We now have the aerobic fitness level for our athlete and can plug that into the training program. Therefore, the athlete should gradually condition over the year to a point where he can regularly train with a 125 to 150 mile bike ride, a 30 to 35 mile run, and a 3 to 4 mile swim every Sunday starting about 4 to 6 weeks before the event. This will provide our athlete with more aerobic fitness than is required to complete the event. Now our concern becomes developing the required anaerobic fitness development to win the event. The Iron Man is basically a three sport endurance time trial.
Speed is required because being the first one to the finish line means being the fastest athlete.
Power is also required because it is a steady state, sustained effort. Remember that we have addresses the endurance requirement with our aerobic development and will reinforce this during the week. Anaerobically, we need to develop speed and power. The question we now face is how to develop that speed and power for three activities without overtraining. This is simple, since we get very similar results from running and cycling, we can alternate them to obtain the body fitness required.