Chapter 23: Case Studies of Athletic Development

The Level 3 Athlete: Ironman Ian

We started our case studies with Metabolic Melvin, a Level 1 “straight from the couch” athlete who needed a complete reset to regain his health, then moved on to our Level 2 athlete, Fiona Funrunner, who wanted to improve her race times with a focus on aerobic development and injury prevention. Now, we move on to the next level of athletic aspiration, our Level 3 “Developmental” athlete — Ironman Ian.

Ian is a middle-aged guy who has moved through the phases of getting back in shape and competing in a few fun races, and is now looking to take on the next big challenge: completing his first Ironman!

With a solid foundation of consistency and a general love for endurance training, Ian’s journey is now focused on achieving that next level of fitness, a level of fitness that very few achieve - Ironman fitness!

Ian’s Background

Ian, like many endurance athletes, began his fitness journey to improve his health. Like our friend Melvin, Ian found himself heading into his 40's with a growing waistline and a growing dissatisfaction around where his health and fitness were headed.

Ian initially started running to lose some pounds and to "blow off a little steam" after a hard day at the Office. Over time, he found himself gravitating towards longer and longer runs, eventually participating in a few local half marathons, with a Personal Best of 1:45 for the distance.

After a friend suggested he might like to 'try a tri', he expanded his fitness regime to include some swimming and biking and has participated in a number of local sprint and Olympic distance races over the past couple of years. Hooked on this, after his first few races, he even bought himself a new fancy bike with a power-meter! He typically bikes about 230W for his Olympic Distance races and, on a good day, runs sub 50 for the 10K off the bike.

Now 48 years old, after years of gradually building up his cardiovascular fitness, Ian feels ready to take on one of the ultimate challenges in endurance sports—an Ironman triathlon.

Ian’s work schedule as a mid-level manager at a tech company is busy, but he has carved out time in his day to train consistently. He currently runs about 40 kilometers per week (~4 hours), swims twice a week (~2 hours), does a couple of hard Peloton workouts during the week, and gets in a longer ride on the weekends. His training hours total around 10-15 per week, depending on his work and family commitments. Ian has found a good “groove” with the above routine and hits this week pretty consistently.

However, when it comes to stepping up to the challenge of an Ironman, Ian knows he’ll need more than just basic consistency—he’ll need a smart, progressive plan, effective time management, and a strong foundation across three sports to avoid burnout and injury and arrive on the Ironman start line fit and fresh. That’s where we come in…

Ian’s current strengths and weaknesses

To get a better understanding of where Ian currently stands in terms of fitness, we conducted a series of tests similar to those used with Melvin and Fiona. We performed body composition testing, metabolic tests, functional movement assessments, and looked at Ian’s specific capabilities in swimming, biking, and running…

Body Composition (DEXA)