The Road (back) to Kona
Research Last winter I read every book on Tri-training that I could find. Evans, Sleamaker, Friel, Scott, Allen, Tinley and Cedaro - I read them all. I was looking for a program that suited me and was easy to put together. Amazon must have thought I was opening a triathlon college with the amount of stuff they were shipping me. I also read every article I could find on tri-training and watched a hell of a lot of Hawaii videos. In the end, I settled on Friel's program in the Triathlete's Training Bible. The main reasons were: its focus on recovery (more later); and the ease of constructing the program (I just couldn't figure out some of the other systems). Identify Your Weaknesses & Strengths So, I knew the basic structure of what I wanted to do but had to decide my focus areas. If you have read my race reports then you can probably identify my weak areas. I decided that my weak areas were swim endurance, cycling power endurance and cycling power. Because I am a strong hill runner, I always assumed that I was a strong cyclist in the hills. Well, the 300 people that rode past me on Richter at IMC last year would probably tell you that they saw one hurting unit. The Queen K was also a lesson in humility as hardbodies smoked by relentlessly, the guy who was at least 50 did hurt a little bit. What about my strengths? Like a lot of us, I come from a running background and therefore decided that running was my strength. My run splits right from the start of my triathlon career have normally been at the top of my AG. Now comes the tough part, you need to build a program that works relentlessly on your weaknesses, while doing the minimum to maintain your strengths. I can hear the runners right now... but if I don't run five times a week, I will lose my speed. Based on my personal experience, you will maintain your running speed and become a better triathlon runner if you work on your cycling. I have been running for five years and continue to improve, despite (or maybe because) my run volume dropping 60% from my running days. I suspect the same holds for those of you who are strong swimmers and cyclists. Work the weakness. Build Strength & Endurance in the Winter For me, weights in the winter were essential. My weight program followed a classic periodisation formula. I modified the Tri-Bible program at the start and kicked off with something that Coach Troy gave me when I used him as an on-line coach. Lower weight, high reps, full body work to start then moving more specific, higher weight, lower reps. The full history of the program is on my website. I also inserted one session of circuit training each week. This cranked my heart rate up, was very difficult but only lasted for 24-36 minutes. I had amazing results in the weight room and made several breakthroughs in the pool and on the bike - I believe as a direct result of getting stronger. For reference, from mid-November to March, I was doing 2-3 strength sessions a week for a total weekly volume of 90-240 minutes. The peak lifting period was late December to early January. This is also when I made most of my strength gains. My core lifts were squats and seated rows. I worked my abs frequently, should have put more time into my lower back. Now, with all that lifting you are going to slow down in the pool and on the bike (for some reason my running wasn't hit too much). This is a bit tough to take mentally but if you stick with it then it will pay off. Because I was going into a lot of my sport specific sessions a little tired, I focused on technique and long slow distance. I gradually bumped my long swim workouts up to 5K and also did several 3-4 hour small chain ring rides. Two rules on the small ring rides, no use of the big ring and no freewheeling. The idea for this workout came from surfing Lance Armstrong's website and reading about how euroroadies train in the winter. Believe me, it sounds easy but is tough. Two hours of spinning at 110 rpm is feasible but by the three hour mark, you are dying to be able to use the big ring. My tri-buddies laughed, they don't anymore. What about my running? I kept my weekly long run between 90-120 minutes and focused on bricks (three to five a week). A did a lot of bricks because I was frequently cycling indoors and the bricks helped break up the monotony of indoor riding. I was forced indoors by my travel schedule, I imagine that many of you will be forced indoors by weather. I did many different types of bricks and really mixed the time, speed and order of the sports. Speedwork? I did a duathlon or running race about once a fortnight and that was my only speedwork. Even in the hills, I would keep my heart rate in the middle of my aerobic zone. If you have been running the numbers then you are have probably noticed that my weekly volume was in the 18-25 hour range. You would be right. I took a rest week every fourth and dropped the volume down to 12-14 hours. Next year, I will likely drop it lower in the recovery weeks. Key Race Selection I chose three qualifying races and had specific reasons for choosing each of them. Why three? On the advice of an experienced Kona vet (thanks Ken D), I didn't want to put all my eggs in one basket. You never know when you will hit one of those special days or when you will hit one of those very painful days. I hit both. IM Australia - Early April, good pre-season fitness test, would establish an excellent endurance base for the rest of the year. Very tough to qualify but early enough to ensure a good recovery. Suffered and learned. 1/2 Vineman - Early July, seven weeks out from IM Canada. Excellent race to give a final test of the areas to focus for Penticton. Flat and fast course, good for confidence. Very tough to qualify, distance is short enough to ensure a good recovery for Canada. Suffered and qualified. IM Canada - Huge race, lots of first timers, large number of slots, end of season so good possibility of rolldowns. My "A" race with qualifying times that are easier than the early season races. Drawback, seven weeks away from Kona, fair chance you will be tired for that race but hey if you get there then who cares! Watch this space! Mental Skills In doing my mental skills inventory and watching Lori run down the men's field last August, I decided that another area of weakness for me was pain management. I had to face the fact that I was lousy at dealing with race pain. In order to address this point, I signed myself up for a number of shorter races. Runs, duathlons, tris, aquathons, road races - the sport didn't matter. What mattered was to ensure that I would receive a healthy dose of race pain. It worked. I now see pain as a race companion, someone who is along for the ride on race day. I am working on making him a friend (maybe I'll get there for next season). Another area where I spent considerable time was visualization. All last season, I would freak out during the swim start. This would cause serious problems in the early part of my races. Before IM Australia, I would spend 5-15 minutes several times a week visualizing the swim start, the mayhem, the punches, the kicking and the fear. I would picture myself in the middle of the action and also "watch" myself from above. I was always calm in my mental picture, stroking well, dealing with the situation. When it came the race, it was hell. However, I expected the hell, stayed calm and had a good swim, a little too fast but no one's perfect. We all have our mental weak spots. My experience shows that improved race performance will come from working these areas. The best part is your physical body can recover while your mind strengthens. I used some of the techniques in Mental Strategies for Peak Performance as well as Craig Townsend's weekly tips (to subscribe send an e-mail to subscribe@swimpsychology.com). This stuff works! Consistency/Commitment & Recovery Consistency/Commitment - I adopted a no excuses policy with regard to my workouts. I trained in rain, wind, typhoons (running only), darkness, whatever but I always trained. When my buddies would cancel on me, I would head out anyhow - thankful for the opportunity to get stronger. When work sent me all over the place, I chose hotels close to fitness facilities. I also brought my bike along on most business trips over three days. In the last twelve months, my bike has logged some serious air miles. It is a hassle but it pays dividends on race day. Recovery - I took very few rest days in the winter. A total of twelve complete rest days from November to April. However, I took plenty of active rest days and would shorten and/or lower the intensity when I was feeling tired. I also made a commitment for an extra hour of sleep every night and a 45 minute nap on Saturday and Sunday (my high volume days). The extra sleep made a huge difference to both my state of mind and the quality of my training. Sport Specific Strength After IM Australia (missed the slot but had fun, sort of), I took a four week transition period. Other than the week right after the race, my volume was still pretty solid at 12-14 hours. In hindsight, I should have taken it a little easier. About three weeks after the race, I tried to get back into hard training. Nearly made myself sick but caught it quick enough to back off and avoid any problems. With my mid-season break behind me, I stopped the weights completely and started my sport specific strength work. Swimming was a mix of long and fast sessions. Running, my strength, received little specific attention but I continued with my long runs and bricks (now down to 1-3 per week). At the end of every recovery week, I did a running time trial to give myself comfort that I wasn't "losing it". The real focus (and the major reason for my improvement) was my cycling. Here is what I did. For May and June, I rode hills every single cycling workout. I stayed in the saddle, pushed a big gear and worked. I rode long hills, short hills, any type I could find. Even on my recovery days, I rode hills. It wasn't easy but slowly it made me stronger. I also noticed that when I went back to the flats, my speed was improving significantly. I could inflict pain on my pals (well, not my roadie pals but there is always hope). With my travel schedule, I occasionally couldn't ride hills and perhaps this helped keep me fresh. Based on my experience, I would say that, for the majority of triathletes, cycling power endurance is the key to a solid long course race. If you can get off the bike relatively fresh then your race will be far easier. Obviously, swimmers and cyclists will need to tailor this advice to their own specific areas of weakness. Seek Advice Since starting triathlon, I have taken every opportunity I could find to get additional information. Books, newsgroups, websites, e-mail lists, on-line coaching, race expos, professional athletes, videos - I tried them all. Not everything makes sense for me but it is all useful information and forms a background against which you can tailor your program to you specific needs. There are a lot of very experienced people out there who love to talk training. Race Smart The final point is a little obvious but worth making. At Vineman, my goals were to go out and race well. I did not have a specific goal of qualification. Indeed, I thought it was impossible. My race day was a build - easy on the swim, steady on the bike and hard on the run. The longer the distance, the more important it is to show patience in the race. I know many people (myself painfully included), who try to qualify by hammering the swim and the first half of the bike. The majority of the time (100% for me), it results in underperformance. I have set all my PRs by focusing on technique, HR and nutrition. When you get in the zone the time just seems to take care of itself. See you at the races, gordo |