Taking a Shot: What every triathlete needs to know

Swimming for 2.4 miles, then biking for 112 miles, followed by a full 26.2 mile marathon is unfathomable to most athletes, but is the highlight of the year for the world's best triathletes.

How do the pros train for the Ironman World Championships in Kona? Is it a full-time job?

UniversalSports.com caught up with the world's best to ask these questions and more as they gear up for the main event on October 8 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.

What is one of the biggest misconceptions about training for an Ironman?

Tyler Stewart: I think there's a huge misconception that if you want to train for an Ironman you have to train 20 hours a week. I think that's absolutely wrong. I know a lot of people who are really successful that train 14-16 hours/week and every once in a while they'll do a 20 hour week.

Talk about your first Ironman? Did you make any rookie mistakes? What did you learn?

Tim O'Donnell: I didn't really know how much the last 7-8 miles would hurt on the run and I was a little conservative. I think going into Kona I'll have a little more confidence.

Stewart: The big thing is just being comfortable in the water. Anyone can ride a bike. Anyone can run. But the main thing is you just have to get out there and try something new and be excited about trying something new.

Some may think you have to be strong at all three sports in to succeed in a triathlon. Was that the case for you or did you have to work extra hard on one?

Terenzo Bozzone: I was actually a breast stroke swimmer when I swam competitively so when I made the move to triathlon I had to spend a lot of time in the water working on my [freestyle], working on my technique and strength to get it to a level that's competitive. The bike and the run is where the race is won. You can't win the race in the swim, but you sure can lose it there.

O'Donnell: When I started triathlon I didn't even like it. My brother actually forced me to try out for the Naval triathlon team and I did it half-heartedly for two years. I had been swimming competitively since I was five, and by that time I had wanted a different type of challenge. I used to be a really bad runner. I was running my first Olympic distance triathlon and I ran a 46 minute 10k. Running always used to be a real struggle for me, but now I love it.

Stewart: I definitely am one of those people who thinks, ‘I just have to get through the swim.' I started swimming at 26. I can never make up that time, but one reason I stuck with Ironman was because I really was petrified of swimming and I was like, ‘This is ridiculous, I need to learn how to swim.'

What is a typical training week like if you want to become a professional Ironman triathlete?

Ben Hoffman: During my biggest blocks of training I'm training around 35 hours a week probably. Something like 400 miles on the bike, about 60 miles of running, and 25-30 thousand yards swimming in the pool. That's pretty standard.

O'Donnell: In a serious Kona training block week, I'll put in about 25K of swimming, 600k of riding, which is about 375 miles, and then about 120k or 75-80 miles of running.

Stewart: I swim 3-4 days a week for an hour to an hour-and-a-half. I teach indoor cycling classes three days a week (1.5-2 hours) and I typically ride outside twice a week. I run three days a week. I tend to have a longer trail run day, a track workout day and a strength running day.

Is training for an Ironman a full-time job?

Stewart: It is definitely a huge commitment, which is why I try to go on bike rides with my friends because you get the social aspect - you get to catch up with your friends, and you get your workout in. You have to learn to overlap you life a little bit.

Linsey Corbin: It's a lifestyle. It goes well beyond 40 hours a week. Someone just emailed me, ‘Any fun plans for the weekend?' - Well I'm going to ride my bike for four hours and run an hour and then on Sunday I'm going to run two hours and swim an hour, so it's not like you get weekends off or holidays.

O'Donnell: The life of a professional triathlete isn't that glamorous. You're definitely spending, just actual moving time 35 hours a week, so when you add everything else around the training just in terms of logistics (stop lights on the bike rides and driving to swim) you're talking well over 40 hours of just the work out stuff.

How do you know when you can push through pain or when you just should not race?

Corbin: I just try to quiet those thoughts when I have them - ‘Gee this hurts,' or ‘Gee this isn't much fun,' or ‘I have a blister on my foot,' or ‘This wind is really driving me nuts,' I try to recognize that I'm having a negative thought and I actually say the word ‘Stop.' I change my focus to something else like counting my pedal strokes and before you know it you're focused.

Bozzone: The day after I made the decision [not to race Kona in 2011] I sat down and watched last year's Ironman on TV and it was quite emotional. I was pretty much sitting there kicking myself thinking, ‘Gee, maybe you can run through your Achilles injury,' but I know I made the right decision. It is going to be tough though watching, but long term this is the best move.

Have you ever had to deal with adversity during a race and if so, how did you respond?

Stewart: I was at mile 70 of the bike and I was having a great race. All of a sudden my seat started to wiggle a little bit. Then eight miles later the bolt fell out of my saddle. I rode 20 miles without a saddle and then I finally found a mechanic on the side of the rode and he duct-taped my saddle on. I had stood up for 20 miles, so I got off the bike and my legs felt like garbage.' I crossed the finish line with a smile because I gave it everything I had. I'm a professional athlete. I'm not going to quit because I'm going to finish in 10 hours instead of nine. I don't believe in that.