Tips For The First-Time Ironman

This year, we have quite a few athletes taking that most giant of leaps – they will be racing their very first Ironman.

Exciting!

I wanted to give them some advice, tips or things to think about – but from a different perspective than mine.

With races looming, I asked ten of our Swim Squad athletes who have recently stood on that Ironman start line, if they wouldn’t mind giving their top pieces of advice to these aspiring Ironman athletes. Advice could range from race strategy to nutrition, from training to race day, from mindset to support crew.

They jumped at the chance!

Themes

I’ve grouped their responses into loose themes, although most of the comments could be under the broader banner of “Mindset”.

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Race Planning

“Make a race plan that’s realistic. Read it over and over and visualise your race and what you’re going to do, when and where. But also plan for contingencies and realise that things don’t always go to plan”.

“When you are packing your gear into your race bags for transition, lay it all out and then take a photo – then if you have a panic later on thinking you have forgotten something, you can check the photo!”

“Race your own race and stick to your planned strategy.”

“Don’t think about the whole day. Do the swim only thinking of the swim. Break the bike down to 30 minute segments. Eat and drink every 30 minutes. Try and have a goal mileage in those 30 minutes. Survive the run.”

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Race Day

“Race day – it’s too late to worry about anything other than where you are right now and where you’re going. Those thoughts of “that missed brick session” or “I’ve done less swimming than I would have liked” can just disappear”.

“Know what you want to do and get out of the day. Is it an iconic race like Wales, Lanzarote, Nice? Then be ready to enjoy the stunning views, scenery, crowds and excitement. Is it a flat set of ‘out and backs’? Get ready for a stunning PB. Whatever it is, it’s yours if you repeat your plan in your head, if you know your plan and have contingencies (and contingencies for the contingencies!). Stick to your plan, enjoy your day, you’ll never have it again”.

“It’s definitely going to be emotional – but don’t let your emotions get the better of you – use them to your advantage. It’s going to be an incredible experience”.

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“It’s definitely going to be emotional – but don’t let your emotions get the better of you – use them to your advantage. It’s going to be an incredible experience”.

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Race Start

“Nerves. Just before the gun goes off, you are going to question yourself. “Have I done enough training?” Yes, you have!”

“Imposter syndrome. You’re going to wonder if you belong here. “What am I doing?” may be asked once or twice. You belong. You’re ready. You’re as good and as deserving as all of these other athletes. It’s your day!”

“Try not to panic that everything seems complicated – it’s not. It’s simply just swim, bike and run.”

Make sure you don’t rush the swim. Settle in slowly for the first ten minutes until you get your breathing under control and then you can pick up the pace when you and the swimmers around have calmed down. Also, count the buoys down. Mentally, it really helps to know that you have three down, eight to go etc. Knowing that you have gone past half way point is a real boost as every stroke is now closer to the finish than the start.”