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Sunday, 07 February 2016 00:10

Still trying to put the finishing touches on that blank race calendar? Take a page out of an IRONMAN Master Coach's book, and plan better this year.

By Troy Jacobson (ironman.com)

On the surface, building your race calendar for the upcoming triathlon season seems easy, right? Simply choose races that you think you'll enjoy, click the register button, punch in your credit card number, and if it's not already full, you’re in! Budgets and life conflicts aside, the process is fairly simple and straightforward. That is, until a long-course triathlon such as an IRONMAN 70.3 or IRONMAN makes its way onto your radar.
As your race calendar and training plan start to see higher numbers, things tend to get more complex all around. It's important to maximize your preparation for your big day and squeeze the strongest performance out of yourself as possible. Long course triathlon racing is a huge...

commitment, so you want to be sure you’re ready. In my 25-plus years of experience as an athlete and as a coach, I can unequivocally state that a race schedule strategy for IRONMAN racing should include International or Olympic distance events as preparation.
Below are my strategies for planning a race schedule that will prepare you for your best possible performance at an IRONMAN event—assuming it’s your 'A' (or peak) race. While some people choose to wing it at the longer distances, I’ve found that having a race calendar (read: strategy) in place makes athletes more likely to achieve their performance goals. READ MORE