6 World Championship-Level Workouts You Can Use

Now is the time athletes start to dial in the details for their fall races – training in the clothes they’ll wear on race day, taking their nutrition for a test drive at different distances and intensities, and triple-checking that all gear is in tip-top shape. But what about the training itself? If you’re following a training plan, chances are the workouts are designed to prepare you for the distance. But are they also preparing you for the environmental conditions you’ll encounter? As we learned from coaches coaches Alison Freeman of NYX Endurance and Jim Lubinski of Tower 26, tailoring your training to the specific demands of your race course will help you not only cover the distance, but conquer it.

These six sessions, designed for the swim, bike, and run conditions at the Ironman World Championship races in Nice and Kona, can serve as examples of what race-specific workouts can look like. Even if you’re not racing in Nice or Kona, these workouts can give you a boost for the “A” race on your schedule – and get you feeling like a champ in no time.

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Nice Swim Workout

Total: 3900 yards/meters

Best done in race-day wetsuit

Warm-up:

300 easy

800 easy with a “deck-up” every 100 (get out of the pool, 10-second run or jog or jumping jacks) Sight twice on each 25

Main set #1:

2 rounds of:

800 @ Ironman pace except every 4th 50 is fast, sighting twice per 25 on the fast 50, once per 25 otherwise

400 @ 70.3 pace except every 4th 25 is fast, sighting twice per 25 on the fast 25, once per 25 otherwise). Rest 1 min. between.

Main set #2: 

Best done with a swim buddy or two

16 x 25 as: Odd 25s from a dive, fast, sighting 3x per 25; evens easy.

Swim together, in close proximity to each other, switching positions in the lane every two 25s.

Cooldown:

200 easy pull

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Kona Swim Workout

Total: 3700 yards/meters

Best done in race-day swimskin

The main set is designed to balance race-intensive swimming with recovery. If swimming with a training partner/group, practice pacelining/drafting on the odd 400s.

Warm-up:

300 easy

6 x 100 as 25 kick/50 swim/25 kick @ 70-75%  on 20 sec. rest

No fins, but wear swim snorkel and thumbs interlaced, face down with biceps squeezing your ears. Keep a long taut frame with good posture.

Prep set:

16 x 25 swim on 10-15 sec. rest as: #1 easy, #2 and #3 @ 80-85%, #4 FAST!

Focus on increasing stroke cadence while maintaining good power and efficiency

Main set: 3 rounds of 

1 x 400 (ideally from a dive), 1st and last 100 fast, middle 100s @ 80%. Do 3 x sightings per 25 on the fast efforts, 2 x sightings per 25 on the 80% efforts. Deck-up at end (climb out of pool). 60 sec. rest

1 x 400 pull @ 70% on 60 sec. rest (using snorkel + buoy)

Cooldown:

200 easy pull

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Nice Bike Workout 

Duration: 90 min.

To be done outdoors, ideally on a climb featuring switchbacks

Warm-up: 

20 min. building from easy, RPE 3/10, to endurance effort, RPE 4/20

Main set:

2 rounds of

20 min. sustained climb, big ring/low cadence interval, just above Ironman race pace/effort

10 min. technical descent or 5 x shoulder-to-shoulder switchbacks, focusing on cornering technique (brake into the turn then release, outside foot low/inside foot high, weight on outside foot and inside hand), keep effort low but focus high

Cooldown:

20 min. easy/endurance effort RPE3-4/10

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Kona Bike Workout

Duration: 88 min.

Best done on trainer, keeping fan off for 1st 20-30 min.

During the main set, visualize the feeling of pushing up and over the Kona rollers, keeping good pressure on the pedals the entire time. Try to stay in TT position for the majority of the way up the first half of the pyramid and all of the way down the back half.

Warm-up:

10 min. smooth riding

Main set:

3 rounds of:

3 min. @ 70% effort @ 75-85 RPM

3 min. @ 75% effort @ 70-80 RPM

3 min. @ 80% effort @ 65-75 RPM

3 min. @ 85% effort @ 60-70 RPM

3 min. @ 80% effort @ 65-75 RPM

3 min. @ 75% effort @ 70-80 RPM

3 min. @ 70% effort @ 75-85 RPM

5 min. easy recovery between sets

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Nice Run Workout

12 miles

Find a gently rolling two-mile stretch of road where you can execute this multi-out-and-back long run. You’ll perform three out-and-backs over 12 miles and experience the mental challenge of passing your finish line multiple times without finishing or easing up on your pace.

Warm-up:

2 miles, easy effort, RPE 3/10

Main set: 

1 mile at endurance effort, RPE 4/10

2 miles at or just above race pace

2 miles at endurance effort, RPE 4/10*

2 miles at or just above race pace*

1 mile at endurance effort, RPE 4/10

1 mile at or just above race pace

Cooldown:

1 mile easy, RPE 3/10

*You can repeat the starred segments to add a fourth out-and-back if you wish to lengthen the run to 16 miles.

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Kona Run Workout

Approx. 90 min.

Find a ~4% grade hill that takes approximately two minutes to go up at your endurance effort.

Warm-up:20-min easy warm-up on a flat road, RPE 3/10

20-minute steady run on a flat road, endurance effort, RPE 4/10

Main set:

10 x 2 min. hill repeats as:

Odds @ 10K effort, RPE 6/10, descend easy, RPE 3/10

Evens @ endurance effort, RPE 4/10, descend @ 10K effort, RPE 6/10

60 sec. easy, RPE 3/10, on flat road after each even repeat

Cooldown:

10 min. easy jog on flat road, RPE 3/10