Few training sessions: track run, ironman brick and bonk cycle
May 5th, 2007 by Nikola Tosic
Legs that do all the work
Bellow are three training sessions that I have done during last two weeks. I am training for an Ironman and I am slowly getting closer to my main race - Quelle Challenge Roth. Feel free to comment with your own training sessions that you enjoyed recently, or found interesting.
Track run
warmup and stretching
4 x 100m accelerations
10 x 300m in 54secs (start on 2:30, break should include 100m walk or very slow run)
immediately after the last break
3 x 1000m in 3:40-45 (my half-marathon tempo)
cooldown
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First, I made a mistake and ran only 9 x 300m, instead of 10 x 300m…
I really enjoyed this session. First 300s I was going slower since I was a bit tired, and also I lost a lot of speed during my Ironman training. Eventually I got back into my long stride and started running 300s properly. When I got to the 1000s 3:40 felt like a jog. It was amazingly easy. Of course this was the speed impression (the same as when you run after cycling, it seams slow) since my heart rate was telling me I was not taking it so easy.
I am not a coach but I am guessing this training is designed to improve running efficiency. And it did so. I felt it helped me a lot with remembering how to run a bit faster and it probably increased my average distance speed by few secs. Very good session that you can do on Tuesday or Wednesday of your easy week if you do the long ride on Sunday.
Ironman brick
4 x (45min bike @ Ironman race pace or a bit faster + 30min run @ bit faster than Ironman race pace)
duration: 5h 20min
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This was a killer workout. It started as easy. My second rep was fastest. My third was already a bit of struggle but on the fourth I felt like going faster and I just did it. I increased my power output by 5-10% and I ran some 10secs faster per km. My cycling average should be around 32kmh including wind, all the turns and traffic and my average running speed was around 4:25/km. I did the runs faster than I should (on the top border of the zone most of the time) since I felt like it and I had a rest day ahead. I also ran through a crowd of walkers all the time so that slowed me down.
This is very specific Ironman training. It takes a long time to do it (more than 5 hours) and you are constantly doing it at a bit harder pace. You end up cycling 100k and running almost 25k quite fast. Killer brick and I had a really good day.
Bonk cycle
5h cycling - just on water, no food or energy drinks, no kCal whatsoever
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I had an option of either doing 5 or 6 hour cycle. I decided to do shorter but to make an experiment. Not to eat anything and see what happens. This was not suggested by my coach but was my own silly idea. For past two years I have been experimenting with this and I have been slowly raising the amount of cycling I can do without eating. This is by far the most I have done.
Overall I felt fine. I exactly felt the moment when I switched to burning mostly fat. It was around 1:30-1:45. After that I had trouble accelerating quickly and doing faster cadence but apart from that I was fine. Keep in mind this was a very low intensity. My average heart rate was 135 and average power 138 watts. Wattage is so low because there were some technical downhills and I was not able to pedal.
Only mistake I made was not to take a salt tablet before and during the ride (at 2h) but I was lucky the weather was not too hot so water with minerals that were already in my body was enough.
Some people have told me it is good to do a cycle ride like this once a month while some do it once a week. I think once a month is good as it can be harsh on the immune system. As for bonking it did not happen. I had a nice breakfast and I rode slowly. I guess bonking is a problem at higher intensities that burn sugar much quicker and can not use so much fat.
May 7th, 2007 at 1:07 am
The first two sessions are fair enough. I question the need for speed work in preperation for an Ironman unless you are contending for a top place overall but the last session is pure madness.
I used to do something smilar in my cycling days but only during the base phase, NEVER in my final preperations for an important event.
Back then it was a breakfast of lean steak and rice, followed by a 6-7hr ride at very low intensity (pre HR monitor days). Typically this would be an average of 30km/h and we would be backed up by a van that we jumped into as soon as we bonked (rarely happened to me).
The intention was to build a solid base while shedding some of the off-season weight. It proved quite effective in this regard but again nutrition wasn’t what it is today and the old faithful of half coke/half water in your bottle plus a Bar-One (Mars) bar at the gas station was considered acceptable nutrition.
In my opinion the track session would be ideal for 70.3 and shorter races. I have noted this type of training in many Olympic training programs and the ITU Elite athletes typically refer to their track work as key to their success.
The brick session is fair enough but I prefer to follow my long ride with a 45min brick session. Nothing serious, just 2-3km at race pace and then cooling down to the end. I am quite effective through T2 and get into my race stride almost immediately so I dont see the need for additional sessions.
Overall my assesment of the sessions is as follows:
Session 1 - suited to elites and shorter distances
Session 2 - suited to beginners and those struggling through T2
Session 3 - to be avoided at all costs!
May 7th, 2007 at 1:11 am
I am not a coach so for first two sessions, which were suggested by my coach, only he can answer. I can just speculate the following.
For first session you have to keep in mind that when I do a 2h run I go at around 4:30/km. So this can give you a better idea of the speed at which I was doing the intervals. For half-ironman I would do the 1000s at a faster pace like 3:20 or faster. I really felt the benefits of this session on my running efficiency, it was perfectly timed. So keep in mind that I am an ok runner (not super fast but faster than average) and that this is not so super fast for me.
Session two is hardly a beginner session and it does not have much to do with strugles with T2. I think you need to be quite fit for it. Repeating it 2-3 times is ok but 4 times is not beginner training (in this sport that takes decades to master we are both beginners so what I mean is not for complete beginners like triathletes who are in their first seasons).
Session 3 had nothing to do with my coach, I just wanted to experiment. But it took me 2 years to raise the bar to the level of 5 hours. I first started with 2 hours. It is not something you can do at once. I enjoy these kind of crazy experiments. The day after I ran 2h (1:30 at 4:30 and last 30min faster) and than I had a good indoor cycling session and I felt fine - no lack of glycogen or anything. That is very interesting for me. I always wonder if all the theories are correct and how far you can go and what you can do with your body. So to satisfy this curiosity sometimes I like to take risks like this. But only when I feel I can really really do it. I do not force myself but just wait for that morning when I just feel I should do something silly like this.
May 7th, 2007 at 6:17 am
your training techniques are unusual but i must admit, quite interestting.
i have always told myself and my athletes that it is better to train on empty and then race on full. so it kind of fits in with your cycle of no food. i have never done it solely on water though, most of my long rides have been done with plenty of nutrition. the shorter rides have been done on water alone in the past.
i am going to try your session one of these days and will also let my group experiment with the same concept and see what results we get!! as a coach and triathlete, you are never able to stop learning, that is what is so great about our sport, we can try new things all the time. so i will try your suggestion sometime in the near future and let you know what happens.
as for the other sessions you did, they are similar to what we do, on the track especially but i hope roth goes well for you, its a fast course, so you should enjoy it
May 7th, 2007 at 11:13 pm
I like your training techniques. You will kill Roth. Raced it in 2005 and have yet to find an experience that matches it. The German’s know how to put a race together and the crowds (+- 300 000 along the route) do the business with their support. There is a reason why it remains the biggest ironman distance race in the world.