To bring on an amazing 2015 I wrote 15 tips for your triathlon training and racing in no particular order. I had these thoughts while I was sitting in the parking lot when I showed up at 9am and realized the pool didnt open until 10am this morning! They may be a little random but these are 15 tips that in my opinion are crucial to a strong season of racing. 1. Focus on your key workouts in the week and keep everything else easy. On some of your easy sessions you can include short fast 9-15 second sprints to maintain your speed on swim, bike, and run. 2. Make swimming your foundation of triathlon fitness early season 3. Include more walking in your run training 4. Work on increasing your cadence and stroke rate in your swim, bike, and run. 5. Make 70-80% of your strength training from swim(paddle and band work) bike(trainer, rollers, and hills) , run(hills, hills , hills, and hiking) the other 20-30% should be focused on core. More than that in season will lead to poor performance in swim,bike, run and better performance in strength. Remember we are triathletes not weight lifters and that needs to be the focus. 6. Remember that a strong swim leads to a strong bike. A strong bike leads to a strong run. (dont neglect your swim and bike training to focus on your run) They will all complement each other. 7. Spend time a minimum of once a week to work on your mental strength and re-evaluating your goals , strengths, and weaknesses. 8. Learn to listen to your body when it is telling you to stop and rest. 9. Dial in your race nutrition plan BEFORE race week. 10. Do what is necessary to work on your body composition without sacrificing performance and strength. (For some this may mean gaining weight or some losing weight). This can lead to huge gains in bike and run performance. At times gaining weight is needed to increase power on the bike or swim. 11. Eat more veggies 12. Dont neglect your post workout nutrition and ALWAYS stay hydrated. 13. Get a bike fit with a professional who understands triathlon at least once a year as your body changes and you get stronger and more comfortable on a bike. Or you can also create weaknesses and imbalances throughout a season which warrants a change. 14. Remember that your body cant go hard every single day and WILL break down if you do. 15. Understand that every athlete is different and has different needs. One thing you see another doing, or learn in a magazine may not apply to you. Do what YOU need to do to be better or hire a coach who can help you understand what will make YOU a better athlete. Happy New Year!
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 00:13:42 +0000