TRIATHLON RUN TRAINING..winter run training, heart monitor training and other running tipsThere are many triathlon run training tips that may help you with your first Triathlon or first Ironman.
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This is one area where you stand a good chance of being injured if you try and do too much too soon. If you are an accomplished runner with a few marathons under your belt, than most of this page isn't meant for you. I would assume that you would have more of a handle on triathlon run training than someone new to the activity. I'm more concerned with those of you who don't really have a running background but still want your shot at the Ironman triathlon. Be realistic about your Ironman marathon. When it comes to your triathlon run training, especially for an Ironman 70.3 or Ironman, you will have to travel 13.1 or 26.2 miles on foot. Notice I said "travel" and not "run." I imagine the list of first timers who have run the entire Ironman marathon distance from start to finish is very small. A realistic goal for your first Ironman marathon should be to run more than you walk. Regardless of how many bike-run bricks you do in training, it is always a challenge to get off a bike and begin running after covering 112 miles preceded my a 2.4 mile swim on Ironman day. It's important to be prepared for how the Ironman marathon will most likely unfold if you are new to the event. This can be done by making the most of your triathlon run training so it will benefit you as much as possible on race day. In my background I have run about 33 marathons, over 100 10-km races, 2 50-mile races, and have been in 14 Ironman Triathlons. I don't count the Ironman marathons in the 33 total because there is a world of difference between the two. My fastest ever "marathon" is 2:54. My fastest ever Ironman marathon is 3:34. To do that I had to run "without stopping once" from the bike transition to the Ironman finish line. I'm telling you this for a reason. It took me 15 years to get to that "without stopping once" stage. So don't think you have to go out and run 100 miles a week in your run-training to get ready for the Ironman. Don't even think you have to do a 20 mile run. It really isn't necessary. Think in terms of "time on your feet" and not distance traveled during your marathon run training. Consider Run Training With A Heart Monito. I really wish I could convince every novice Ironman to train with a heart monitor. Just by its very nature, a heart monitor will not let you run too fast too soon.(see heart monitor training page). Heart-monitors will also help you stay injury-free. It will make your marathon run training more enjoyable and you will not get discouraged--especially when you can actually see your improvement as the months pass. Reminder: When you use a heart monitor and train at or just below your pre-determined target, set a maximum of 90 minutes for those workouts. The "most" I ever did was 2 hours. What happens is----once you start getting into really good running shape----you start running quite a bit faster. So 90 minutes at a quick pace is enough.(Actually its 60 minutes). The work-out would be 15 minutes very slow to warm-up. 60 minutes at or just below your target heart rate. Then a 15 minute very slow cool-down. If you do longer runs, make them well below your target (20-25 beats)for the entire run. It will tend to creep up, but control it as best you can. HAVE A SPECIFIC PLAN FOR YOUR TRIATHLON RUN TRAINING- Sometime before your Ironman race, when you have trained yourself into really good running shape, try an extended outing. This is an important part of your Ironman marathon run training. Make sure its a good 8 weeks or so before the big day. Try and convince someone to come along with you on their mountain bike. That way they can carry extra water for you. Say you plan it for a Sunday. Make Saturday your rest day and plan for just the run on Sunday. Make it 3 and half to 4 hours. Most first-time Ironmen are on the marathon course somewhere between 4 and a half and 6 hours. What you want to do is try and do your long marathon training run just like you will most likely do your Ironman run. In other words, don't bother trying to run the whole thing. Run without stopping for the first 90 minutes. This will start to make you a bit tired. From there run 10-12 minutes and then walk 2 minutes. Keep doing that until your 3 and half to 4 hour run is finished. If you could work 2 or 3 of these into your training that would be great, but do at least one for sure. What you have done is emulate what it will be like to run between the aid stations. "Walk through" the aid station taking whatever nourishment you need. If you plan and train for this, then you won't be disappointed if you go out expecting to blast your way through the entire marathon course. It just won't happen. Learning how to incorporate a brisk walk or "power walking" in your triathlon run training will make your run workouts less demanding on your body and will give you a workable plan to take into your event. By having a plan, you will have a ball-park time of how long it will take you to cover 26 miles. This is really important because you have to BE AWARE OF THE TIME REMAINING!!! before the race cut-off. Don't leave too much to do for the last 5 miles. You want to be like a glass of water that empties drop by drop with the last drop falling out at the finish line. You don't want the glass three quarters empty at the 13 mile mark. Proper triathlon run training and preparation will help you achieve this. Then there will be those days when there is just not much time. If you only have an hour to devote to running in the morning for example, you can pretty well roll out of bed and be running just minutes later without having to worry about dressing for the weather. So if you want to be an Ironman or compete in that 10k or marathon coming up and you happen to live somewhere that is not all the best for running, or you have other obstacles that prevent you from getting outside to train very often, then get yourself a treadmill and park it somewhere in your house(perhaps in front of the T.V.) and start training for the big race. If for some reason you are unable to get in all the necessary training for your athletic goals because where you happen to live is not that bike or runner friendly or because you have to make the most of the time you have available for training, then don't feel you have to forget your athletic goals and dreams. There is always a way to get it done. I'm living proof that it's possible, as one year I did over 90% of my bike training on a wind-trainer in my living room in front of the T.V. because car and truck traffic was taking over all my favorite running and cycling routes and I still did just fine in the Ironman and my bike time was pretty much the same as all those years I biked hundreds of miles outside. POSE RUNNING-For a completely new way to look at running and perhaps suffer less injuries, you might want to have a look at the pose running technique. This is the same method of short-stride running that Michael Johnson used to win gold medal after gold medal in the Olympic Games. Check out the link below. RUNNING TRAINING SCHEDULE-It's important to plan a running schedule that allows for proper rest. Check out the link below.
Marthon Running
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