IRONMAN MASTERCLASS
THE WIGGLE X HOKA FLYERS – OUR BAND OF AGE-GROUP HEROES – CONQUERED IRONMAN WALES. HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN LEARN FROM THEIR SUFFERING…!
FLYERS VS IM WALES
Sunday 11 September saw 2,000 athletes battle Ironman Wales including the Wiggle X Hoka Flyers. On a choppy and, at times, rainy day in Tenby, our crew all finished their year-long journey by crossing the finish line. Here’s how they got on plus their essential tips…
PAULINE GREEN
The hills were relentless but the support was incredible – even in the driving rain the hardy Welsh continued to ring their bells. On the run, the hill up out of Tenby was cruel but there at the top was coach Rob Cheetham. ‘You’re first in your age-group,’ he cheered. ‘Keep steady, keep conservative, you’ve got it!’ The zig-zag through town was endless and then the sign for the finish. Down the red carpet and over the line in 15:52:58. I’d not only conquered the Welsh Dragon but qualified for Kona 2023!”
GERAINT JONES
The bad weather and suggestions of cancellation had the whole team on edge, so it was a relief to get to race day. We were up at 3:50am, which was worth it just to hear the crowds sing the Welsh anthem. It was emotional. After a good swim and strong start to the bike, my stomach began doing cartwheels, resulting in a portaloo stop. But I was happy with 12:01:29.”
LISA STOCKDALE
A beautiful sunrise quickly turned into extremely choppy waters and people being pulled out of the swim. My nutrition on the bike was good (the tip of malt loaf and honey was appreciated) but I didn’t drink enough so started the run with a dehydration headache. Seawaterderived nausea meant lots of walking come the run and a finish of 14:04:59!”
SIM GILL
The sea was choppy as hell and I just didn’t have the skill set to deal with it without impacting my time. I came out 20mins down on my goal time but with a body full of sea water. Stomach issues ensued and I didn’t have extra nutrition to compensate. By the time I reached the run, I was super depleted. But I made it in 15:16:01!”
Right, on with the tips…
10 TIPS TO CONQUER LONG-COURSE TRIATHLON
The Wiggle X Hoka Flyers have been on a hell of a journey since winning an incredible competition at the end of last year. Here’s what our band of crusaders have learned along the way…
01 Get in the right gear
“Invest in good-quality gear,” Green advises. “The dhb Aeron wetsuit was a gamechanger and my trusty Hoka Cliftons will forever be my preferred shoes. But remember to avoid trying any new gear on race day.” Of course, quality gear’s no use if it doesn’t fit you and your shape. That’s especially true on the bike where we’d certainly recommend undergoing a professional bike fit. This is the discipline you’ll spend the most time on, so this is an expenditure that will more than pay dividends over time.
02 PLAN TO PEAK
“Don’t just plan your t raining – plan how your life will fit around it, too,” says Gill. “It’s great to have your training panned for the upcoming week, but it may not work out if you don’t factor in other commitments. When I looked to the week ahead, I ensured that I knew if my sessions would be before work, earlier on a weekend due to family stuff and so on.”
03 Seek out guidance
“Find a club or coach to guide y ou,” Jones recommends. “My training approach in the past has been to go full whack at each session. Having a coaching team ensured I built steadily towards my A-race, holding me back from going too hard in the first few months of training so that I peaked at the right time.” As the Cheethams showed with the Flyers, your coach doesn’t have to be all about the one-on-one physical time. Lockdown left us with a mastery of Zoom, Skype… which is incredibly handy to hook up with your triathlon teacher, no matter where you are in the world.
04 Know the course brands
“When it comes to nutrition, everyone has certain brands they get on well with. It’s why we train with them so we’re confident they’ll work come the race,” ways Gill. “However, I’d suggest as a back-up practising with the on-course nutrition if anything goes wrong.”
05 TREAT YOUR BODY
“Have regular sports m assage,” says Green. “It can be painful but it really helps.” As well as reducing aches and pains, regular massage has been shown to improve circulation, energy and alertness, albeit once the pain of a deep massage has eased! Regular massage is also associated with improved immune function. Foam rolling is another option, though ideally get a professional to show you how to use it first.
06 BE SPECIFIC
“Think carefully about which course you sign up for and train specifically for that course,” says Stockdale. “Ironman Wales was very hilly, and so demanded plenty of bike and run hill training.” This specificity is key whichever race you sign up for. Open-water sprint triathlon? Practise outdoors as much as you can. Long-course bike? Weekly rides over 5hrs are essential. This specificity will really pay off come your big day.
07 BEPREPARED
“When it comes to your event, plan for all weathers,” says Stockdale. “Even if the forecast looks good, things can change really quickly; just a pair of arms and a thin gilet will save you if things get cold. Also, if there are technical descents on the bike route, take extra time and don’t risk a crash. There were quite a few nasty ones at Ironman Wales.”
08 Stock up on solids
“I’d highly recommend in corporating solid food on the bike to help prepare your stomach for the run,” Jones suggests. “On the run is when you’re likely to be relying more on gels and energy drinks.” To that end, we’d recommend bagging yourself a copy of Feedzone Portables by Allen Lim and Biju Thomas. It’s a fine resource for on-the-fly recipes.
09 REST AND RECUPERATE
“Factor in rest afterwards,” ad vises Stockdale. “And if you’re lucky enough to have friends and family supporting, spend some time with them afterwards and reflect on what you’ve achieved and get their stories, too. I certainly wouldn’t recommend going back to work the day after!” Also, try and knock some protein back, as well as carbohydrates, albeit go for savoury rather than sweet carbs as you’ll be more than sick of sugars by the finish line.
10 JUST DO IT!
“In the words of a certain fa mous sports brand, just do it,” beams Gill. “The feeling of crossing that line is amazing and I just wish I’d started this journey earlier, back in 2017 when this first became a goal. If you want to do something, create a plan, a realistic time frame and just get at it!”
MASTER THE IRONMAN
Wiggle’s own Flyers, Gabs Burden and Kaylee Hawkins, finished in 14:57:54 and 12:45:43, respectively. Here, they share their key sessions…
SWIM
BUILD EFFORT
Athlete Kaylee Hawkins
Benefit
I spent much of my swim time off the Sidmouth area in Devon. This certainly helped when it came to acclimatising to the open water. But I actually did this session in the nearby pool. It’s designed to build speed and improve technique via drills.
Warm-up
200m stroke of your choice. Follow this with 3 x100m drills. Catch-up, closed fists and finger drag were my go-tos.
Main set
4 x75m with 10secs rest, 4 x100m with 10secs rest, 4 x125m with 15secs rest, 4 x150m with 20secs rest. Follow this with 3 x100m drills.
Cool-down
200m stroke of your choice.
BRICK
BIKE TO RUN
Athlete Kaylee Hawkins
Benefit
I felt this was the most important session I did. It really helped me physically and mentally prepare for the bike-to-run transition as well as put much-needed miles into my legs.
Warm-up
I didn’t have a set warm-up. It was more incorporated into the main set. The same applies to the cool-down.
Main set
This started as a 2hr bike followed straight into a 30min run. As the weeks rolled by, these progressed to peak up to a 6hr ride followed by a 90min run. These were mainly ticked off in zone two, though I did include numerous hills, too, in preparation for Tenby. It helped being in Devon as there are loads of them.
Cool-down
Part of the main set.
RUN
FAST FARTLEKS
Athlete Gabs Burden via coach Alex at Alterra Performance
Benefit
The aim of this session, which I completed many times, is to build speed and be able to react to changing intensities without fatigue.
Warm-up
15mins @ RPE 5
Main set
10 x 1min @ 5km effort (RPE 8/9) with 1min jog recovery @ RPE 3/4. With this session, key is to be disciplined with pace; 1min at 5km pace should be sustainable and not a full-on sprint. There’s a tendency to overdo it as the intervals are short in duration. Avoid that as the purpose is to build speed without fatigue..
Cool-down
10mins @ RPE 5.
WANT MORE? Head to 220tri.com for a huge range of training plans and sessions to suit all abilities