There is no such thing as an easy Ironman event. 3.8km swim, a 180km bike and then a 42.2km run is tough no matter how fit you are. There is wear and tear on your body before, during and after the event. It takes many hours of training and discipline to be able to complete one so you can say “I am an Ironman.” However, what if you train too much and do more harm than good?

What if you could achieve Ironman status with less wear and tear on your body, have faster recovery after training sessions and the event itself, be able to spend more time with your family and friends (as opposed to gaining what could be “junk” miles pounding the pavement), have less chance of injury and still have a better body (lighter and stronger) and sharper mind?

I have completed Japan Ironman (14:07:55) with the standard lots of hours training (20/week) and supposedly healthy diet (grains) and I have completed Malaysia Ironman (14:03:55) with less training hours (just 9/week) and a Primed Lifestyle (no grains/sugars etc.). I also weighed 10kg less and had more energy this way.

This post is to compare the two Ironman events in which one was Primed (Malaysia) and the other non-Primed (Japan).

Just as another comparison, I also completed Melbourne Ironman after Japan Ironman with 18 hours training a week and leading the Primed Lifestyle in 11:41:23. An improvement of 2 hours and 20 minutes in around 6 months.

Primed Food Compared with Non-Primed Food

Prior to Japan Ironman I was eating the SAD way. SAD is an acronym for Standard Australian Diet where we eats lots of carbs and sugar and think it’s healthy (the Government and dietitians actually recommend this which is why we are one of the most obese countries in the world). I was exercising 20 hours a week, was more susceptible to injury, was often very tired and was 73 kilos.

Continue reading Doing an Ironman Primed/Fat Adapted Compared to a Non-Primed Ironman →