Swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 and then run a marathon! Is that even possible? Those who toe the start line of an Ironman are drawn to answer this question.
The Ironman run is as much mental as it is physical. The culmination of a whole day challenging your fitness, planning and problem solving skills. Below are some tips for executing your Ironman marathon.
Step 1.
The first step to executing a strong Ironman marathon has nothing to do with running! Your first order of business is to execute the swim and the bike in a way that sets you up for a solid marathon! Expend too much energy or mismanage your nutrition during the first two disciplines and you’ll be toast before your feet hit the pavement.
Nutrition during the marathon.
Just like the bike, having and executing your nutrition strategy is critical to your performance. Generally speaking, you’ll want to target 30-60grams of carbs per hour during the run. Expect this to be very challenging! It’s much harder to take in calories during an Ironman run. Many athletes experience stomach discomfort and become mentally “sick” of sugary drinks and supplements at this point in the race. Have a plan and do your best to stick to it, but recognize that you may reach a point where your calorie intake slows.
**Tip: Make a point to walk the aid stations and take in the calories you need! Do this even if you feel strong enough to run through!
Intensity on the run.
Again, similar to the bike, you’ll want to target an intensity that keeps you on the high end of your aerobic zones (still conversational). Most athletes feel this corresponds to an RPE of 5-7 when running. Sustainability will be the key question for most athletes. As you progress into your run, expect the full day of racing to begin to wear on your body and mind. Only the very top performers can reasonably expect to have a flat or negative split on the run. The majority of athletes will experience a physical breakdown as they approach the back-half of the marathon. This is expected! How you mentally handle this slowing will be one of the most important determinants in your overall race time.
The physical/mental flip flop.
At some point in the run you will simply be “done”. The day has taken its toll, your RPE is increasing and you’re likely slowing down. This is the point I like to call the physical/mental flip flop. Your training and racing thus far has been focused on the physical, but as you approach the back half of the marathon you must have your mental toolbox ready to go!
Your overall Ironman performance will be determined by how little you slow down on the back half of the run. More than anything else, this is a mental task. Your body has answered the call all day long and now you need to show your mental resilience to reach the finish line. Your entire training cycle and race day has led you to this point. How are you going to respond?
Your “Why”.
There’s no formula or data for this one. You’ll have to figure this out for yourself. Your “why” is something you’ll need in your mental toolbox to persevere to the finish line. Below are some typical motivations athletes can go to when their race becomes mental:
- Your family and friends (and what they’ve sacrificed).
- How much you have sacrificed to get to this point.
- Hard training days that you persevered to finish (even if they weren’t perfect).
- Your fellow competitors.
- The spectators.
- The venue for turning their town over to give you this opportunity.
- The positive life decisions you made because of training.
Above all else, remember that you can do this!