How do you prepare for a Decaman? (Part 1)

What is a Decaman?

3.8km swim;
180km bike;
42km run.

Every day.

For 10 days.

This is exactly what Danny Quigley endured from the 20th-29th August 2021.

The idea was first discussed in March 2021

I will admit, when I first received the message, I didn’t think he had thought it through properly. At the time, Danny had a running injury so the thought of doing a Decaman seemed near impossible.
Once we spoke on the phone, my attitude changed. I could tell by the tone of his voice that he was serious. From that point on, I knew he could it.

It was time to put a plan in place…

Where do you begin when preparing an athlete for this type of event?

We need to look at 3 key areas:

The physiological, nutritional, psychological, health and logistical demands of the event.
The best predictors of successful ultra-endurance performance.
The physiological profile of the athlete.

Imagine it like designing a treasure map. Understanding the event demands, is like knowing where the treasure is hidden. Understanding the best predictors of performance, is like figuring out the different routes you can take to the treasure and understanding the physiological profile of the athlete, is like pinpointing your current position on the map. From here, you can plot the easiest and most effective route to the treasure.

The demands of the event

We define the Decaman as an ultra-endurance event.

Before designing any training plan for an athlete, I will take a deep dive into the literature to gain as much information as possible. Often, I speak with other athletes and coaches to obtain their insight. This combination of scientific evidence and anecdotal evidence helps to support my decision making.

The key demands:

Most ultra-endurance events are performed at a low intensity, below the first ventilatory threshold (VT1) but with a high rating of perceived exertion (RPE) (Ryder et al. 2004; Herbst et al. 2011 and Ramos-Campo et al. 2016).
Decaman athletes experience high rates of muscle damage (Baur et al. 2016 and Ramos-Campo et al. 2016).
High energy expenditure and a reduction in body mass are observed in multistage ultra-endurance events. Caloric expenditure for ultra-endurance performance can range from 8500 to 11 500 kcal, while sweat rates can reach up to 2 L/h in the heat, creating fluid and electrolyte disturbances. (Kreider et al. 1991; Coyle et al. 1994; Herbst et al. 2011; Clemente-Suárez 2015 and Baur et al. 2016).
Common injuries are blistering of the feet within ultra-endurance running events (Ryder et al. 2004).
When speaking with athletes who had completed a Decaman, sleep deprivation was mentioned. Poor sleep quality and quantity, poses a large demand on the body and is detrimental to the athlete’s daily recovery.
The Decaman event also requires high levels of mental toughness and self-efficacy (Brace et al. 2020 and Crust 2008).

The predictors of successful ultra endurance performance?

For ultra-endurance events, the ability of the triathlete to exercise at a lower percentage of VO2 max for a given submaximal workload, power output/run speed at VT1 and power/run speed at maximal fat oxidation, appear to be the best predictor of ultra-endurance success (Laursen et al. 2005 and Coyle et al. 1995).
With swimming, Danny’s ability to swim efficiently at low intensities and his technique maintenance over long durations will be a major predictor of success.
Muscular strength and injury resistance is a big predictor of successful ultra endurance performance (Blagrove et al. 2018).
From discussions with athletes, who had already completed a Decaman, race simulation training and consistent training appeared to be strong predictors of success.

Interesting side note- Previous race experience is mentioned in the literature as a strong predictor of successful ultra-endurance performance. Danny had never completed a marathon (let alone an Ironman), which we think was a major strength, rather than a weakness. Most people, who have done an Ironman before, would never in their wildest dreams consider doing 10 in 10 days. Danny’s naivety in this area meant he started with a limited awareness of how tough it was going to be.

The biggest inhibitors of successful ultra endurance performance must also be considered. Within the literature and from speaking to Decaman athletes, the main inhibitors are:

Poor training consistency.
Substrate depletion.
Electrolyte/fluid imbalances.
Poor foot management.
Poor lower body strength.
Disorganised support team.

Physiological profiling

We started by assessing his underlying physiology, to identify his physiological strengths and weaknesses and his training zones.

Using metabolic analysis, the gold standard of exercise testing, we completed a resting metabolic rate test (RMR), a bike ramp test and a run ramp test.

Find out more on what these tests involve by clicking the button below!

Find out more on metabolic testing

RMR test

The RMR test identified that whilst fasted and at rest, Danny was predominantly using carbohydrate. For an ultra-endurance athlete, we would like to see them use mostly fat whilst at rest. His metabolism was identified as ‘average’ compared to the norms for someone his age, height, weight and gender. The inclusion of fasted exercise and low intensity endurance training would help counteract this.

Bike test

We did 2 separate bike ramp tests. One fasted and one with breakfast beforehand. This allowed us to assess fuel use whilst in the fed or fasted state. We also identified his heart rate training zones.

We found that in the fasted state, his maximum rate of fat oxidation occurred at 140 bpm and 200 watts at 16kcal per minute.
In the fed state, his maximum rate of fat oxidation occurred at 130 bpm and 210 watts at 16kcal per minute.
From this information, we knew exactly what intensity he needed to cycle at to elicit maximal rates of fat oxidation.

We also re-tested Danny 3 months later and found minor improvements in his underlying physiology and that his peak power output was higher.

His training zones derived from his metabolic test.

Run test

Unfortunately, we had a problem during the run ramp test; the mask moved a considerable amount towards the end of the test, leading to some skewed results with the data obtained at the higher intensities. Thankfully, the Decaman is a mostly low intensity event so this wasn’t a major concern.

We were able to identify his training zones for zone 1, 2 and 3 and we knew that his fat max occurred at 126 bpm whilst fed. The crossover point, at which he started utilising equal fats and carbohydrates, occurred at 143 bpm.
When prescribing zone 1/2, long duration endurance runs, Danny knew to stay around 126-130 bpm and not exceed 143 bpm.

At the lower intensities, Danny was very efficient at using fat as his primary source of fuel and had no major cardiovascular or respiratory weakness’s.

Further profiling

Sleep- Danny runs a gym and works unsocial and long hours. Thus we had to ensure we managed his fatigue when the gym reopened.
Cycling-he is a strong cyclist, has good numbers in testing and good experience with long rides. His training history shows that he can handle a large training load with cycling.
Running- his clear weakness as he is very prone to injuries and has never ran a marathon. Our ultimate focus was to get him to the start line in one piece. Therefore, it became a priority to minimise his injuries from running during training.
Lack of ultra-endurance experience- he hadn’t completed a marathon or Ironman before. It was paramount that we mimic race day scenarios in training to get him that experience.
Nutrition- nutrition is key when preparing for this type of event. A poor nutritional strategy can ruin anyone’s chances of success across an Ironman distance event. That is why Danny teamed up with Evan Lynch to nail his nutrition.

The plan

Now we understand the demands of the event, the predictors for success and Danny’s physiological profile, we can start to put a plan in place.

Here are the key points we decided on with his preparation:

The ultimate goal was to arrive at the start line on the 20th August, injury free and healthy. Communication between Danny and I would be key to managing the training load correctly.

Swimming- with swimming taking up the smallest portion of the Ironman distance, we didn’t think it was necessary to spend too much time on this discipline. We aimed for 2-4 swims per week, 2000-4000m per session and all at a low intensity. Consistency and frequency are key to swimming success.
Cycling- with biking as Danny’s major strength, we aimed to maintain a large bike volume. Bike fitness carries over to the running thus helping to build that weakness. Biking is also a low injury risk sport for Danny. The long duration bike sessions would also allow us to practice nutritional strategies. We aimed for 5-6 bikes sessions per week, with 2x long duration (>3 hours).
Running- We aimed for 3-4 runs per week, all at low intensity. We planned to increase the duration of the long run each week, where possible. The aim was to complete 1-2 full marathon distance runs before the 20th August. Remaining injury free and consistent was a high priority.
Strength and conditioning- we planned to implement 2 x weekly s+c sessions and regular plyometrics. This was key to making him stronger and injury resistant.
Training camp weeks- we planned 2 x separate training camp weeks to simulate the Decaman event and to expose his body to an acute bout of large training load (I will give an insight to these training camps in another blog).
Sleep- we had to ensure Danny was sleeping enough. If he had poor sleep quality and quantity, he wouldn’t recover enough between sessions.
Build a good team- Danny started working with Evan Lynch for his nutrition and Ellevyn Irwin for physio work. Two experts in their field of work.
Recovery- we scheduled in regular sessions in the DQF recovery hub, where Danny could use the recovery boots, massage guns, foam rollers and massage chairs. This also acted as a mental break, where he could relax. If you haven’t been, it’s a great place to chill and recover.

Let’s not forget that Danny did all of this in memory of his father, Colm Quigley, and to raise money for Pieta House and Bogside and Brandywell Health Forum. As I write this, his current total £105,725- how mad is that! The link to donate is below.

I hope part 1 of this blog series gives some insight into how we began preparing Danny for the Decaman event. It certainly wasn’t easy and we couldn’t have done it without a good team around us.

Keep an eye out for part 2 of this series, where I will be analysing Danny’s training in the weeks and months prior to the event.

Click to donate

References

Baur, D.A., Bach, C.W., Hyder, W.J. and Ormsbee, M.J., 2016. Fluid retention, muscle damage, and altered body composition at the Ultraman triathlon. European journal of applied physiology, 116(3), pp.447-458.

Brace, A.W., George, K. and Lovell, G.P., 2020. Mental toughness and self-efficacy of elite ultra-marathon runners. Plos one, 15(11), p.e0241284.

Clemente-Suárez, V.J., 2015. Psychophysiological response and energy balance during a 14-h ultraendurance mountain running event. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 40(3), pp.269-273.

Coyle, E.F., 1995. Integration of the physiological factors determining endurance performance ability. Exercise and sport sciences reviews, 23, pp.25-63.

Coyle, E.F., 2005. Improved muscular efficiency displayed as Tour de France champion matures. Journal of applied physiology.

Crust, L., 2008, December. Mental toughness and coping in an ultra-endurance event. British Psychological Society.

Herbst, L., Knechtle, B., Lopez, C.L., Andonie, J.L., Fraire, O.S., Kohler, G., Rüst, C.A. and Rosemann, T., 2011. Pacing strategy and change in body composition during a Deca Iron triathlon. Chin J Physiol, 54(4), pp.255-263.

Kreider, R.B., 1991. Physiological considerations of ultraendurance performance. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 1(1), pp.3-27. Coyle, E.F., 1994. Fluid and carbohydrate replacement during exercise: How much and why?. Sports Sci Exch, 7, pp.1-7.

Laursen, P.B., Knez, W.L., Shing, C.M., Langill, R.H., Rhodes, E.C. and Jenkins, D.G., 2005. Relationship between laboratory-measured variables and heart rate during an ultra-endurance triathlon. Journal of sports sciences, 23(10), pp.1111-1120.

Ramos-Campo, D.J., Ávila-Gandía, V., Alacid, F., Soto-Méndez, F., Alcaraz, P.E., López-Román, F.J. and Rubio-Arias, J.Á., 2016. Muscle damage, physiological changes, and energy balance in ultra-endurance mountain-event athletes. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 41(8), pp.872-878.

Ryder, J.J., Grantham, N.J., Kellett, D.W., McNaughton, L., Lovell, R. and Jones, G.E., 2004. Marathon Des Sables: a scientific case study. Research in Sports Medicine, 12(1), pp.33-44.