Becoming a metronome for success - the How to guide

Becoming a metronome. How to!?
 
Ironman. It’s a beast. Underestimate it to your peril.

Time and time again, I go to Ironman events and see the classic Ironman shuffle taking place. You know it… hips closed off so much that a large percentage of the field is ‘running’ along looking like they have a sore back, scuffing the footpath and shuffling their way to the finish line… well below their capabilities.

As with everything endurance training and racing… there are no secrets or magic sessions/recipes. It’s all about doing the work, week in week out, for a long time. How long is ideal? How long is a piece of string? The longer the better is always my answer. For me personally, if I am wanting to do my absolute best in an IM, then I am wanting to begin training for a specific Ironman around a year out. This doesn’t mean I’m all in from 12 months out… it just means I am thinking about and focussing on that race from that far out, potentially and more often than not, much longer than that. It obviously depends on the history coming into it, and the size of your goals too. Take for example Coach RT… I know his upcoming Ultraman attempt has been 2-3 years in the making… commit. As you may have heard it said before… it’s the years that matter most in the endurance game… not the magic weeks here and there. The blocks of months and years… they are what count the most… there’s that big picture again.

One of the main aspects of an Ironman is the repetition of movement in the race on mostly flat terrain. Despite there being a few hills in these races, by far and large is the terrain flat. Therefore, the muscle groups used are the same throughout the majority of the race. Hip flexors/drivers seem to go first amongst most athletes. After spending 5-7 hours hunched over on the bike, we expect them to magically open up and to be able to run freely for a marathon. Well I’m here to tell you that you need to make sure you are a. conditioning those specific muscle groups through specific training and b. backing the specific training up with core/hip/glute work.

What’s the specific stuff?

1. Riding after a swim; running off the bike. The riding after a swim part is often neglected (guilty). And the running off the bike part is done, but maybe not enough either for some.
2. Specifically spending loads of time in the TT position. We are entering a race that involves spending 180km in the TT position. Sure, there are a few hills and this get’s a break every now and then, but still, most of the race is flat and/or into a headwind, so get accustomed to being aero and looking up the road. Condition your neck and back to this.
3. Sighting in the swim. Spend time in the ocean where you have to sight… or make a point of sighting during your pool sessions. It’s all good and well to punch out 3-4 x amazing pool sets each week and be feeling super strong. But are you truly conditioning your neck/back and other muscles groups involved in the sighting process? Honestly?
4. Running on flat terrain. Again, most of the IM course around the globe are flat. So spend time running on flat paths, teaching your body to become a metronome of sorts. I love the analogy of becoming a relaxed robot. You’re locked into a nice strong posture and tapping it out… like a metronome. The best of the best make it look easy, but that’s likely because they’ve spent loads of time dialling it in.
5. Core work/specific strength work. Doing some form of complimentary strength work in the gym or at home is crucial. Simply doing some core work 2-3x per week for 15-20 mins can make a huge difference. And next level again is doing some personalised, specific strength based sessions, where you are lifting some weight and doing some balance work.
6. The other thing we neglect is dialling in our game day nutrition. Treat your gut like another muscle and train it. Be specific in your training and teach it what’s to come on race day. We normally see the avg HR go a touch higher on race day (just cause it’s race day) which means less blood to the digestive system… but a well-practiced muscle will handle a bit more than one that’s not.

In a nutshell… become a metronome. Get comfortable feeling uncomfortable. And become one with it. Sometimes that might seem boring? But it’s type 2 fun right!? The beauty lies in getting over that finish line as fast as you can, and enjoying the process along the way. Trust me, you’ll enjoy the experience a lot more if you have put the time into conditioning all these things along the journey. And if you can’t handle a bit of monotony… then you’re likely in the wrong sport. Go do a HIIT class or speed dating perhaps?
 
Get at it!
 
SF

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