By Mark Fulford

With Ironman New Zealand just around the corner for me and about 1300 other athletes, I thought I would put finger to keyboard (hunt and peck style) and wade in with a few tips and a bit of advice. It's a lot to absorb so I suggest you do it in two sittings.

I must stress that these tips, and this advice is based on experience, what I've seen, and what I've heard people say and recommend. I do not take the credit for thinking/dreaming up all that follows and have no scientific back up for it.
If you see something that may help you, try it out (preferably before race day). If you don't agree with what you see and have a better way of doing things I'd love to hear from you as Triathlon is an evolving organism and I'm interested in learning new ideas.

Here we go...

Get a Suntan: This one can't be taken care of the day before. If you have a bit of a tan it takes the pressure off you having to have sunscreen applied perfectly if it's a hot day. Personally, I can't remember ever applying sunscreen prior to racing Ironman. Really only applies to those who have the ability to tan. Otherwise apply sunscreen the night before so it soaks in, and during the event (transitions or from aid stations).

Mark Your Shoelaces: Once you start the run you don't want to have to stop to adjust anything especially not laces. There is a good chance you'll cramp. So mark your laces with felt tip so you know exactly where your toggle or fastening device must sit. Also, loose shoes often lead to blisters.

Wear Really Good Race Socks: Helps prevent blisters. Texture is important. Find a good pair of socks, and then buy 3 more pairs. Keep them only for racing and put them on at the start of the run. The Asics 'Ped' sock range is great.

Put Carbo Sachets in a bottle: Rather than tearing off the tops of 18 sqeezies, gels, gu's or whatever you use during the ride (which believe me wears a bit thin once you've worn more than you've ingested), pour them all into a see-through drink bottle, mark off certain points (i.e. every 3 or every hours worth). Throw in a few extra for good measure or dilute with water. Just really make sure you have your markings correct so you do in fact take in the correct number of calories/carbos per hour.

Check All Gear: During the 180km ride in Ironman, assume that if something can move or come loose squeak, or rattle, it will. It may not slow you down but it will grate on you and annoy the hell out of you and stuff up your concentration. So check all moving parts and get a shop to service your bike thoroughly.

Stand and Stretch Whenever Possible When Riding: You should all have a comfortable position on the bike and you should be able to ride for hours on end down on your aero bars. Even so, it is good to have a bit of a stretch and a break from your normal position. So any incline where you have to change down and drop below say 28km/hr, take the opportunity to stand, ride out of the saddle for a few metres and stretch. Do this even if you don't need to. Prevention is better than cure.

Take a New Drink Bottle Before You Throw The Old One Away: Firstly, try and get a replacement bottle before yours is empty. Just in case you get a dud or you drop it. Secondly, make sure you have a new one in your hand before you eject your current one. You don't want to be left high and dry. At this years Canadian IM, during the ride I was given a bottle that hadn't had its plastic seal under the nozzle removed. I couldn't get a drop out of it and I was completely out of fluids. It wasn't the first aid station so I should have planned ahead and taken one at the previous station.

Don't Carry Too Many Drink Bottles: Why lug extra kgs around the course. You really only need 2 bottles at any given time on the bike (unless it's really hot) and then one can be only half full. This is especially true on hilly, or hilly sections of courses. This takes a bit of planning, as one of your bottles may have your special high-octane carbo gunk in it and you don't want to be left high and dry. I've seen athletes who've spent thousands on lightweight bikes then carried four 750ml bottles on them!

Tape Your Feet: Before rocking up to IM, I'm guessing you've run a few miles so you'll know which parts of your feet are prone to blisters. I suggest you tape these parts prior to the event. I use Leukoplast strapping tape. It is best to tape them a few days prior to race day so the tape has time to stick properly. Blisters may be small but they can ruin your race. A blister tends to make you change your running gait, which in turn leads you to use muscles in a different manner to which they are accustomed, which leads to more pain and suffering. Classic snowball effect. Prevention is best.

Wetsuit Fit: This is the latest thing I've learnt. If you submerge yourself on race day in your wetsuit, then get out and let it drain, it sticks to you. So when you then get in for your warm up, your wetsuit is less likely to let so much water in, therefore, you don't end up carting half the lake around with you. Brilliant! (Bet I forget to do it). Also, make sure that the sleeves aren't twisted; this can help prevent shoulder soreness.

Being Efficient On The Bike: I have a checklist I go through when I'm on the bike. It keeps me focused; it stops me from pushing too hard and hopefully keeps me riding at my most efficient. It also stops me getting nervous as I have something to keep my mind occupied for the entire ride. Staying calm is a huge part of racing IM. The checklist is (pretty much in order of importance)
*Heart Rate (your coach should have you dialled into a 5 beat zone which you stay in)
*Cadence (optimal cadence differs between riders, usually between 85 and 95 revs)
*Nutrition (Important to get this right, often the cause of a "bad patch")
*How My Legs Feel (if your legs are aching, back off and check everything else)
*Gear (I have a good idea what kind of gear I can handle, if I'm above this gear (in a harder gear) then I need to monitor myself carefully)
*Speed (this is the least important as over the entire day you can race at so many speeds. If it's low I'll try to find a way to increase it efficiently, or if it's high I monitor everything else to make sure I'm not overdoing it)

Using a HR Monitor In the Race: As mentioned above your coach should have you operating at an intensity you can keep up all day. Your HR monitor more often than not will confirm you are working hard enough. I use mine to slow me down especially at the beginning of the Bike and Run where the crowds are going nuts and your body just wants to let loose. By staying in my optimal 5 beat zone I will race efficiently, and all things being equal, I'll get to the finish line in the least amount of time.

Pre Race: Have a written checklist with all the things you need to have on your bike, computer, spares, pump, bottles, HR monitor, tyres with air in them………and so on. Don't leave this stuff on your bike overnight. Trust nobody!

Don't Panic and Go Hard at the Start of the Bike and Run: This is a no no. It's easy to get carried away, the crowd, the music, the other athletes etc, but you must remain focused. Run through your transitions, mental checklist so you have everything, and then use the first 10-20 mins or so as a warm up. It is easy to chew up an inappropriate amount of energy in the very beginning of each discipline. Relax, get comfortable, and get your nutrition on track. I give myself a few chores to do at the beginning of the run to slow me down a bit and so I get into a good rhythm. This is when I put my Vaseline on possible points of chafing and I adjust my run gear so it is comfortable and on straight (sorry, your mother isn't there to dress you in transition). I also knock back a few liquid carbs from a sachet. By the time I do this I'm out of the crowds a bit and am settled into my running rhythm.

Don't Go Hard Up the Hills: This is a fundamental rule in IM. Hills are a time to dawdle both on the bike and the run. If you dawdle you are more than likely at race pace HR. I think of it in boxing terms. Every hill you go up too hard is like a body punch. Slowly they wear you down until you are floored. Heaps of people will pass you going hard up the hills, but odds are you will see them later in the race and they will be looking fairly grim. If you don't see them later in the day, they are probably a better athlete than you, so good luck to them.

Kick a Bit Before You Exit the Swim: This gets blood flowing to the leg muscles that you'll need to use to exit the water.

Don't Rush Out of the Water: After swimming for an hour or so it is not uncommon to feel disoriented when you stand and go through transition one. Take it slowly so you don't have an accident and to try and keep your HR under control. Losing a few seconds here won't make much difference. If you have cramp in your calf muscles for example just walk or you may jeopardise your run later in the day.

Apply Vaseline to Armpits, Nipples & Between Thighs: Self-explanatory really. Best to do this before things start getting testy. The aid stations should have supplies of anti-chafe products.

Stretch During Event: This can be achieved quite easily on the bike, just wait for a hill. In the swim roll over and do a few strokes of backstroke to loosen your shoulders if they start getting tight. Unfortunately if you stretch on the run you have to stop. If you have an ongoing injury that responds to stretching make that part of your race run plan. Perhaps at every second aid station plan to gently stretch to keep your injury from flaring up. Once again, start this regime before you really need to. Be careful though, sometimes stretching one muscle can lead to painful cramps in another one. In Aussie IM years ago I tried to stretch my Quad and ended up with a huge cramp in my Hamstring. I won't do that again!

Tidy Yourself up For the Finish: You will have your finishers' photo forever. Make yourself recognisable by removing your cap (tuck it into the back of your shorts) and glasses. Straighten your gear and wipe off any excess crap from your face. Smile for the camera slightly before you cross the line and break the tape, the cameraman's timing is not always spot on.

Smile to Stay Relaxed: Tenseness will rob your body of a lot of energy as will nervousness. Smiling can help you to relax and stay calm. A good time to do this is during the start of the swim when chaos rules.

Race to Time Not Distance: The distances in IM can be rather daunting. I find focusing on time brings me more in line with my training. I know I can run for an hour easily off the bike in training, so at the start of the marathon I look to run for an hour. Once I get to the hour mark, I'm no longer doing an IM, my event has become a long run. I know how far I've run for my long run in training so I tune into that time and tick off every half hour. If all goes to plan I get to the end of the marathon in the same time I'd finish my long run. Just a mind game I play to make things easier.

Eat Whatever Takes Your Fancy on the Run: Aid stations on the run have a relative smorgasbord of things to eat. I find that if something looks really appealing you are best to take it. Maybe your body needs it but it also satiates your appetite. Often what you crave for at one aid station won't look so appealing at the next. No drama, eat something else, give yourself a treat. Be careful that you only eat a little at a time. No need to make a pig of yourself.

Hydration: Read the Information on the Ironman website regarding hydration and problems associated with drinking too much or not enough.

Spin easily on the bike over the last half km: As you enter transition two, spin easily to loosen your legs up for the run. Doing this over the last half km can free your legs up so you can trot out onto the run looking like a million bucks rather than a duck with a carrot up it's butt.

Have Plenty of Warm Gear in Transition Bags: Plan for rotten weather. It's easy to not use it if it's a hot day or peel it off as you ride or run. You don't want to go out on the bike in particular under dressed as this can lead to all soughts of medical and performance problems.

Know the Brand Name of the Products You Want at the Aid Stations: Do your homework. Twice in last years NZ IM I had problems getting what I needed while racing due to calling out the wrong name of a product. At 150km on the bike I yelled "Shot", only to be greeted with puzzled looks. The product I was after was a "Gel". On the run I yelled "Moro". The reply from the volunteer "We don't have Moro bars…….(I disappointedly carry on running) ….We do have Mars bars". Luckily she chased me down and delivered me a Mars Bar! Lesson: Know the names of the products on the course.

Make Sure Electronic Gadgets Have New(ish) Batteries: I'm not really into electronic gadgetry. But one thing that does tick me off is when the gadgetry I do use goes on the blink. So make sure your bike computer and HR monitor are going to last through the day. I find most electronic products will let you down given half a chance when they are really needed.

Take your own marker to number yourself: With over a thousand athletes on the starting line of any given IM, it helps to be self-sufficient. Rather than standing in lines waiting to get numbered, see if you can do it yourself. Be prepared to lose your marker, as every athlete and their dog will want to borrow it. So drop it and walk away.

Goggles under cap and wetsuit zip strap out: I'm a fan of having your goggles under your cap or caps if it is cold. If they are kicked there is less chance of them being lost. With your zip strap I have it out the top over the Velcro. This way if it is grabbed you don't get unzipped and become like the Titanic. Also apply plenty of anti-chafe product around your neck to prevent rash. Don't use Vaseline, baby oil is fine. Rub your hands in the sand as you enter the water to remove the oil from your hands so you can "feel" the water.

Well that's about all I can think of at the moment. As I stated previously, if you have anything clever to add, let me know.

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