Iron Distance Triathlon Training Tips

Val Burke - Exercise Physiologist & Endurance Coach

Triathlon Training Tips - August 2009

Winter is the time to refine your swim, bike and run technique.

There's no pressure to get the long miles in, daylight is limited and many of you may be training indoors.

Use this time to work on bike cadence, short power with long recovery, standing and single leg work.

If it is too cold to road bike, then get on your mountain bike and climb some hills.

For running ensure you know what good run technique is, and build technique intervals into your training with long recovery between each interval.

Interval lengths are generally 30s up to two minutes, but recovery is long (1 ½ mins – 4 mins) so that each time you get back to your interval your body is fresh and ready to ingrain good technique.

At this stage everyone should be doing some swim:bike and running because come September it is time to build toward more specific training for Challenge!

For further information, visit www.valburke.com

Triathlon Training Tips - September 2009

The longer days and warmer weather will make you want to train in September! 

September is your final “general build” month. Beginner triathletes training for Challenge Wanaka will still focus on getting two swims, two bikes and two runs per week. And don't forget about your strength training twice a week as well!

If you can’t swim well then you need to swim three to four times a week and get some advice on your technique.

If you are pretty good at all three disciplines and have a performance versus a completion goal, then you should be biking three to four times a week.

Try to build your long bike ride up to 2.5 to 3.5 hours by the end of September either through a long ride every week or every second week. 

Try to build your long run up to 1.75 hours by the end of September through a long run every second week. You can start running 20 mins:walk 1 min during all long runs to break up the repetitive damage. 

Final tip for September:  Stretch after every run and bike! 

The Challenge Wanaka Group meets every Wednesday night; you receive a monthly training program and all the support; motivation and education you need to take you successfully through Challenge Wanaka.

For further information, visit www.valburke.com

Triathlon Training Tips - October 2009

October, November and December are “Specific Training” months where you build your volume for the Challenge distances through your long training sessions.

Total training volume could be anywhere between 14 and 20 hours of training during October, depending on volume done in September and outside time commitments and stressors. By October you should have gradually built up your swim, bike and run endurance so you are ready to increase your long sessions as I have recommended below.

Many athletes have felt like the general build phase of July-September have been “two steps forward, one step back” as we have come through flu and cold season, but if you have an aerobic base in place, a flu or cold is a minor setback in the big picture.

In October, long training sessions are comprised of long bikes, long runs and long bricks (long bike with short run and short bike with long run). I recommend 90 – 120 km (3.5 - 4.5 hours) rides in October every second week with 75 – 90 km rides the weeks between. Every second week the long bike has a short (10-15 min) run off it to just get the feel of running off a long bike. I recommend long runs to 2 – 2.5 hours every second or third week, with 1.5 hr long runs the week between, bricked off bikes of various distances.

Swimming continues at two or three times per week, depending on how much swimming you need to do. As you build your distances the need for recovery is enhanced, therefore make sure you build in additional time for stretching and recovery.

For further information, visit www.valburke.com

Triathlon Training Tips - November 2009

November is a very specific training month in preparation for Challenge.

You want to be training anywhere from 15 – 25 hours per week (20-25 hours only if you are conditioned and don’t work full time!). 50% of that training volume should be on the bike, although if I have an athlete with an endurance base I will encourage them to be on the bike minimum 10 hours per week and my pros will aim to achieve 12-15 hours on the bike per week.

Expand on your bricks (bike:run sessions). I always brick a 10-20 minute run off the long bike each week; and brick a long run off a medium bike roughly each week. I know some successful ironman athletes who do up to 4 bricks per week, as they believe the ironman distance is all about “bike:run”. Running is hard on your body, so rather than prescribing long (>2 hours) runs each week I move them to every 2nd week, and brick a 1 ½ hour run off a 30-80 km bike on those alternate weeks so you are learning to run long after being on a medium bike ride.

Through November you should bike a 120 km and a 140 km ride every second week, building up so that in December you can ride a 160 km and a 180 km ride, aiming to have your final 180 km ride two weeks before Challenge.

Continue swimming the minimum necessary to get you through the race (putting more time into the bike:run), and if you haven’t already done so, get into the open water weekly!

It is always good to change the firing patterns and movements planes you are working in, hence adding in a “Body Balance”; “Yoga”; or some other strength and stretch workout. It is often through “slowing down” during these classes that your body recovers and you have better quality training sessions.

If anyone feels “overwhelmed” with their training I am available for one hour consultations to answer questions and help guide you in your training programs.

For further information, visit www.valburke.com

Triathlon Training Tips - December 2009

It is December!!! This is generally your highest volume month before you taper into Challenge Wanaka!

Expect to be tired this month as you do your long bikes, long runs and bricks, so hydrate and eat well to keep up your glycogen stores! Athletes who don’t eat well (primarily carbohydrates with small amounts of protein) start feeling very drained, and blame it on their fitness, but in fact it is just because you aren’t refueling your carbohydrate stores after your long sessions. If you are unsure, find a registered dietician in your area who has a background in endurance nutrition or an endurance racing background.

You want to be training anywhere from 17 – 25 hours per week (20-25 hours only if you are conditioned and don’t work full time!) and 50% of that training volume should be on the bike. Expand on your bricks (bike:run sessions). Remember 3-4 bricks per week! Brick a 10-20 minute run off the long bike each week; and brick your long run off a short-medium bike. Eg. Bike 1 hour, then brick a 2 ½ hr run:walk off it.

Through December you could aim to bike between 140 – 180 kms every 2nd week with a 120 km ride on the weeks between. Aim to have your final 160-180 km ride 2 weeks before Challenge, tapering after that time.

As your long runs increase in time, teach yourself to run 20 mins: walk 30s and consume nutrients and water during that time. This breaks up the injury risk and teaches you to maintain a consistent pace during your ironman run, consuming valuable nutritients which will only help you in the final phases of the race. I prescribe the final long run:walk as a 3 hour one, bricked off a 1 – 1 ½ hour bike. This is 3 weeks prior to your Challenge race.

Continue swimming the minimum necessary to get you through the race (putting more time into the bike:run), and get into the open water frequently! Remember to stretch & add in a "Body Balance"; "Yoga"; or some other strength and stretch workout to fire different muscle groups & help you relax. If anyone feels "overwhelmed" with their training I am available for 1 hour consultations to answer questions and help guide you in your training programs.

For further information, visit www.valburke.com

Triathlon Training Tips - January 2010

In January it is time to start easing off training and ramp up the mental side of the race for yourself.

I have seen many athletes improve race times through perfect race and nutrition planning, and many athletes have poor races after a perfect training build merely due to poor (or no!) planning. It is time to start tapering anywhere between 3 and 2 weeks prior to race day. The purpose of the taper is to “bring you back” whilst not detrain you. You should keep up the quality of the training (ie. intensity) but taper down the volume. An example would be week 1 taper: 40% decrease in training volume and week 2 (race week) is just short sessions (45 mins; 40-50% decrease) to keep your body moving but without getting tired. I generally put the final long run 3 weeks out; and the final long bike 2 weeks out. If you bike hills normally you would taper down the number of hills you bike, but still bike a few. This prevents detraining. Likewise for the swim and run.

Now to the race plan, this is what you need to put time into this month. To be brief, you need to plan the entire race, starting from the day before. The more detail you put into it, the more likely you will reach your targets. Plan your nutrition; hydration (when, where, how); clothing options and break down the race into as many small segments as you possible can so it is not about a day racing, but about 100 mini races throughout the day. Each segment has a time attached to it (although you shouldn’t be fumbling for your watch during your swim!!) so that you know where along the course you want to be at certain times ie. pacing. You should know when/where you are going to consume, plus what your plan will be if you have any deviations from the plan. Basically you need to execute your race through your head in a positive fashion, working through any possible set backs. If you have any race fears (open water swim?), then go through the swim in your head and be positive about it. I can’t emphasize the power of the planning and positive self talk enough.

If anyone feels “overwhelmed” with their training I am available for 1 hour consultations to answer questions & help guide you in your training programs. I won’t say “Good Luck” but I will say “Race Well!”, because Challenge Wanaka really isn’t about luck! Enjoy the day and the immense satisfaction that accompanies the completion of an event like this.