If you’ve signed up for your first Ironman, you’ve probably had the same thought most athletes do:

Am I actually doing this right?

Am I training too hard… or not hard enough?

Are these sessions making me fitter… or just more tired?

Will any of this actually get me to the finish line?

In this episode, Coach Rob breaks down the 8 essential protocols he’s learned from coaching over a thousand first-time Ironman finishers. Simple, practical systems that remove the guesswork and make sure every session is doing its job.

Some of these you’ll recognise.
Some will feel unfamiliar.
A few will feel completely counterintuitive.

But these are the fundamentals that separate athletes who hope they’ll finish… from those who know they will.

Inside the episode:

• Why Ironman is a fuel-limited event (and how to train your gut properly)
• How to use HRV to avoid burnout, illness and overtraining
• The critical mistake most athletes make with FTP
• How to build your swim pacing intuition
• Why your race can fall apart without the right sodium & hydration strategy
• The run strategy that improves performance (not just survival)
• How to build a sustainable, powerful aero position
• The open water skills that prevent you from losing minutes before the bike even starts

If you’re a busy age-grouper trying to fit Ironman training around real life, this episode gives you a clear, proven framework—so you can stop second-guessing and start training with confidence.

If you found this show useful, please follow us on your podcast player of choice and leave a review - it helps us reach more athletes like you.

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