I often get asked about my training but a lot of the time people want to know more specifically how I train for Kona.
Kona is an exceptional race both in course and field. The best in the world obviously arrives ready to do battle, but the course and history of the sport also makes this race challenging.
With that many strong athletes the bike portion of the Kona Ironman is unlike any other. The large pack that forms makes for a very up and down paced ride which needs specific training to prepare for. The climate in Kona also adds to the intensity. It is normally cooler in the morning allowing for harder riding at the beginning but that takes its toll later as the heat increases as well as the wind. So back end strength is important but the ability to perform in the heat as well with more fatigue is paramount.
So, the specific training I do to get ready for Kona consists of a few key workouts and a lot of attention to detail.
I do my main block of training for Kona on Maui so that I can adapt to the heat in a very similar climate. Maui also offers 10,000ft of climbing over 56miles and doing this is one of my key workouts. Along with intervals and tempos the best workout I do for Kona is a 5hr ride where I do a warm up and then a 1hr flatter tempo ride in the heat and then climb up to 10,000ft which takes roughly 3hrs. This workout really works the strength and back portion of the Ironman bike. The key is that the climbing offers sustained effort but as you progress through each 1000ft it gets more and more aerobically challenging. During this workout I can practise my race hydration and nutrition which helps adjust my body to work better in the climate while under stress. After this workout, the next most important part is building strength in the higher power ranges to be able to manage the surges in the group all through the first 90km of the bike. I have incorporated trainer work on Maui to get specific numbers targeted but then also increase heat adaptation. These workouts consist of 5-15min tempo blocks with 1-3min thresholds intervals after. The tempo portion again puts you into a stressed state in which you then have to lift from for the threshold intervals. When I combine these two workouts while incorporating race nutrition in the similar climate, this is what makes me feel confident in tackling the Kona course and great field that turns up every year.
For the swim and run, the training is more focused around aerobic efficiency. In the swim this is to make sure I’m fresher when I start the bike and for the run it’s so that I can run economically after riding hard and the heat increasing. You don’t want to waste any energy while you’re running the marathon in Kona. You have to keep your body from heating up and your legs from breaking down requiring more effort.
For run efficiency we focus on long runs in the heat at 2:30hr and often add a second run later in the evening. For intervals, it’s focusing on large sets of long intervals. I like doing a harder bike session and then transitioning on to 10x1k or mike repeats at faster then marathon pace. The focus is on running smooth and efficient and having the effort be more comfortable than hard interval.
And that, in a nutshell, is how I get ready for Kona.
