I will be doing a full Ironman in the summer. I have just started a training plan for it. It will be my first full IM but I have many years experience with standard and middle distance events.
I read an article on the Ironman website that doing a “metric” IM (2.4 km swim, 112 km bike, 26.2 km run) as a dress rehearsal was a good idea but it was unclear when it would be a good idea to do it - obviously not too close to the real event but not too far out, either.
Any tips on that?
A couple of things I found of use:
When training for a very flat IM I did a 70.3 on a far hillier course. Other than the overall time (which is not to be discounted by any means) I reckon this was about 70% of the full-distance effort.
A few weeks out I did the full distance ride (trying not to hold anything back) followed by a half-marathon run on as hot a day as I could plan (main race was mid-August, and I hate the heat). I fell to pieces on the training run but it definitely helped both phys- and psych-
In prep for my first IM attempt I did an imperial century four weeks before the event. I chose that because it was 90% of the same course as the IM. I felt it was a good prep and had no negative impact on my race prep.
Good luck on the IM!