Multi-Year Planning

Little of significance gets done without any planning. Whether it is building a house, getting married or an overseas trip, these things don't just "happen" - there is always some planning beforehand. It's the same with sporting performances, from micro-planning of day-to-day training sessions to a season plan of races. But what about your long-term plan of development to really commit and strive towards your ultimate performance in a particular event? What I mean is multi-year planning, with an associated long-term vision and goals, which takes patience but where the finale is well worth the journey.

The Olympic games are four years apart, but it is often proposed that athletes striving to compete there should in fact consider a five-year plan, such is the concentrated effort it takes to perform at the highest level of all. While this is ultimate multi-year planning, it is built on a solid foundation where training, experience and performance level is cumulative and built up over time. This period of time allows the athlete and coach to have extended periods of focus to work on different fitness aspects which contribute to overall and eventual performance. Basically, you don't get faster at running 10km (for example), by continually running 10km races. This is especially so the longer the race distance.

Multi-year planning shifts the focus away from short-term performance - it takes years to really give something your best shot - so that each race is a stepping stone towards a bigger goal, supported by strategically planned training phases to achieve the necessary, progressive improvement. This is not to say that any interim race is not important, and that there are not peak races along the way - there are - but rather that you take a long-term view to your development at whatever you conclude is your best / target / goal distance event.

The best way to explain multi-year planning is with a high-level, descriptive example, using the Ironman as the event in focus. The assumptions in beginning a multi-year journey are that the athlete has some triathlon background, which may even include doing an IM in the past.

Year 1, part 1
Before any plan begins you need to be ready for what is ahead, physically and mentally. So spend the first part getting healthy, doing simple things to be fit and ready to train. Keep your goal in mind so you don't lose focus. Also, identify your key limiter, which is most often speed...even for IM.

Year 1, part 2
Train your key limiter. Build a program that enhances your overall fitness, but which focuses on your most limiting performance component. In saying that is most likely speed, in the context of IM I mean your ability to swim a fast 200-400m, ride a fast 3-4km TT, and ride a fast 1-1.5km. Building this speed begins with the mechanics, coordination and neuromuscular capability to allow you to be fast in the first place, and then adds the fitness to be fast over those distances. You might do a few, short, single sport events during this time over distances you would normally consider trivial, but that is the process to developing the necessary speed we're talking about.

Year 2
This whole year is devoted to extending your speed endurance from Year 1 over longer distances, specifically Olympic Distance triathlon event distances. Train to be fast over a 1500m swim, 40km ride and 10km run, as single sport events. You'll put them together into triathlons but only sprint or OD formats. Essentially, you are building endurance (back) into your fitness but maintaining your key limiter focus since these new speed gears will be your strength.

Year 3, part 1
Now you progress your distances further to be racing IM 70.3 events, and giving them a serious crack. This is a further progression on from Year 2, where you're adding more endurance but still maintaining the speed capability you developed back in year 1 for this will underpin your performances. Be careful not to cross-over the "line" to where you become a one-pace long course athlete, because the gears you added will be your weapon as the race gets longer.

Year 3, part 2
Now it is time to line up for an IM, mainly to get back in the ring and re-familiarise yourself with what an IM is all about. Do an IM as a reminder, but also to see how you feel physically and mentally stepping (back) up to that distance. Avoid putting too much pressure on yourself to perform in this race, but at the same time give it your best shot since IM races are few and far between. Evaluate afterwards how it went and how you performed, not just in terms of time but your race execution.

Year 4
This is the year to maximise the investment of time and effort you've put in. Aim for 2 x IM during this year, with the aim of really giving them your best shot to capitalise on everything you've gained over the previous years. Do shorter races, also, as further opportunities to refine your approach but the IM events are your "AAA" races that you've been training for.


So there is an overview of a multi-year plan, which could also substitute for a sensible progression in triathlons to doing an IM. But the key thing in this approach is that the starting point assumes existing fitness and experience, and that this approach is not so much the progression of a beginner to completing an IM, but rather an athlete who is willing to take a step back in order to take two (or more) steps forward. As with all long-term plans, it requires trust, faith and diligence, and the need to be flexible as life circumstances change...but the benefit is in both the journey and (hopefully) the outcome.

As with all training endeavours, be realistic about your time availability, your physical capabilities and balance between life and sport. Keep your focus on the end goal throughout since at times it will seem a long way away, but nothing worthwhile comes easily. Above all, be flexible in the whole plan. View this as somewhat of a template where the specific details will likely change and adapt...including the overall timeframe...but remember that long-term plans are strategic in nature, and making changes will necessarily impact the outcome in some way. But however you approach it, enjoy the journey and challenge of developing yourself as an athlete and as a person as it will present you with the best of times and the worst of times. Enjoy them all!!