Is Your Endurance Training Missing This Key Element?

In today’s email:

• Iron Man Race: Why the Iron Man race is one of the toughest races in the world.

• Heart Rate zones: What you as an athlete can learn from training in different heart rate zones.

• Around The Stadium: runner intensity effects, how lactate threshold training improves performance, and more

IN OUR MAILBOX

Welcome to "IN OUR INBOX," where we introduce the question we will answer in this edition. Do you have a question of your own? Please send it to [email protected].

ON YOUR MARK

What does an Iron Man Race involve?

7 hours, 12 minutes, and 12 seconds is how long Kristian Blummenfelt took to complete the toughest triathlon in the world. The Iron Man is a one-day race that requires extreme endurance to reach the finish line.

IIn February 1978, it was first organized in Hawaii by the Collins family and their team. John Collins (founder & creator of the Iron Man Race) explains the race best: "Swim 2.4 miles, Bike 112 miles, Run 26.2 miles, Brag for the rest of your life."

It is a race in which the different components are performed at varying intensities. Athletes have 5 different heart rate zones, which are used to determine the intensity of a training session or competition.

The heart rate zone you are in varies for each athlete because it is determined, among other things, by the athlete's resting and maximum heart rate. During the Iron Man Race, athletes primarily switch between the first three zones.

Your lactate threshold is the point at which your body starts producing lactate (lactic acid). Lactate causes your muscles to become fatigued and perform less optimally. Lactate is partially formed in zone 3 but especially in zones 4 and 5.

Research has been conducted among various Iron Man athletes to find out when and how long they stay in the different heart rate zones. We can use the results to develop an appropriate training plan. Here are the results:

• Swimming: During the swimming phase, athletes spend 30% of the time in Zone 1, 56% in Zone 2, and 15% in Zone 3. This means they swim mostly at a moderate intensity, with short peaks to a higher intensity.

• Cycling: During cycling, athletes spend 22% of the time in Zone 1, 74% in Zone 2, and only 4% in Zone 3. The focus is on maintaining a stable, moderate intensity for a long duration.

• Running: In running, 62% of the time is spent in Zone 1 and 38% in Zone 2, with no time in Zone 3. This low pace helps athletes complete the final part of the race without exhaustion.

Little time in zone 3, so training your lactate threshold is not necessary... …Although this is true, increasing your lactate threshold can strategically be a good move. Not many athletes think about this, and that's where gains can be made. The benefits of a high lactate threshold are:

• Longer duration at higher intensity: A higher lactate threshold means you can sustain Zone 2 efforts longer without quickly accumulating lactic acid. This helps you maintain a good pace during cycling and running.

• Efficient energy use: With a higher lactate threshold, your body can better extract energy from fats and carbohydrates. This is important for a long race like the Ironman, where energy conservation is crucial.

• Better lactate tolerance: In the Ironman, you sometimes exceed your threshold, such as during sprint moments. A high lactate threshold helps you handle short peaks without quickly becoming fatigued.

• Delaying fatigue: A higher lactate threshold helps delay fatigue for longer. This allows you to continue steadily in a long race like the Ironman without slowing down.

If you want to complete the Iron Man, your training weeks will contain a lot of volume. Your training will consist of long sessions of swimming, running, and cycling.

If you are preparing for your first Iron Man, for example, there is a good chance that you will do too many and too long training sessions, which can lead to overtraining. More is not always better.

Research shows that training for an Iron Man with a 14-hour training week does not yield significantly better results than a 20-hour training week. Rest and recovery are just as important, if not more important, than the training itself.

GET SET

Best 3 workouts for different heart rate zones

Training to increase your lactate threshold has significant benefits, especially for endurance athletes. As an endurance athlete, you may rarely need to perform at higher intensities, but that doesn't diminish the advantages. Training in different heart rate zones is key to a stable race, and each zone corresponds to a different type of training.

Zone 1: Low Intensity

• Goal: Build endurance and support recovery.

• Training Example: A relaxed, long bike ride of 2–3 hours while keeping your heart rate below the lactate threshold.

• Benefit: Zone 1 training burns fat as fuel and builds a foundation for long endurance without putting strain on your body. This is essential in the Ironman, where most time is spent at moderate to low intensity.

Zone 2: Moderate Intensity (Around the Lactate Threshold)

• Goal: Raise the lactate threshold and train your body to break down lactate faster.

• Training Example: A tempo run of 30–45 minutes at a steady pace, just below or around the lactate threshold.

• Benefit: This helps increase your lactate threshold, allowing you to sustain a faster pace without fatigue. For Ironman events, this means you can maintain a higher intensity longer during the cycling and marathon segments.

Zone 3: High Intensity (Above the Lactate Threshold)

• Goal: Improve speed and power; prepare for short bursts above the threshold.

• Training Example: Intervals like 8x400 meters at maximum speed, with one-minute rest intervals.

• Benefit: While most Ironman time is at lower intensity, short bursts like overtaking others can require intense effort. Training in this zone helps your body manage lactate buildup, beneficial for demanding parts of the race.

GO

AROUND THE STADIUM

Welcome to the "AROUND THE STADIUM" section, where you’ll find research links and helpful products to boost your performance.

The Locker Room

1. Ironman Adaptation Analysis: Examines how six months of varied intensity training impacts Ironman triathletes' physiological adaptations.

2. Ironman Physiology Explained: Insights into the physical demands on the human body during an Ironman competition.

3. Intensity vs. Performance: Explores the link between training intensity distribution and performance outcomes for Ironman athletes.

4. Lactate Threshold Training: Reviews how lactate threshold training enhances long-distance running performance.

5. Runner Intensity Effects: Discusses how different training intensities affect performance in recreational runners.

DISCLAIMER: None of the content provided in this newsletter constitutes medical, training, or performance advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not intended to be a substitute for professional guidance or personalized coaching. Please be mindful of your limitations and perform exercises at your own risk.