Training Like a Triathlete

Here's a quick quiz for you...

1. How many sports is a triathlon? a) one, b) two, c) three, d) four?
2. How do you train for a triathlon? a) like a swimmer, b) like a cyclist, c) like a runner, d) all the above, e) like a triathlete?

The correct answers are 1. - a, and 2. - e. You did get those right, didn't you??

The purpose of that quiz is to highlight and emphasise how you should approach triathlons, your training and your racing. Triathlon is one sport and your training should reflect that, between each of the three disciplines plus the complementary activities which round out your preparation and performance. Because triathlon does involve three disciplines, your whole participation is an endless compromise compared to the "luxury" of single-sport athletes. However the way you structure your training (and lifestyle) can ensure the maximum effectiveness of your development so one session complements the next, across each discipline.

In this article I hope to explain how you can fit things into a schedule and routine that is sustainable and repeatable, and result in improvements across the board. While I'll talk about each discipline individually, you can't really talk about them separately. To that end the biggest mistake you can make is to train like a swimmer AND like a cyclist AND like a runner. This is where the value of a triathlon coach comes in, who has a full oversight of each session you do and can balance things out.

It's said that the best program is one that you can do because it fits into your life, meets your goals, fulfils your desires and is sustainable. It sounds like the holy grail, but with careful planning and scheduling it is mostly possible. Let's look at swimming first.

Swimming
Swimming is a low stress, low risk training activity. Triathletes will never overtrain at swimming, and swimming won't be the thing that tips you into an overtrained state...however, your swimming will suffer if you are overtrained!! Since your very best swim training option is in a squad that will usually dictate when and where you train. To that end, it does take up time, which is the main consideration in scheduling swimming into a triathlon training program. Depending on the individual you should aim for 3 - 5 swim sessions per week.

I believe you're best to space swims at least 24 hours apart (ie, AM to AM, not PM then following AM), and don't go for any more than 2 days without a swim session (ie, Fri to Mon). Once you've slotted your swim sessions in then I don't really consider them to have much carry-over effect on other sessions unless you go straight from a swim into a bike or run. The key points here are to swim frequently and hard.

Cycling & Running
Cycling and running are the two disciplines where careful scheduling is necessary since there are carry-over effects from one session to the next, in either order. Bike training is even more time consuming than swimming, and is also weather and venue dependent. It's often the session that gets compromised so it's worth scheduling them where there's time to enact plan B, if necessary. So bike training needs to be planned to allow for consistency in being able to fit sessions in and to complete sessions.

Weekend Training
Bike (and run) training will be built around the single most important session in each discipline each week - the long ride (and run). As it implies, this also takes the most time which means a weekend is the best option. Typically I'd put this on Saturday morning if only to get it out of the way for the weekend, and also because I think you're better to do ride and run on successive days (Sat / Sun). So with a long ride on Saturday morning, potentially a swim in the afternoon, and long run on Sunday morning, that makes a good training weekend.

Brick Sessions
I'm not an advocate of doing brick sessions week-in, week-out, and in fact not running on the same day as long ride for the same reason that you tend to compromise each session by taking it too easy on ride, especially the last - and crucial - hour, and you're too fatigued to get much value from the run. You're better to rest your legs for the rest of the day (a swim is recommended) and do a run when you're going to get more value from it. I believe that "practising" the feeling of running off the bike is less valuable than being sufficiently recovered to do a good run session the next day. Besides, if you're training consistently enough then you'll experience the feeling of running with fatigued legs as a matter of routine.

To contradict all that, there is certainly a place for brick sessions in training, especially in the lead-up to key races. Just not on a routine basis.

Monday to Friday
Training during the week is usually constrained by external factors like family, work, etc, so these things need to be factored into scheduling. Some people can only train in the morning, or evening and/or maybe lunch-time. Once you factor in swim squad sessions you can then see what other times are available for riding and running, being careful how you schedule each to allow for necessary quality and recovery. The experience and ability of the athlete will determine the quantity and quality of sessions scheduled during a week.

Identify how many key (ie, hard) bike and run sessions you plan to do in a week and following these rules:

• Don't do 2 key sessions on the same day, even if they are different sports.
• Aim for about 24 hours between key sessions.
• If you're doing 2 key sessions per week, space them 2 "sleeps" apart (eg, Tue & Thur).
• If you're doing 3 key sessions per week, have at least a 2 sleep gap amongst them (eg, Mon, Tue & Thur).
• If you're doing 4 key sessions per week, do them 24 hours apart allow 2 sleeps after the fourth session (eg. Mon, Tue, Wed & Thur).
• Don't do 2 key run sessions in a row and/or have a 2 sleep gap between them.
• Other non-key sessions (apart from swimming) should be short and easy.
• Whatever you do during the week, aim for a 2 sleep gap since your previous key session before the weekend since these are the most important sessions of all.

Managing Workload
The critical thing is to consider the workload of sessions, and how that will carry over from one session to the next. Workload is mostly a subjective measure, and is basically quality x quantity. That is, a short and hard session will have a similar workload to a longer but moderate session. Don't think of sessions as one-off efforts because they actually have a cumulative effect on your fatigue levels, where fatigue (and health) are the key determinants of your consistency of being able to back up key sessions on successive days.

Triathlon training should rarely involve all-out, maximum efforts, or reps that leave you sprawling on the ground afterwards. Triathlon training is hard because of the duration and sustained effort within - and between - sessions. It's an exercise in control and consistency, and training today so you are still able to train tomorrow...even if it's just easily.

Having said all that, there will be times when you increase your training workload for a period of time, such as during training camps or similar. These can be really valuable as long as they're planned and include balance between the relative workload of each sport, and cater for individual capabilities. There's a history of athletes tipping into over training as a result of training camps, and treating them as a competition rather than a period of focused work.

Summary
The key to training like a triathlete is not just in the type of sessions you do - for many people just training consistently is more important than the details of the sessions - but how you combine and schedule sessions across the week. Consistency of training is your number one priority, and managing your training workload to achieve consistency. Just remember the 3 rules of successful athletes: 1. don't get injured, 2. don't get sick, 3, don't break rule 1 and 2.