BEYOND IRON
DISTANCE
As we begin
to experience a level of mastery at a particular triathlon race
distance, we have two choices to further challenge ourselves
within the world of swim-bike-run: We can go faster. Or, we
can go farther. Ironman has long been revered as the pinnacle
distance of our sport. Once an athlete finishes an Ironman, the
only option is to go faster, yes?
Many Iron
triathletes are just discovering that there are indeed races
longer than 140.6 miles. In 2007 Ian Adamson offered the 2nd
annual 24 Hours of Triathlon in Denver over Labor Day weekend.
Steve Kirby produced the annual Virginia Double and Triple Iron
triathlons in Lake Anna, Virginia over Columbus Day weekend.
(The Double began in Alabama in 1985, moved to Lake Anna in
1997, and was joined by the Triple in 1998.) Jane Bockus
directed the 23rd Hawaii Ultraman World Championship
over Thanksgiving weekend. And, if none of these events are
long enough to get you warmed up, you can try your hand (and
your arms and legs) at a deca-iron. (Yup, that’s 10
times iron-distance.) Two formats have been used for deca’s:
1) Swim 24 miles, bike 1120 miles, and run 262 miles. 2) Do one
iron-distance race each day for 10 days consecutively. The
Deca Iron World Championship was held in Mexico City in November
2007, using the second format. (For more information, see the
sidebar “Ultra-Triathlon Race Formats”.)
Welcome to the “squirrel cage”! With the exception of
Ultraman, most ultra-triathlons are “squirrel cage races”. They
consist of multiple swim, bike and run laps, over a short,
gently rolling or flat course. For instance, the Virginia
Double Iron consists of 12 out-and-back swim laps, followed by
45 out-and-back bike laps and 26 out-and-back run laps. The
Triple Iron, which starts 24 hours earlier than the Double,
consists of 18 swim, 67.5 bike and 39 run laps over the same
course. You might think such a short course for such long races
might make a multi-day race monotonous. However, the Lake Anna
course is quite beautiful, on quiet roads in a state park. The
short out-and-back repetitions allow each athlete to return to
the race center every 20-60 minutes, with access to his/her “pit
area” for food, clothing, equipment changes and crew support.
This frequent “check-in” offers a sense of security, as the
athlete endures such a daunting task. Unlike most conventional
races on longer courses, ultra-triathlons allow pacers to
accompany athletes. The short laps make it easy for spouses and
other crew members to take turns accompanying their athletes.
Over
multiple laps, the athlete gains intimate familiarity with the
course, honing a perfect strategy for the greatest efficiency
and economy. The age-old expression, “Practice makes perfect”
really holds true for such courses, where triple-iron athletes
typically spend 20-30 hours just to cover the 336 miles of the
bike leg. Short lap lengths also mean the athlete has an
accurate, continuous measure of progress.
Why?
Why would anyone want to do an endurance event longer than an
Ironman? What new discoveries or experiences are there beyond
iron? What about the time commitment? If you max your weekly
training at 20 hours for Iron-distance, do you max at 40 hours a
week for a double-iron, or 60 hours for a triple? How can you
train most effectively for ultra-tri’s and still have a life?
What’s the real secret behind training for longer distances?
Well? Are
you ready to venture further into the intriguing landscape of
physical and mental endurance?
How?
In my limited experience, once the muscular, metabolic, and
neurological systems are adapted to iron-distances, it is
possible to sustain aerobic exercise for much longer duration,
without an increase in training volume, if three criteria
are met: 1) I have a simple nutrition protocol for continuous
fueling. 2) I remain patient and calm enough to regulate a
sustainable pace appropriate for the duration. 3) I focus
relentlessly on executing each and every stroke and stride
efficiently, economically and gracefully. In reverse order,
let’s consider each of these criteria.
Focus:
The big secret behind training and racing longer distances
without devoting every waking moment to training is very simple,
yet very subtle. There is a shift in emphasis from sheer volume
of physical training to mindfulness training. In
Buddhism, mindfulness is the first of seven factors for
enlightenment. Jack Kornfield describes it very simply in “Seeking
the Heart of Wisdom” as “a clear awareness of what is
happening each moment”. For endurance athletes, this
translates to a capacity to remain present and focused in the
“here and now”, in order to swim, bike and run with
biomechanical efficiency and economy even under duress, for the
duration of the workout or the race. Mindfulness is the
foundation for every quality workout, regardless of duration. It
includes our concentration and kinetic awareness.
With
mindfulness, we swim, bike and run more intelligently.
An intelligent, mindful approach is evermore crucial as the
distance increases. Each moment of training and racing becomes
an intense investigation of efficiency, economy, grace and
harmony. Go faster and farther with less effort and energy.
Recover faster and minimize incurrence of injury. These are
primary intentions all endurance athletes share, from sprint to
ultra.
Mindfulness
is simple, and it’s profoundly powerful in all aspects of life.
Yet, it is also intangible and hard to measure, so an athletic
pursuit of mindfulness can be illusive. It’s not something we
can buy in a bottle and drink. However, as the hours and the
miles add up over a long training session or an ultra race, the
logical mind begins to soften and melt down. Unencumbered by
that incessant internal commentary, it gets easier to enter the
zone of clear awareness, to find the flow.
The most
important guideline for combining mindfulness and endurance
training is to approach each session with all the diligence and
awareness you can muster – as if this will be the last time you
will ever swim, bike or run. Absorb every moment and every
detail of your movement. There is no limit to your capacity for
diligence and awareness, no limit to your capacity to execute
each stroke and stride perfectly.
Technique – A Relentless Pursuit: Swimming is the
discipline that really shows us the precedence of perfect
technique over desperate exertion. Great swimmers seem to slide
through the water without much movement or effort. However, as
an illustration for using mindfulness to survive an ultra
triathlon, let’s consider cycling. When I began the 224-mile
bike leg of the 2007 Virginia Double, I had never in my life
biked more than 171 miles in a single ride, and that was at
Ultraman, 11 months prior. In the preceding 2 months, since
Ironman Lake Placid, I had not ridden longer than 3 hours
continuously. I had to approach the Double Iron bike ride with
more efficiency and economy than ever before. Do or die, this
would be a relentless pursuit of perfect technique. (Nothing
like high stakes to perk up the concentration.)
My focal
points included joint alignment (of the hip, knee, ankle and
foot) and pelvic orientation for correct biomechanics. I also
focused on keeping my shoulders low and relaxed, tucking my
chin, lengthening the back of my neck and leading with the crown
of my head. I continually kept this focus in both aero and
upright positions. I was very concerned with saddle discomfort
during the 15-hour ride and knew that the best way to avoid it
was through diligent saddle positioning that minimized
side-to-side movement and the chaffing it causes. (I had
brought an ISM saddle on a separate seatpost, in case I felt the
need to change saddles. However, I stayed with my Fizik Arione
Tri saddle for the duration.) I opted for tri shorts with
minimal padding and minimal bulk, over bike shorts, for the
entire ride.
I also
focused on maintaining a cadence of 80-95 rpm throughout the
ride, mindful to shift gears accordingly. After the first 5
laps or so, I had determined the best gear selection, cadence
and positioning strategy for every part of the short course. I
rarely rode out of the saddle except to stretch as I coasted
downhill, opting to conserve my leg strength. Overall, I
maintained a harmonious and symbiotic relationship with my bike,
maintaining correct biomechanics and constantly exercising my
“vocabulary” of riding positions.
The most
difficult element of the bike segment was navigating the stretch
of road closest to the transition area after nightfall, as we
were sharing this section with runners. I constantly reminded
myself that these runners were doing the Triple, and were
enduring their second night without sleep. Many were in a state
of trance that deserved a wide berth. Each cyclist and runner
had a headlight/lamp. Depth perception was difficult, so I
exercised patience and caution, keeping the speed conservative
throughout this section of the course.
Patient Pacing: A second precious virtue for endeavors
of this length is patience. It allows the ultra-athlete to
remain in the present moment, without any mental “squirming”
that can cause disassociation. Patience is most essential in
determining a pacing strategy that is gentle enough to
prevent injuries, yet focused enough to cover the distance in
the allotted time. With patience, the athlete is less anxious
to “hurry up and get this thing over with!” (Maybe this
is why the majority of ultra-triathletes are in their 40’s and
50’s.) In my experience, I use a combination of mindfulness and
patience to gradually and gracefully click off the laps. For
setting the pace on both bike and run, I focus on minimizing the
perceived strain and impact to my hip, knee and ankle joints, as
well as my feet. I really enjoy the gentleness of this pacing
strategy and I’m happy to sustain it for many hours.
Simple
Nutrition: For the Double, I used the same nutrition
strategy I’ve used in the past for ultra races: I refrained
from eating anything on race morning until 5 or 10 minutes
before I began. I consumed one Hammer Gel before the start.
For the remainder of the race, I consumed 2 to 2 ½ scoops of
Hammer Perpetuem per hour (even during the 4.8-mile swim), along
with water and Hammer Endurolytes appropriate for the climate
conditions. Hammer Nutrition supplied Heed and Endurolytes that
were available at the transition area and the run turnaround.
On the second day, as the weather got hot on the run, I opted
for Heed over Perpetuem. This simple strategy works very well
for me – no fiber to process, a steady and even flow of complex
carbohydrates with some soy protein, and electrolytes. It is a
protocol simple enough for any crew member to anticipate and
follow.
I feel that
the perceived need for complicated nutrition strategies, with a
wide diversity of foods, is more a psychological crutch than a
physiological requirement. It is a result of mental “squirming”
– the desire to disassociate and to seek out comfort. The
consequence is often digestive distress and erratic energy
levels. Keep in mind that stored fat is the primary source of
fuel for aerobic activity. If the athlete provides an adequate
and steady flow of carbohydrate (necessary for converting that
stored fat to fuel), as well as electrolytes and water, the body
enjoys a continuous level of energy without any gastric
complications. The ultra-distance quest is demanding enough;
keep the nutrition simple.
Basic
Ultra Training Guidelines: Novice athletes initially
realize their greatest advances in endurance as they improve
metabolic efficiency, training the body to burn fat and to
conserve glycogen at higher levels of intensity and for longer
durations. As the metabolic system adapts, the advances will
level off, with occasional peaks through well-planned
periodization. However, given consistent training and a
diligent mindful approach, we can continue to improve technique
indefinitely as we age. Focus on technique during every
workout, whether it is a recovery session or a high-intensity
interval session. Relentlessly pursue economy, efficiency and
grace – in the water, on the bike, and on the run.
We train
three physiological systems – muscular, metabolic, and
neurological. It is the neurological that responds and improves
the most, and the muscular that responds the least. However,
don’t discount strength training. Functional strength
conditioning focuses on training the neuro system to recruit
more muscle fibers for a given movement. Improved recruitment
means greater endurance capacity with less mileage.
Multi-planar exercises that cause you to stabilize joints and
maintain balance, will train your neuro-based proprioception
– your balance and coordination. Proprioception is a key
element for that relentless pursuit of perfect technique.
Finally, the pelvic core provides a stable center for all
efficient movements – swim, bike or run. Don’t skimp on
functional core strength.
As mentioned
above, once you can maintain a training volume for
iron-distance, it may not be necessary to increase that for
ultra tri’s. Rather, use progressively longer races every 5-8
weeks with adequate recovery in between to build up your
metabolic and (more importantly) mental stamina. Alternatively,
an epic workout 3-4 weeks prior to an ultra is effective.
Instead of chaining yourself to the bike for 14 hours, be
creative! I have used two creative approaches with success.
One is a “volley” workout, alternating between 2 disciplines
throughout the day. The second alternative works well here in
the mountains surrounding Lake Placid: I go for an epic hike
with lots of ascents and descents. (These approaches are
detailed in the “Case Study” below.)
Finally,
don’t let up on the speed work. Obviously, you won’t be doing
much sprinting on the bike or run of an ultra-triathlon.
However, speed work helps to train your muscle fiber recruitment
for greater endurance and is essential in that relentless
pursuit of perfect technique.
Case
Study: For an illustration of the information discussed
above, here’s a quick 2 ½ month overview of my training and
racing leading up to the Virginia Double, 6-7 October. I
followed Ironman Lake Placid, 23 July, with active recovery for
the first week – easy swim and bike sessions. I also resumed my
combined core strength and stretching workout (including physio-ball
work) 3 days post-IM, and resistance strength training 10 days
later. For speed work, I raced High Peaks Cyclery’s weekly
Monday Night Mini-Tri (sprint distance), beginning 8 days after.
My immediate
race-focus after IM was the USMS National 2-Mile Cable Swim
Championship 3 weeks later. Consequently, most of my high
intensity workouts (with the exception of the weekly sprint
tri’s) were limited to swimming. Three days before the USMS
race, I did an endurance bike-run “volley” in preparation for 24
Hours of Triathlon (24 HOT). The volley consisted of 90 minutes
biking/30 run/90 bike/30 run/90 bike/30 run/90 bike. This
format closely resembled the strategy I would use for 24 HOT. A
few days after the USMS race, I did a similar swim-run
“volley”. While these were long sessions, the volley format
kept my running legs fresh and recovery times short.
I soloed 24
Hours of Triathlon 1-2 September – five weeks after IM, and two
weeks after USMS. For this race, I alternated between multiple
½-mile swim laps and a single 2.8-mile run lap throughout the
day. Although the temperature peaked at 90 degrees, I was back
in the water after each 30-minute run to cool off. At night, I
alternated between multiple 9.4-mile bike laps and a single run
lap. (I never ran more than one run lap at a time throughout
the race.) This strategy of short run repetitions allowed for
greater recovery and minimized injury potential, even though my
total run distance was 42 miles. In 24 hours, I completed 15
triathlons, with one additional swim.
I resumed
swimming, biking, core strength and stretching as soon as I
returned to Lake Placid. I refrained from running due to a
minor injury to my left knee from the 24 HOT. A week after 24
Hours, I signed up for the Virginia Double and I went on a
4-hour fast-hike with friends to the summit of Giant Mountain,
here in the Adirondack Park. My legs were very sore for 3 days
after the climb, so I ran only twice in that week, 20 minutes
each time.
The very
next weekend, 5 of us completed a 13 ½-hour fast-hike, summiting
9 of the Adirondack High Peaks, with over 10,200 feet of
elevation, covering over 25 miles. (All 5 of us had completed
Ironman Lake Placid, and all of us agreed this hike left our
legs far more trashed.) This served as my peak training event
for the Virginia Double, 3 weeks away.
I resumed
biking and swimming the next day, but did not run for 4 days –
and then, just 20 minutes. A week after the epic hike, I ran 10
miles. It felt like 20. This was only my fourth run since the
24 Hours, (the first one longer than 30 minutes), and my longest
run before the Double. As mentioned above, my longest bike was
3 hours. With the exception of our epic hike, my weekly volume
between these two long races was moderately low, peaking at a
weekly total of 13:45. Regardless, I maintained my relentless
pursuit of economy, efficiency and grace in every workout. In
addition, twice a week, I did my yoga-Pilates core strength and
managed a few multi-planar weight lifting sessions as well.
Psychologically, it would have been easy for me to feel anxious
about my low training volume as I prepared for the Double,
especially running volume. However, a key component of my
endurance athletic training is to disengage from the fear I
associate with uncertainty and doubt, especially as I approach a
new endurance challenge. This ability to disengage from the
fear and befriend the uncertainty as an “elixir of life” is
helpful when we approach any new and unfamiliar experience in
life. Endurance training and racing provides a great arena for
honing this life-skill. Continue to venture forth and explore
unfamiliar territory as an athlete and you will continue to hone
this skill. I am very grateful for the health, wealth, and the
family, community and cultural support that enable me to do
this.
In
conclusion, the most important preparation for the Double was to
arrive at the starting line in a calm state, with humility,
gratitude, keen awareness and lots of patience.
What
is possible? One of the greatest psychological supports
for me as I “raced” the Double, was sharing the experience with
those who began 24 hours earlier, racing the Triple. Their
daunting endeavor made my quest look much smaller and more
attainable. Most noteworthy was Arthur Puckrin, a 69-year old
judge from the UK who took up triathlon at age 50. Wearing his
sandals, Arthur was still able to run on Sunday, when the
temperature went over 90 degrees, while I was reduced to a
staggering walk. Still smiling and breathing deeply, he
gracefully finished the 78.6-mile run to complete yet another
triple-iron with more than an hour so spare. A month later he
would begin the Deca World Championship in Mexico City.
Vicenzo
Catalano of Italy also completed the triple. He holds the
record for the most iron-distance tri’s completed in one year –
40. (Of course, most were accumulated during multiple iron
events.)
Finally, Guy
Rossi of France, age 56, holds the world’s record for the most
ultra-tri total mileage. He’s done 9 singles, a 24-hour (that
included 8h swim, 8h bike, 8h run), 37 doubles, 27 triples, 1
quadruple, 2 quintuples and 8 deca’s. These accomplishments
include 14 podium finishes. Kinda makes an annual Ironman look
like a stroll in the park, huh?
ULTRA-TRIATHLON RACE FORMATS
Ultraman: Held annually in both Canada and Hawaii, this
is a 3-day stage race. The format and distances for this race
developed as a way for athletes to circle the entire Big Island,
beginning at the pier in Kailua (which also serves as the start
of Hawaii Ironman) and ending just a mile away. The first day
includes a 6.2-mile point-to-point swim to Keauhou, followed by
a 90-mile bike that finishes atop 4,000’ Kilauea, just a few
miles from the active volcanic cauldera. Day 2 consists of a
171.4-mile bike through countless climatic zones and ecosystems,
culminating with a fast descent into Hawi from the 5,000 crest
of the Kohala mountains. On Day 3, athletes complete the circle
back to Kailua with a double marathon along the same infamous
coastal desert highway as the Hawaii Ironman bike course.
(Canada Ultraman consists of the same distances.) The entire
320-mile course of both venues is open, with no traffic
controls, and each athlete is required to have a support crew.
Topography, wind, temperature and road conditions are highly
variable. Athletes must complete each day’s stage within 12
hours. Logistics constitute a crucial element of this race.
24
Hours of Triathlon: With a 2-year history, look for
this Le Mans style format to gain popularity. In 2007, 24HOT
was held in Cherry Creek State Park on a ½ mile swim, 9.4-mile
bike and 2.8-mile run course, just outside of Denver. The event
is open to solo athletes and teams. After the initial swim,
bike and run, athletes may complete legs of the triathlon in any
order and combination. However, at the conclusion, placement is
figured by the number of complete triathlons; an excess of bike
laps won’t count. Swimming is allowed during daylight hours
only. In 2008, the distances for each leg will be standardized
to one-tenth of iron distance (0.24-mile swim, 11.2-mile bike,
2.62-mile run). This “go-as-far-as-you-can” format eliminates
the distance requirement, meaning that every participant is a
finisher. It’s a great way to break into the ultra-tri arena.
Multiple Iron: These classic
“squirrel cage” races have been put on internationally for over
2 decades, including double, triple, quadruple, quintuple, deca
and even 15 times iron distance. In Europe, these races are
usually held in well-lit urban areas on flat roads closed to
traffic. Course lengths vary by location, however, all these
races consist of multiple laps of a short course. In the US,
Huntsville Alabama was host to the Double 1985-96, before the
race moved to Virginia in 1997. The Triple was added in 1998.
(For more info:
www.usaultratri.com,
www.iutasport.com.)
