MultiSport Canada Triathlon Series

How about trying something new in 2008? by Richard Pady

So often we follow those before us. Well I say it’s time to try something different. We listen to research and experts but don’t question if the research or experts are right for our sport.. About a year ago I started to question if tradition philosophy of training were really the best for myself and my athletes. I’ve been in the sport now for 20 years and in the past I always followed the traditional training plan. But after looking at our sport carefully I started to second guess the methodology many of us follow. The traditional training plan of base, then strength, followed by speed does not fit what is the limiting factor for so many of you reading this article. New research suggests that athletes do speed work before the strength/race specific phase for sports that require an athlete to sustain close to 75-100% of their Lactate Threshold for their race. Sounds like triathlon right?? One reason is to develop the athlete’s speed so it will not be a limiting factor in the strength/race specific training phase which is most important for a sport like triathlon. The goal in strength/race specific training is to fatigue the athlete with the duration of the workout and not the speed, So speed needed to be developed first.

In the speed phase you work on speed one day a week in each discipline. Take at least one day (and maybe two) between the speed sessions and ease into these workouts. This is stressful training so respect it and take good care of your body. The goal is to increase speed, so make sure you swim/bike/run easy on your other workouts so that you can give a good effort in the speed workouts. This is most difficult in the pool. I find most athletes don’t know how to swim EASY. You need to relax in the pool and focus on one workout a week being dedicated to speed.

Looking back at history, the tradition training plan was designed more for swimming and track events, where events are much shorter like the speed work (1 to 10 minutes). Triathlon is different, our "race-specific training" isn’t fast speed work but rather more stamina-oriented training: Steady state, tempo work, and lactate threshold workouts. So if you are like me and kicking off the training program in a few weeks try something different this year. Build your base (8-12 weeks), then work on speed (6-8weeks), followed by strength/race specific (5-6weeks), before peaking for the triathlon. Do more race-specific training, as you move closer to the event. Don’t start this phase to early as it will lead to burnout.

Here is what I suggest:

Speed Training Phase

Length: 6-8 weeks (after base phase)

Intervals: 90 second – 5 minutes

Repeats should total 15-30 minutes

Recovery: 1 to 1 ratio

Volume: Mileage for the speed phase is typically about 10-20 percent lower than the mileage level you will do in the race-specific phase or did in your base phase.

Who should try this?

If speed work is your nemesis, or if you find speed work especially hard on your body, or you have limited time for training, then just focus on doing speed work in the one sport you are the weakest in. Most importantly ease into the workouts.

Better speed training equals better race specific training

One of the great benefits I see in the new model is that it can shorten your race specific phase. I find that the better job you do (meaning the more speed developed) in the speed phase, the shorter the race specific phase can be. This is extremely helpful to competitive athletes because many triathletes are simply worn out mentally by the time the race approaches. Too often you hear them say, "I just can’t wait for it to be over!" This is NOT what a coach wants to hear as the race nears. A shorter race specific program avoids this problem (as well as some of the injuries that can come with a long training buildup).

I also find that the better job you do in the speed phase, the more benefit you will get out of the race specific training. You should only fatigue from the duration not pace, sounds like your races last summer doesn’t it? It’s not that you can’t hold your race pace, it’s simply that you can’t sustain race pace for the set duration. A smart speed program ensures this will not happen. You’ll be able to do more and higher-quality specific training because you won’t be limited by your lack of speed.

Warning:

I see a lot of newer triathletes getting into the sport and putting in big mileage and lots of speed work. I also see a lot of newer athletes getting injured. If you are new to the sport, I strong suggest focusing more on your base phase. Work on your technique and once you have a year or two under your belt you can look at speed training. Don’t become a follower and get caught up in what others are doing. You don’t know their history in the sport.

For athletes thinking of trying this new method make sure that your base phase is not all easy mileage. I do recommend slowly introducing strides, accelerations and pickups into you training to help make the transition to the speed phase safer and easier. These types of drills will help strengthen tendons and muscle memory, along with increase your turnover on the run, and rpm on the bike to get you ready for the speed phase.

If you are interested in learn more about this approach to training contact Richard at rpady@healthyresults.ca