Workouts

The secret to triathlon training is: 

TO TRAIN!

And, contrary to what triathlon magazines might say, there are no magic workouts. 

You need to chop wood, carry water.

That said we need to do everything we can to set ourselves up for success. That means finding ways that help us to get the workouts done, ways that we enjoy and look forward to. Everyone is different, though, so you need to find what works for you.

Bike

The longest portion of triathlon is the bike ride so let's start here. Winter is best suited for interval workouts. In spring, once we're outside, we can then focus on the long, aerobic riding. How do we get the winter work done? Well, first you need access to an indoor bike set up; either a spin bike or bike on a trainer. The bottom line after that is to find some way to JUST RIDE YOUR BIKE.

Workouts

Whatever you do you need to make sure you leave enough energy for the rest of the week's workouts. So, go hard sometimes but not at all times! The usual split is a harder interval based 45-60 minute ride (or two) during week then an easier, longer ride on the weekend. 

For the higher intensity ride I'm partial to shorter intervals as most athletes find them easier to execute but remember that the shorter the interval is the higher your exertion level should be. Longer intervals are more taxing mentally but certainly up to 20' intervals are an option beyond what's listed below. 

Whatever workout you select, make sure to include a warm up, intervals, and cool down. If you are creating your own, it doesn't have to be complicated. Here is a simple and effective 5 week rotation that you can use. 'Hard' means as hard as you can sustain comfortably for the period of the interval. 


Swim

Your approach to swim workouts depends on your ability level. If you are relatively new to lane swimming then you are likely better off in a coached workout so you get correction and guidance. If you feel confident in your technique then either coached or solo workouts are fine. Another option is a one off clinic every once in a while to get a little guidance. (And now the very same words from the bike section above because training the body isn't rocket science!) If you are creating your own workout, it doesn't have to be complicated. Here is a simple and effective 4 week rotation that you can use. 'Hard' means as hard as you can sustain for the period of the interval. The shorter the interval the higher your exertion level. Do as many intervals in the main set as your time allows and choose a rest interval that allows you to maintain technique for all intervals. 


Run

The vast majority of injuries come from running so NOT getting injured is priority #1. Running workouts are much simpler for most athletes than bike or swim. 

Frequency: For an experienced runner with a decent base fitness in the sport two runs a week is enough; a long run and a shorter run. If running is a limiter for you then three short runs can be beneficial. When I say short I mean SHORT as in 2-3k. Even if experienced runners are going to add a third day I recommend something very short like that at least initially. You always need to remember that cycling is by far the longest portion of triathlon so you need to invest the majority of your training time there. Keep in mind as well that if you don't finish the swim you don't get to bike or run so you need to be confident in your swim too! Don't burn up all your energy with run training which is, by nature, the most taxing.

Long Run: Doing very long runs far out from your event is not required. It increases injury risk due to the impact and lowers your energy availability. That said, if you love to do them and really want to continue then feel free to ignore me. Unless you are in a build phase for an event, a long run of 10-15k, typically on the weekend, is sufficient. If you're not at 10k yet then slowly build your way up to that distance.

*Slow down* The vast majority of athletes run their long run too fast. Your goal is to train your aerobic system and you don't need to go at all hard to accomplish that. But runners love 'the burn' so they run too fast and that has negative effects on the rest of their training.

Second Run: A midweek run of 5-8k will most times be also done at an easy pace as well. Only when you have a solid base of two consecutive months of running does the option arise to carefully introduce a little speed work into this second run. 'Carefully' means doing less than you know you can comfortably do. Always keep in mind that fast running greatly increases your injury risk. Start with 3-4 minutes of running at a pace that's 30" (seconds) faster than your long run pace then see how you feel the next day. Each week add a minute or two and always evaluate how your body responds to the load. Once at 10' (minutes) then you can start to increase the pace closer to 1' faster than long run pace. This brings you truly to 'tempo' running pace which should feel hard but sustainable. If you're body responds well to that then continue to add 1-2' per week till at a total of 20' of tempo running in the middle of the midweek run. Make sure you're well warmed up for 15' before starting the tempo portion then cool down at the end. 

Other Options: After doing tempo for a while you have other options that can be done for variety. They include:

Group Runs

Like any workout runs can be a little easier and more fun for some if they're in a group. Ottawa is full of great running clubs. One example is The Ottawa Running Club!