training the amend you will cope subsequently on in the race.

The technique swims are bringing in more than open h2o skills and didactics yous to make the nearly of a long and polish stroke, so you tin can move efficiently through the water without also much stress on the body.  The Endurance and Speed swims are bringing in more mileage.  You volition see a couple of Open up Water swims, only feel complimentary to add more if you desire.  You may take access to a group Open up Water session or a regular race event, and these are a great fashion to better your skills.  If there is a potential clash then you may have to shift the other sessions to conform.

In the bike sessions you will see in that location is a mixture of depression cadence piece of work and pretty hard intensity.  You should get used to riding more and more in your aero-bars too.  Make sure you stick to the the planned workout intervals and ensure you are keeping to the training zones specified throughout.Running off the Bike becomes more frequent too.  It's important here that yous don't run too fast, unless instructed to.  Most people beginning an IRONMAN® seventy.3® run too fast because their bodies are warm and operating well, but its highly likely that this footstep is likewise fast for yous to maintain.  Learning to agree yourself back in training makes it much easier to do the same on race day, when yous know you accept a few hours of running to go before you stop.

These are going to be tougher sessions.  Y'all will feel a bit more strain in your muscles and your overall fatigue levels….postal service conditioning nutrition, enough of sleep, massage, planning your training ahead so you aren't rushing to go information technology washed volition all help to minimise your fatigue and overall stress.

Information technology's preferable if you can do the sessions in the social club they are planned as they are designed to make the near of recovery when sleeping, and spread sufficiently through the week to optimise your adaptations.  Withal if you need to shuffle the sessions effectually a bit to adapt your schedule exercise and then with some thought, only click on the conditioning and drag information technology to the solar day you want to do it.

Taper & Race - ii-4 weeks

Every bit you lot come up into this final phase of the plan look back and consider where you take come from.  You have completed a swell deal of grooming to become here.

This part of the program will consolidate the training y'all take done.  Y'all will see nosotros drop the book steadily through to race twenty-four hours, just even so keep a little flake of intensity in the workouts so you don't experience stagnant through the taper weeks.  Information technology's not uncommon to feel a bit flat through these taper sessions every bit your body is used to doing a scrap more, and this reduced book is a bit unlike.  Trust the training you lot accept done, come race day yous volition switch over and suddenly you lot volition find yourself feeling fresh and ready to race.

• With this reduced training volume have the time to check your race gear, and check it again.
• Become through everything you will be using on race solar day and make sure it is suitable to use in the race.
• Make certain you lot bike is cleaned and serviced and your tyres are in adept condition.
• Check your helmet for cracks or dents as the race officials may not allow it, and that may hateful ownership a new one for the race.
• Make sure your nutrition is sorted for race solar day.
• Make sure you lot take your food for the night before and race morning planned and so you aren't rushing around finding things at the terminal minute.
• What's the conditions looking like?  Practice you need to pop a vest and arm warmers in your gear bag in case information technology'southward a bit chilly?
• Pack a tube of sunblock

The primary affair is that you take a good time out there.  Whether y'all are wanting to simply finish, trounce your mates or qualify for the Globe Championships keep a proficient attitude and proceed smile.  If anything goes wrong then keep calm and work through the things you need to practice to solve it.

Have a great race day!

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Source: https://foottrafficcoaching.com/articles/the-phases-of-a-15-week-ironman-70-3-training-plan

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