Ironman Training

Kona Diaries 2010 – Day 11 – Resting up

Kona Diaries 2010 – Day 11 – Resting up

My alarm rudely woke me this morning. I’d have liked an hour or two more, but was helping Biestmilch give out T-Shirts at the pier. It’s a busy time as freebies draw in crowds of athletes. If they’ve put on their Biest tattoo they get a free t-shirt. It’s already become a small Kona tradition. […]


Kona Diaries 2010 – Day 5 – Rested, Recovered, Running

Kona Diaries 2010 – Day 5 – Rested, Recovered, Running

Jet lag, heat and humidity are the issues facing an athlete coming to Kona. Since arriving on Sunday I’ve not managed a decent night’s sleep. It was catching up with me by the end of Thursday and I crashed out early. The next time I was fully conscious it was 6am and I’d slept over […]


Kona Diaries 2010 – Day 4 – Now we’re really tapering

Kona Diaries 2010 – Day 4 – Now we’re really tapering

There was a good bunch of Brits out for the swim this morning Steven Lord and Rachel Joyce led off whilst Roger Canham, Jo Carritt and I trailed further behind. Halfway out I bumped into Tim Bishop, Laura Trimble and husband Andrew. It’s hard not to meet someone you know here even in the middle […]


Kona Diaries 2010 – Day 3 – Acclimatisation Woes

Kona Diaries 2010 – Day 3 – Acclimatisation Woes

Early starts have established themselves in the Hawaiian routine. I checked my watch as soon as I woke and sure enough it was 4:30. Two hours till I’d swim and no early run planned I could have used more rest. It wasn’t to be and complaints now will be forgotten when the early race day […]


Kona Diaries 2010 – Day 2 – Hot and Hard on the Queen K

Kona Diaries 2010 – Day 2 – Hot and Hard on the Queen K

Another early start in Hawaii as my body decided 4:30am is the perfect time to wake. At least I could slowly come round and get ready for the day’s training. After an easy beginning to the week there was work to be done starting with another easy run at first light. I took side roads […]


Final Preparations on the Road to Kona

Final Preparations on the Road to Kona

Twenty four hours and I’ll be in Kona, two weeks and the race will be done. I’ve doubts about fitness, but certain my Skinfit kit is up to the job. Euro-style white is a bold choice when you’re not sure you’ll be up the front of the pack! The last fortnight looked nothing like plans […]


Metabolic Testing: Ironman Fuel Efficiency and Fat Burning Profiles

Metabolic Testing: Ironman Fuel Efficiency and Fat Burning Profiles

The results from my testing with Peter Byworth and Metabolic Solutions are in and I’ve had time to study them. The broad details from my initial post are all confirmed by the raw data so I’ve dug further with help from sports scientist Greg May. Greg’s already looking into this area and was keen to […]


PMC 2010 Ironman Hawaii

Analytical Triathlon Training Part 5: Moments from my Performance Management Chart

The best way to appreciate the Performance Management Chart (PMC) is through examples. To back up my last post on the PMC I’ve picked a few periods from previous years. I’ve tried to choose both good and bad so you can see some of the patterns to look for in your charts. As with many […]


Russ's metabolic testing on a stationary bike

Metabolic Testing: Twenty Minutes of Pain for Months of Better Training

Despite a strong analytical approach to training and racing I’ve never participated in serious testing or performance analysis. The benchmark tests I’ve recently written about are the deepest I’ve looked. This changed on Saturday when I had my first session with Peter Byworth of Metabolic Solutions. As I considered plans for the next season and […]


Performance Management Chart

Analytical Triathlon Training Part 4: the Performance Management Chart

Benchmarks like power, pace or heart rate offer means to guide training. Expanding that with TSS enables an athlete to make general assessments on the impact of each session. The real power comes when you start to consider the long term affects of training. Whilst there are other versions I use WKO+‘s Performance Management Chart […]