Mega

Late last year, Slowtwitch interviewed Dr. Warren Scott, a sports medicine physician who is a veteran of the medical tent at the Ironman World Championships and one of the physicians who organizes the Ironman Medical Conference in Kona each year.

We talked with Scott, an avid triathlete and runner who went 10:43 at Kona on his first try at the distance, about training for the Ironman and how best to stay out of the tent on race day.

One of his suggestions was the concept of a mega—a workout that is meant to simulate race-day conditions in that it lasts a long time and taxes an athlete's nutritional and endurance systems.

Several of our readers had more questions about the workout: How specifically to carry it out, at what kind of heart rate, and on from there. So we went back to Dr. Scott and posed some more questions to him.

To refresh everyone's memories, here's how he described the mega workout in the original interview:

"I think [Ironman athletes] need to do very long exercise sessions to help prepare their fluid intake, nutritional plan, stretching and cramping prevention. A sample 'mega' goes like this: An hour to an hour and a half of running, immediately followed by a three- to four-hour bike, immediately followed by another hour to hour and a half walk/run, immediately followed by an hour swim. It’s a long session. When you swim you’re non-weight-bearing but have to pay attention to cramping. Weigh yourself; track how much you’re peeing. Do four megas before your race, backing up three weeks each time."

In our follow-up, we asked Scott to go into more detail about the workout.

Amy White: Is this workout geared towards elite athletes only, or is it advisable for all to attempt such a training day? Are there modifications you'd suggest for different skill/fitness levels?

Dr. Warren Scott: It's for all athletes. It is necessary to mimic race conditions. You need to exercise for 5, 6, 7 hours in order to properly stress all systems, including intestines, muscles, feet, skin and psyche.

He advises those who may be going into the session with less fitness to simply take the day at a slower pace. As for heart rate ranges, or effort levels, again, Scott advises that athletes go at a pace they believe is comfortable enough to complete the day's work.

Some athletes also wondered about the swim being the last part of the mega. They were concerned about cramping and leery of trying such a swim in open water. Scott says athletes should do this part of the workout in a pool. "Yes, cramping is a challenge," he said. "This is why I recommend practice dealing with potential cramps in practice. Swim, stretch, swim, stretch, etc. Go slowly, keep moving, and monitor muscle tension."

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