Training for Ironman contest

As the global sporting spotlight will fall on Bahrain again later this year, GulfWeekly has teamed up with one of the world’s top trainers to coach the island’s sports-lovers to prepare to take part.

If you have ever fancied trying a triathlon there will never be a better opportunity. Your community newspaper hopes to inspire you to put your best foot forward and have a go.

Don’t be scared … Andy Price will help you every step of the way!

Here’s your WEEK 18 – 27 Days until IRONMAN 70.3 Middle East Championship Bahrain

* Training programme for the week starting Sunday to Saturday, November 14

Having completed a recovery week you have two weeks of hard training left until we taper for the competition.

For ease I will include a key to explain abbreviations each week:
• F/S – Freestyle or front crawl
• Alt – Alternative stroke. For most this should be backstroke, but for some breastroke
• PULL – F/S with a pull float between your legs
• KICK – F/S kick using a kick board
• R – Rest (normally in seconds)
• Z – Zones (1 – 4)
• RPM – Revs per Minute
• HRM – Heart Rate Monitor

* Session 1 – Pool
• Warm up
200m Swim / Kick / Pull / Swim - All R45 and all steady / Z2
• Main set (all at Z3/ race pace)
Repeat six times
• 150m above race pace R30
• 100m easy alt stroke
8 x 50m Hard R15
• Warm down
6 x 100m Easy R45
Total – 3300m

* Session 2 – Pool
• Warm up
300m F/S with every 3rd length Alt Stroke R60
200m F/S with every 2nd length Alt Stroke R60
100m F/S
• Main set
5 x 100m R30
5 x 150m R45
5 x 200m R45
• Warm down
10 x 50m steady
Total – 3350m

* Session 3 – Open Water
• 3 x 1000m steady R90 after each

* Session 1 – Indoors / Turbo Trainer –
• Warm up – 15 minutes steady
• Main set
3 x 2 minutes hard in big gear (high resistance) R60
4 minutes spinning easy
3 x 1 minute hard in big gear R60
4 minutes spinning easy
4 x 30 seconds hard in big gear
• Cool down 15 minutes

* Session 2 – Outdoors (remember this is a Bike to Run)
• 90km in Zone 3 / Race Pace followed by a 5km or 30 minutes steady run (Zone 2)

* Session 3 – Outdoors
• 120 minutes steady ride. You should be able to talk to your training partner through the whole ride. DON’T be tempted to push it. This is a recovery ride and the benefit will come from muscle recovery over time.

* Session 1 – Steady Run
• Warm up before you start the run. Try to avoid going straight off.
Mobility stretches
200m Jogs
• Main – 15km hard / Race Pace
• Warm down
4 x 200m Strides (just above race pace)

Dynamic stretches. Don’t push the stretches just hold for 20 seconds each. Work from your feet up stretching each major running group muscle.

* Session 2 – 60 minutes Fartlec session
• 10 minutes steady
• 40 minutes at run 3 minutes, hard for 2 minutes, jog for 1, repeat.
• 10 minutes steady warm down followed by stretching.

* Session 3 – Bike to Run
• Following your weekend bike give yourself 3-5 minutes rest as you stow away the bike then go for a 5km or max 30-minute run at a steady pace (Zone 2), whichever is the shortest.