Triathlon: It's go time

For most of us, now is the time to begin structured, albeit aerobic, training

By Lance Watson and Stefan Timms

When many triathletes first start to train, they simply swim, ride and run as hard as they can until they get into shape. What these athletes are missing is a well-structured training program and an understanding of training progression. The key to achieving this structure is periodization. Periodization is used to break long-term training plans into smaller segments. These smaller segments focus on specific training tasks and target increased fitness and performance while reducing the risks of injury, overtraining and illness. We suggest that you divide your training program into four periods: foundation/base, preparation, specialization and transition -- with a broad training goal for each period.

Laying the foundation :

The most important component is a solid foundation or base, which will support the higher-intensity work to come. Without a large base of endurance training, an athlete will not be able to absorb and recover from high-intensity intervals, anaerobic training or competition. The base period often corresponds with winter and early spring and follows the break the athlete has had after the previous race season. In the foundation period, workouts should focus on building the aerobic system through lower-intensity training and skill development (approximately eight to 30 beats below your lactic threshold or between 60-80 percent of maximum heart rate), which includes stroke-work, pedaling-efficiency and running leg-speed drills. In addition, it is beneficial to follow a resistance-training program to develop muscular strength. The duration of your base-building workouts should be increased in small increments, usually no more than 10 percent per week. Additionally, you'll benefit from a regeneration week every four to six weeks, during which training volume is cut back 20 to 50 percent in order to absorb the previous weeks of training and mentally prepare for the upcoming workouts in the following weeks.

The base-building phase of your training should last between eight and 14 weeks. Typically, novice triathletes should spend 10 to 14 weeks in the foundation-training period. For experienced athletes, this training period usually lasts eight weeks. Also, the longer and more intense your racing season, the bigger your aerobic base should be.

Although the training target of the foundation period is the aerobic energy system, the energy systems do not function independently: The aerobic and anaerobic energy systems influence one another; as energy demands change during competition or training, the line between the two energy systems becomes blurred. It is therefore important to periodically add training workouts that stress all energy systems regardless of your current training period. It is typically best to train these systems using local swimming, cycling or running events or training races because these activities include various changes in speed and power. Alternatively you could add in a workout designed to stress these systems.

If you haven't started your training yet for the upcoming season, now is the time to ensure that you create a strong enough foundation to support your efforts this summer. Alternatively, if you have started training, make sure you spend enough time in this base period before you move on to the next stage of training.

CTS Mutlisport Head Coach Lance Watson is the personal coach of triathlon stars Simon Whitfield, Lisa Bentley, and Greg Bennett to name a few. He can be reached at lwatson@trainright.com or www.trainright.com.

To learn more about CTS, visit the web site at: www.trainright.com.