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While your event is months away, winter is the time to get your fitness and strength ready for the higher volume of the spring. Here are some tips to help you get the work done and hopefully enjoy it along the way.
Rest Day: Every week you need one day where you aren't swimming, biking, running or lifting. There's no point stimulating our bodies to adapt if we don't then give them a chance to do so. We need to allow them to rest and rebuild. One great option for your rest day is a good mobility session including foam rolling. The foam rolling especially will help to identify spots that might be tender and/or tight which is a red flag. You can then take additional action to address that issue moving forward. Don't ignore red flags!
Bike Nutrition: As trainer rides surpass 90 minutes in duration start paying more attention to your dietary prep in advance of that ride and consider supplementing carbs during. You'll be on a trainer so it doesn't have to be anything fancy...a granola bar, sandwich, anything that's easily digested. An electrolyte drink is also something to consider once over 90'. Analyse what you eat and log the grams of carbohydrate so you can learn what and how much works. Make sure to include any carbs you're getting from your fluid replacement drink as well.
Holidays: I encourage you to set aside your focus on training. Certainly stay active, do what fits with your family's schedule, but make sure your energy is high so you can enjoy a memorable holiday with those you love. There is plenty of time for hard/fun triathlon training once January rolls around.
Intensity = Fatigue: Once a base of fitness is established, rides will start to add in some intensity. While a workout remains the same duration, higher intensity can really affect your general energy. Watch for that and adjust other workouts to keep your energy balanced.
Treadmills: It's treadmill season for many but make sure to run outside at least once a week to maintain your impact-related fitness. On treadmill runs set the incline to 1%. This will help to more accurately simulate outdoor running as it makes up for the lack of wind resistance and the motorized belt. Also, consider adding some 2' incline walking intervals at the end of your run. Start conservatively (ie 3%), see how you feel during and the next day, then adjust upwards only if you felt little stiffness.
Shoulder Care: As cycling loads increase our shoulders can stiffen up which then makes us vulnerable when adding in swimming. Stay on top of your shoulder mobility and consider loosening up on deck before swims. Arms circles are a simple, effective option for this.
Energy Balance: The first step in the training process is to establish a repeatable weekly schedule that allows for balanced energy through the week. Now, the rest of the way it's about balancing our energy every day and every week to ensure we're able to continue with consistency for months. The #1 key to balancing energy: run slower!
Mobility: Use your day off to roll and gently stretch, evaluating your body. If there are tender or tight spots don't ignore them, work on them more through the week and/or seek help to make sure they don't turn into injuries.
Shovel Fit: Finally, make sure to shovel using both sides to balance your muscular development!
Spread It Out: If you're doing a sport 2 to 3 times a week, the ideal set up is to spread them evenly through the week, avoiding back to back days doing the same sport. This enhances the body's ability to adapt and improve. But, if life doesn't allow the ideal, don't worry, just train!
Long Workout Weekends: We have a lot of athletes training for the IM. The common approach is to load the two long workouts on the weekend, long ride and long run. If your work/life balance allows you to only do one on the weekend and the other midweek it is advantageous as you'll get greater quality from each of these key workouts. That said, most aren't able to do this so and if that is you.....don't worry, just train!
Strength: Scapular retraction is the most important strength training movement pattern. Make sure to include it in your week. The IYT is my favourite exercise for this movement. It's featured in this video. On the bike power rules so make sure to do at least one workout a week that features loaded squats along with other leg work.
Recovery Weeks: Some athletes take a recovery week every fourth week. That can certainly work but it's not my philosophy. Sooner or later life happens and you end up with a week in which you can't do much. That's your recovery week. Until then you keep your energy balanced to support continuity. If your wellness number start going down then, again, you adjust and increase rest.
What is Wellness: It's your general feeling of wellbeing. The major factors that affect it are sleep, nutrition, stress, and training load. They all combine to leave you ready in a condition somewhere between 'ready to face the world' and 'going back to bed'. Make sure to add your wellness rating to each day in your training log. If you notice a pattern, address it.
Key Workouts: You'll here me start to talk more and more about 'key workouts'. When life is a little crazy focus on simply trying to get your key workouts done each week. For triathletes it's a swim, the long bike, and the long run. If you get those done and nothing else the week is a win.
Life Happens: No ones training journey is without interruption. Expect it, accept it, and get back in the groove.
Heart Rate Variation: HRV is a great tool. Each morning you can check it on your smart watch or using an app to get a reading on how ready your body is for training. My advice is to follow it's guidance but not blindly specifically if it's telling you you are ready for action. If you did a big workout the day before your HRV may still read as balanced. Be logical about it, though. If you worked out hard the day before and feel a bit tired from it, follow your feelings instead of the tech.
Set Up Success: The key is less the workout plan itself but the fact as to whether we actually did workouts! A lovely plan on paper doesn't get you to the finish line. Create an environment that helps you to get the workouts done and enjoy them.
Hydration: Whether you drink on a schedule or drink to thirst is a personal decision. The bottom line is that science shows you can lose up to 2% of your body weight before disfunction sets in. We don't want to reach that point. If you want to explore this, weigh yourself unclothed before and after your long ride. A simple guide is that 500ml of fluid amounts to close to 500g of body weight. Remember: you're not trying to drink enough to maintain the exact same weight. You can lose some, just not too much. It's important to not start a workout dehydrated so make sure you've been drinking before. Then, after the workout continue to sip or drink as the body still needs that fluid even though the workout is over.
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