29 WEEK IRONMAN TRAINING & NUTRITION GUIDE Week-by-week training and daily nutrition advice to get you ready for your race
Getting Started
Change the week below:
Week 29: Challenges with travel-food availability while traveling, jet lag etc.
Getting there
Getting to your Ironman start line almost always involves travel, and not always that seamless, James Bond style of travel either. With the swirl of gear, race logistics, and social support necessitating your Ironman pursuits, your trip may more easily mirror an episode of “The Simpsons.” Don’t be Homer Simpson. Be Bond — that is, with a carbon-fiber bike instead of an Aston Martin.
Planning, packing, feeding, and rest are some of the major variables that you need to control. This is the easy stuff compared to your race, which will attempt to savagely extract every bit of control from you, each race minute like a grain of sand falling through the hourglass of your reserves. Spend your power on that 140.6-mile battle, don’t squander it on the simple things before the race. Thoughtfully plan, then execute confidently with the following tips:
Choose wisely
Rest and recovery during your taper are major priorities; consider a condo rather than a budget hotel room or a friend’s house. This option will likely cost more, but the investment in accommodations is akin to the investment in your hours of training. This is not a week to hone your bargain-travel prowess, as Homer would. This is especially true if you are traveling with others, as their comfort during this trip will directly affect your comfort. Schedule your travel months in advance — maybe during the inspired late night after your qualifying race, still twitching and giddy — rather than foolishly procrastinating and losing out on the choice options.
Book lodging that offers cooking facilities so that you can control your meals if you aren’t confident in the local dining options. By planning ahead, you can avoid last-minute poor eating choices, and prepare food you are more familiar with in the comfort of your own room.
Finally, try arranging your lodging to have access to acceptable running and cycling routes in your final days of training. Running and riding out of your front door is an underrated savior of simplicity. This can be achieved by contacting local athletic shops or local athletes.
Packaged goods
When packing your bike at home, exploit the empty airspace in your bike box to your advantage, thus reducing your total baggage load. Can you imagine Bond hobbling around the airport with four or five bags swinging off his frame? Fill the box with your shoes, floor pump, helmet, bulky clothes, swim gear (wetsuit if applicable), empty water bottles, and perhaps even food. Remember to wrap in plastic the items that you don’t want tattooed by your greasy chain. Locking your bike case is not worth the potential hassle if security needs to inspect your gear. Also, remember to avoid packing your compressed-air cartridges (check your saddlebag), as airport security doesn’t appreciate them like we do. Buy more cartridges at your destination.
Aim for a svelte carry-on that includes your cell phone, toiletries, airplane food, electronics, sunglasses, earplugs, and sterile hand wipes. (If you believe in objective evidence, rely on hand washing to keep yourself healthy during travel rather than on questionable potions.) Finally, ensure your checked bike box and luggage are robustly identified with your contact information, including the name of your local hotel.
Proper feeding and watering
For the airplane, arrive fed and take meals. When you don’t have your own, those airplane rides can get primal. Starved, you salivate upon the attendant’s granting of two hydrogenated crackers to reward your airborne obedience like a Pavlovian dog. You may also keep track when your neighbor gets two crackers and you only got one. This is a good scenario to avoid. Non-refrigerated food that you are familiar with is the way to go, just like on your long bike rides — or those rides you were supposed to do.
Consider taking some things from this list of superb options:
Peanut butter and jelly
Energy bars
Trail mix
Crackers
Fig Newtons
Powdered protein-containing drinks such as PowerBar® Recovery sports drink mix
At the airport, arrive hydrated, and remember that you can’t take liquid through the security line. Take an empty wide-mouth bottle (bike bottles or Nalgene types work great), and fill it before boarding the plane or politely ask the flight attendant to fill it for you in flight. Don’t ask for it shaken or stirred.
House rules
Triathletes are not known for their laissez-faire attitude toward most behaviors, so revel in this stereotype by making food and supply lists. This may sound obvious, but it’s too easy to overlook supplies like table salt, drinking water, or proper sunscreen. Thirty minutes of earnest list-making can save you hours of time-consuming trips to the store. You know Homer would spend his whole race week in traffic and in line at the Kwik-E-Mart.
Being in 24/7 contact with your travel companions in this unfamiliar setting can be a tricky social situation. Thoughtfully explain what roles you’d like your crew to play, and stay consistent with what you tell them. Clear and logical instructions from you will help them feel settled. They are there to support you. Your poor communication skills here may be penalized dearly in the form of stress that your race doesn’t need. Social harmony is always gold, but during this time, it can be platinum.
At this point, you should have accounted for most of your variables. The die is cast, so relax. You can’t really improve your fitness in the several days leading up to your race. You can, however, erode your abilities with useless obsession about your fitness or by hanging around pre-race crowds that ooze highly contagious obsession. This is a fine time to occupy your mind with relaxing books or videos. James Bond OR “The Simpsons” titles are both good choices here.
Race morning
Finally, you’re there. You’re relaxed and confident. Go unleash what’s inside you!
About PowerBar Expert Panel
Comprised of leading sports dietitians, researchers, trainers, and sports medicine practitioners, The Panel advises POWERBAR® on the development of educational programs and materials that relate to sports nutrition and training. They also provide expert perspectives during the Professional Athlete Panels at sport events throughout the country. All of our experts share a passion for sports nutrition and a commitment to helping athletes perform at their best through improved nutrition and hydration.
Daily Training by Ian Murray:
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Race Ironman to a proud finish!
Stretch 30 min.
Stretch easily
Don't force anything today
Run 4 mi.
Run it flat and in comfort
PRO TIPS
The body responds best to frequency
You've been consistent with your training and made huge gains
Swim 1000 m
All short and easy
PRO TIPS
Feel the water and slip through it silently
Get 8 or more hours' sleep tonight
Ride 30 min.
Assemble bike as soon as you arrive at race location
Ride 30 min. easy but put pressure in every gear
Make sure it feels perfect
If there's an issue with your bike from travel don't panic but don’t delay either
Find a mechanic at the expo or at a nearby shop to solve problems
PRO TIPS
Get 8 or more hours of sleep tonight
Rest
Spend at least 2 hr. mid-day off your feet and out of the sun
Look back over your training and gain confidence from all you've done!
You know your pace
You know your fuel
You are ready
PRO TIPS
Get 8 or more hours of sleep tonight
Swim 15 min. easy
Run 10 min. on flat super easy but include 3 x 30 sec. a bit faster with 2 min. easy between
Hydrate today with both water and PowerBar® Recovery sports drink
PRO TIPS
Be calm and confident
Think of this as nothing more than a well-catered training day
