A Track Workout for Ironman Training
Enroute to my Kona PR (9:29) and 4th woman in '92. My fist went up just as I saw my time on the finish clock.
In order to sustain your pace in a triathlon, you first need to know what pace you want to sustain! Track workouts are about learning pace as well as learning to run fast with efficient form. When you start the run of a triathlon, do you know what pace you are running? If not, you should work diligently on this process. Integrate pace into your mind as well as your body and remember what each pace feels like (don’t just rely on your HR monitor!).
This was a benchmark workout for me prior to an Ironman race. When all of my other training was in place and I nailed this workout while feeling completely in control, I gained huge confidence in knowing I was on target to run a strong Ironman marathon—and most often I was correct. The benchmark was not in obtaining speed but in sustaining the overall effort and hitting my pace right on.
* 1.5 mile warm up at 70% of max
* 10 minutes of stretching
* 8 strides (100 yards striding or building speed up to a sprint; 100 yards easy jog)
* 2 x 2 miles: within each 2 mile, alternate between a 400 at a pace 1 minute-per-mile slower than your 10K pace and a 400 at 10K race pace. Recover with 5 minutes of easy walking and repeat. For example, I would run my first 400 at a 7-minute-per-mile pace, the next 400 at a 6-minute-per-mile pace, recover and repeat.
If you are training for a sprint- or an international-distance triathlon, try starting out with 2 x 1mile as your main set executed in the same manner describe above. Over time increase to 3 or 4 x 1 mile. Always end this workout with a 1{en}2 mile cool down at 70 percent of max.
As your fitness increases, challenge yourself by decreasing the pace over time. Learn to love this workout by starting out at a reasonable pace for the faster quarters.
This workout requires you to know your goal paces—rock solid. Know the pace you are able to and desire to run, and train it. Memorize it. Know it in your sleep. Training for pace is about fine-tuning your inner running clock. This skill is invaluable, and this workout helps you dial in that clock.