Training
Let’s start training for a sprint triathlon
Triathlon is a time consuming sport, there are three disciplines to attend to. Therefore, retirement is a great time to start and the variety in training helps to avoid injuries.
I am not a certified trainer
I am sharing my experiences, what has worked, and not worked for me. My training may not work for you, please be careful and evaluate your own situation and fitness. Learn and listen to experts.
Get clearance from your doctor
Triathlons are not trivial, it is a serious challenge to your body, and a medical doctor must clear you for the training. I am not in perfect health, and I am not injury free. Still I am a successful triathlete, but there are limitations. Get medical clearance.
Training schedule and frequency
This is individual, depending on previous fitness level, ambition,
and skill in disciplines. You should train all three disciplines (swim, bike,
run) with a focus on the one you can gain most time in.
Two months before a competition,
you should be confident in all disciplines and you should train them at full sprint distance (or more in swimming), at least once a week. That is swimming 1
time, biking 1 time and running 1 time. This is the minimum requirement
for a sprint distance triathlon. Ideally, you should train 4-6 times a week the
last 2 months. You should always rest at least one day a week, but two does not hurt.
Take responsibility for your training
I have found it difficult to follow rigid training
schedules. The reality is that we are all different and life and weather gets
in between scheduled training. An experienced distance runner does not need the same training as a
competitive swimmer, so there is no one size that fits all.
I will give training guidelines that you can adapt to your
own situation. The aim is to improve as fast as possible from your own fitness base,
stay healthy and to avoid injuries. I will share my tips and experience in this
area. But at the end of the day, you must be your own coach or co-coach.
Swim training
Proficiency in swimming
The swimming is where most newbies have problems. If you
cannot swim, or if you swim poorly, it will be longer before you should participate in a triathlon competition. In the meantime, consider a duathlon where you only do the bike
and run part. Sign up for regular
swim lessons and come back for a full triathlon when you are a safe swimmer.
If you can swim decently
For a non-expert but confident swimmer, it is essential to
work on swim technique. For wetsuit, crawl is necessary so even if you can do a
non-wetsuit competition with breaststroke, start working on your crawl technique.
I have taught myself by spending many hours in the pool and by watching
instructional YouTube videos. I guess a swim expert would say my technique can be better, but at
least I have improved this way.
Main points: Lie high in the water, don’t let your legs
drag. This is achieved by keeping your head low. When crawling,
do not cross your arms in front of our head. Think how you will propel yourself
forward by pushing water past your sides, you do not want to create water
pressure in front of your body. There is so much more to swimming, and it will
be better explained by an expert, so please take some lessons, or search the
internet for expert advice. There are many instructional YouTube videos.
My suggestions for swim training
Once I decided to go for triathlons, I started to train
about 1500 – 3000m every 3-5 days. At least half of this time I was just
swimming for form, getting a good effective rhythm and bilateral breathing. I
would also do some 25 - 50m sprints every session. In addition, I would swim
500m on time. In a year, I had cut a minute off my best 500m time and I am
still improving in swimming.
Swimming at a fast pace is different from swimming slow. The problem is often that when you get tired,
your form goes to pieces. You work hard, but you are getting slower and slower
because you are swimming inefficiently. Therefore, you should train both at a
regular pace, and shorter distances at a fast pace. And please, time yourself, the
clock will tell if you are improving, how you feel can be deceitful.
You can do any stroke you like; most people crawl.
Breaststroke is also common. If I am wearing a wet suit, I will crawl, but I
have found that in non-wetsuit competitions, a combination breaststroke and
crawl is the fastest for me. It has the advantage that you use different
muscles and last longer, but most of all, you can see where you are going
doing a breaststroke. In open water, it is hard to swim in a straight line,
especially when crawling.
My Beginner Tips: Don’t get too involved
with all the techniques and toys you are told to use. When you are in
the pool, use the time by swimming a lot. Technique is important, but it will
take years of regular swimming for a beginner to be like a pro. Techniques from theory lessons have to be practiced many hours, you must swim, swim and swim. It is better
to swim a little shorter more often than a mega session every two weeks.
Get open water experience if possible. Waves can be
difficult to deal with, sighting and swimming in a straight line is difficult.
Practice with your wetsuit, it is different.
I once had the experience of training with a group in open
water and I was the fastest swimmer. It was a great feeling, but when
we went to the pool, I was quite a bit slower. The only
explanation I have is that in the open water, I swam in a straighter line
than the others. I was the only one breaking into a breaststroke every now
and then.
Bicycle training
If you have not got your racing bike yet, go to a gym and
ride a stationary bike while you wait.
If this is your first racing bike and clip in experience,
get used to the bike. Go to a safe place and practice clipping in, clipping
out, stopping safely, and changing gears. Make sure you understand well how the
gears work.
Once you are comfortable, find a place where you can bike
safely at speed. Get out of your comfort zone and bike hard. A sprint triathlon
has a 12-mile bike ride, so this is your minimum training distance.
My suggestions for training on the bike
I have a sprint course (about 14 miles) which I do about
once or twice a week, often at maximum effort and timed. I also have a training group
which is ambitious, and we do hilly rides about 35 miles long at a quite hard
pace. If I am tired, I may do a compromise ride, maybe 20 miles at a steady pace
instead. Occasionally, I target hills, the reason is that I used to be weak
uphill.
Approach big climbs cautiously and aim for a steady
effort all the way. Avoid getting completely exhausted, you pay for that later.
Many times, weather is not suitable for outdoor bicycle
training. I recommend that you get access to a stationary bike, either in a gym
where you can take spin classes, or at home. The change is also good for your
mental motivation. On the other hand, indoor biking is not as important as
outdoor experience. You need the handling skills and learn to deal with weather
and wind and changing road conditions.
Running training
The run in a sprint triathlon is 5km, a little over 3 miles so
find a place where you can do the distance without stopping for traffic lights
etc. Best is a place where many other runners train, you get inspired to
pick up the pace from fellow runners. If you always do the same run routine,
you will eventually stagnate and not improve, so you should include speed and
hill training every now and then.
My suggestions for running training
I have some old running injuries (too many to mention) so I
am careful to not overdoing it, and the time I spend running must be
effective. I can only run every 3-5 days (at the most) and those days I push hard, and I usually time myself. - Once a week 5km timed, as hard as you can. Warm up jogging for 5 minutes before and cool down (walk and jog) at least 5 minutes after.
- Outdoors:
- Jog 1km (warm up), rest.
- Run ca 1km as fast as possible (timed). Rest for several minutes.
- Run ca 800m as fast as possible (timed). Rest for several minutes.
- Run ca 400m as fast as possible (timed). Rest for several minutes.
- Repeat ca 400m.
- Jog/walk for 5-10 minutes cool down.
- Stretch.
- Treadmill:
- Warm up for 10 minutes by increasing the speed on the treadmill regularly from easy up to well above competition speed. Rest and recover.
- Set the max speed you can tolerate for 1 mile and run it on the treadmill. At first, you probably don’t know exactly what that speed is. Start a little below max and increase until max tolerance. Make sure you are at the edge of what you can do. Rest and recover.
- Set the speed to one level above what you just did and run for one minute. Rest and recover.
- Up the speed one more level and do the same until it is impossible to continue.
- Jog/walk for 5-10 minutes cool down.
- Stretch.
Strength, stretching and yoga
High intensity training will make you stiff. On rest days, and
preferably more often, you should spend up to an hour stretching and
strengthening your core. I have found that yoga works very well for me.
I started yoga after my back collapsed and I ended up in the emergency room with a pinched nerve. I was shocked to realize how stiff I was, I could not even sit with my legs crossed anymore. Slowly, through practicing yoga regularly, I have regained most of my old range of movements and strengthened my core. Core work stabilizes your body which helps maintaining form and avoiding injury in all activities.
Brick training
No you don't carry bricks. Brick training means to do several disciplines in one training session, one after another. Every now and then, you can try stacking two, or three disciplines in one session with minimal rest in between to mimic a triathlon competition. For example bike 12 miles and run 3. Sometimes, I run about 1 mile after biking, just to get the body used to the transition. Make sure to rest properly afterwards.
Other training
Don’t be too rigid. If you have an opportunity to mountain
bike, mountain climb, kayaking or play soccer, go ahead! Different sports are
good for your overall fitness as long as you don’t get injured. It is also good
for your motivation, make sure to have fun, it will keep you going in the long
run.
Training summary
Start at your fitness level. Aim to train at least three
times a week for at least 3 months before entering a sprint triathlon competition.
Increase training load slowly. f you are in better shape, aim to train 4-6
times a week. It can look like this:
Run every 3-4 days, alternate 5km runs with interval (speed) training.
Swim 2 times a week, alternate pool and open water swim. Alternate time on technique, distance, and speed. Spend at least an hour in the water.
Bike 2 times a week, alternate a speed training (at least 12 miles) with distance rides 25-40 miles. Go for group rides occasionally. In inclement weather, go on the stationary for an hour.
- Complement with regular stretching and/or yoga.
- Time yourself frequently to make yourself accountable, and check on improvement. If something is not working for you, change.
- Quality over quantity.
The above program is what I follow (female, 63 years, competitive) for about 7 months of the year. In the off season, I take 1-2 full weeks off training, then train every other day or so, at a slower pace. This is a rough guide, as we are all at different fitness, different genders, ages and have different strengths, weaknesses and goals, it cannot suit everyone. But this way, I did place 28th on the sprint distance on the World Championships 2019.
Honesty in training
You must be honest to yourself. There are two types of
extreme positions, I see both frequently, and both are counterproductive to
good results.
One personality type is constantly finding excuses
that they convince themselves are valid to not train and/or to not put in
effort. The other type will go through with hard training, no matter the
circumstances, it seems to them immoral and weak to skip a session.
Train when it will make you better, rest when that is the
best option for your fitness.
When you feel weak and tired
If you have clear indications of illness, do not train. Rest
is the best training in this situation.
When I am just down and tired, I have learned that I can start a
workout slowly, and often I feel fine after awhile and I am glad I followed through. When you are
unsure, start the workout gently with a long warm up, and take it from there.
Sometimes, but rarely, I find that I am not right, and I will interrupt and go home.
The reasons for being tired can be a too ambitious training program, too little
food, illness coming on, or not enough rest in between sessions. An indication
that you are pushing too hard is when your resting heart rate is higher than
normal.
If you often have problems with motivation, I suggest group
training or hiring a coach.
When you have aches and pains
That is just about every day for me, still I train. It is
clear to me that training helps against inflammation and it helps me to have
less pain in my daily life. For me, it takes about 9-10 minutes to get warmed
up. It’s amazing how much better I feel after 10 minutes. But be careful, there
is a difference with some injuries. If the pain is increasing after warm-up,
I suggest you stop and rest. If the problem persists at a level that you cannot
train for 10 days or more, maybe you should seek medical help. Doctors cannot
give you a new body, but if you can learn what is going on, you can get the
right treatment.
Rest is also part of your training
Train hard, nourish your body and rest. Are you constantly
on your feet in between training sessions? Or are you resting? No rest no
gain or too much pain, no gain. Sometimes I take an extra rest day
or two if I feel worn out. This comes back to your honesty in training, are you
lazy or is rest the best option? Only you know how you feel.
If you constantly give up, either you don’t really want to
do triathlon, and that is fine, it is not an important activity, it is a
hobby. Or maybe you really are ill in some way? Some of my training buddies
suffer badly from allergies, and they occasionally must pull out. The point
here is, they are still incredibly good athletes and enjoying it when they can
participate. A day or two of unplanned rest is not ruining your form too much if
you generally are diligent with training.
A fitness watch can help; is your 24-hour resting heart rate
higher than normal? Time for a break.
Quality in training
Focusing on quality and competition speed has given results
for me. What I have worked out over the years is that a 5 km run in full speed
(less than 30 minutes) is much tougher to do than a longer run at a slower
pace. Same with biking and swimming. I find that many athletes are blinded by
distance; they think it is a badge of honor to have run longer, biked longer
and swam longer than anyone else. I also find that the long workouts drain the
body too much, it is difficult to do a quality training the next day and it may
be best to rest. With shorter, harder sessions, you can train more days.
If you later want to try a half ironman or a full ironman, of
course training distance must increase. By then, you are long past sprint
triathlons and probably so knowledgeable about your own fitness, you do not
need to read my advice!
From personal experience I have found that shorter speed
runs improve the pace on my longer runs too. While you can do long training
occasionally, I warn against doing it too often. On long runs, you settle
into a comfort lull, it is the only way to get through the distance. This is slow and you will not improve
as fast. A long session is more a mental training, how you will feel when you
are drained of energy and still must go on. There are other views on this, I am explaining what has worked for me. To improve speed, incorporate
shorter speed training in all three disciplines, and make sure you time them
for accountability. If you have a fitness monitor, check your average and max
heart rate.
Nutrition
Eat right, that is healthy food in the amounts that are
right for you. For me, a varied diet with protein, carbohydrates, fruit and
vegetables works the best. If you are doing a hard workout the following day,
make sure to put in some carbohydrates the day before, it is counterproductive
to use your muscles for fuel. After a hard workout, you need to give your body
nutrition, it is part of the training program.
Before a competition, eat some
carbohydrates the last two days, nothing extreme is required but a salad diet
will not do. I rarely use caffeinated stimulants, except for a cup of coffee in
the morning. For hydration I use diluted apple juice and/or diluted sports
drink (Gatorade, Powerade or similar). People are different in what they
tolerate, so work out what you require.
Record keeping
I keep simple records of all my training, it is in a form of
a spread sheet and I have categories for different disciplines. Distance,
speed, elevation gain, heart rate and comments. I also use Strava and Garmin,
but I find that my spread sheet is the most useful. Here, I quickly can see
how I progress, and sometimes have setbacks, after illness or seasonal rests.
Motivation and mental training
Let’s face it, we are not machines. We are emotional and
need encouragement to keep on going. The best way to get motivated to train for
a triathlon is to sign up for one. It costs money, you have now invested. You
have a deadline and training is not vaguely in the future.
Set a goal that is
realistic for yourself. If you have never been an athlete, start by signing up
for 5k charity runs. Sign up for long charity bike rides – it is fun and you
learn while getting fitter. If you already are in reasonable shape and you know
you can do 750m in open water, just sign up for a triathlon race in 2-6 months.
A fitness watch keeps track of your progress and can also
indicate when you are over, or under training.
A change of scenery
After a few months on the same training courses, it is a good idea to change scenery and routines if possible. Fun runs are good for getting competition
speed. Maybe get/rent a mountain bike for a day. If you like me are retired,
you can travel and train somewhere else. New routes, new personal bests to set.
Be realistic and do not get overly competitive
Are you a greyhound, dachshund or something in between? We cannot all win the race.
Years ago, the message was You can achieve anything if you work hard enough at it. This is not true and implies personal failure, suggesting a lack of effort when record results are absent. I like to say that if you train harder and more effectively, you will get better.
Hard and smart training is key, but a dachshund will never beat a greyhound and at elite level, talent is needed. What are you really? If you are more of a dachshund, huge training volumes may not make you a winner, but result in exhaustion, injuries, and disappointments.
The reality is that it does not matter as much what the talented athlete does, if they are active, they will be pretty good.
For the competitive personality, what to aim for, is to be the best you can be while maintaining good health and staying injury free. Remember, aim one is to participate, if you are injured, everything is lost. Just by completing a triathlon race, you are doing very well, and you can not control other peoples results.
Another reality is that for older age groupers, there is no fame, even if you win. You do it for your own satisfaction. If you complete a triathlon, even a sprint, you will get as much recognition as if you place in nationals.
Enjoy yourself
It is part of your mental training to have fun.
It must be
fun or why do it, there are easier and cheaper ways than triathlons to stay healthy. I don’t mean that you are laughing your way
through the training, but you feel that it is meaningful. When you have longer
periods when training feels like a chore, you need to change something.
I hope you will stay the course and be a part of the world of triathletes.
More Information
A group called the Global Triathlon Network (GTN) has made numerous instructional videos on YouTube on all sorts of triathlon aspects, including training.
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