If you create a well laid out plan toward your season goals and stick to it, you will give yourself the best chance of success.
While triathlon is recreation for most, there’s an underlying desire in everyone, to keep improving. With the race season fast approaching, you may be looking at race options that sound inviting or fun. There are also various training groups and workouts to choose from. Reasons for selecting events are many and varied, so here we look at planning your whole season with a view to succeeding in your most important races of the year.
Season Planning
‘A’ Races – One of the first steps in planning the perfect race season is to select your highest priority races. It’s important not to lose focus on your highest priority races, along the way. Limit your ‘A’ races to 2 or 3 per season. If Ironman Canada is one, then just one other may be appropriate. If your ‘A’ races are shorter distances, you could afford to peak your training more often. Your overall training program should be structured toward your ‘A’ Races.
‘B’ Races – Step 2 is to pick events that serve as specific preparation for your ‘A’ race. If possible, choose ‘B’ races that don’t interrupt your ‘A’ race schedule. One that is held at the end of a planned ‘recovery’ week would be perfect.
You may need to reconfigure your planned training slightly, so that your preparation race can be a positive experience. ‘B’ races provide the opportunity to practice pacing and nutrition strategies, equipment and set-up. ‘B’ races that mimic the course profile and weather conditions of your ‘A’ race are preferred.
‘C’ Races – A local sprint tri or fun run may serve as a high quality workout, be short term motivation or included in your season just for fun. Considered as “train-through” events, no real emphasis is placed on peaking and tapering for ‘C’ races.
Competition is practice for competition – Log as much information about your B and C races as possible. This will help identify areas for improvement, which can be applied to ‘A’ race preparation and execution.
Typical Training Week – Coaches place high importance on structuring a training week that fits conveniently around an athlete’s other commitments, while addressing weaknesses and providing adequate recovery between workouts. You should create a regular training routine that is repeatable most weeks. Think consistency!
Are we training or racing here? Serious consideration should also be given to group workouts, with respect to your own goals. As much fun as fast-paced group training is, it may not be specific to your ‘A’ race and leave you too tired for your next planned workout to be effective.
Quality over quantity – Ensure that you’re rested and motivated to execute high quality workouts specific to your ‘A’ Races. Being consistent with quality training beats focusing on big hours, every time.
Pace yourself – Recognize where your highest training load weeks are and be prepared for them. Limit outside commitments during ‘Peak’ weeks. Regular ’Triathlon Free’ days and easy weeks will allow time to absorb your training and keep you motivated all season long.
Your program. Once you’ve selected your races and planned your training, have confidence that sticking to your program is the right thing for you.
Endurance Planner is a computer program for Triathlon Season Planning and Training Program Management. It also includes training programs for Sprint, Olympic, Half (70.3) and Full Ironman-distance, with a comprehensive library of workouts and an integrated training log. And as a special promotion for Ironman Calgary athletes, you get the indoor bike training program add-on at no extra cost! Just enter this special promotion code: 01082010
“Most athletes just need a training program designed for their level and occasional advice along the way. EndurancePlanner provides proven programs and advice via the coach-tips section of the web forum. This system provides the fundamental components of an online triathlon coaching service and is a great tool for managing your own training”. Kevin Cutjar
Kevin Cutjar has been a full-time triathlon coach with Impact MultiSport for the last 12 years. As a competitor, he has competed in hundreds of endurance events, including 32 Ironman, several with top 10 and sub 9 hour finishes. He has coached athletes to hundreds of goal achieving finishes in all race distances. Remaining as head Coach for Team Impact, Kevin also designs workouts, training programs and offers coach support for EndurancePlanner.com, a company providing planning software and training program for triathletes. Based in Penticton, BC. Kevin can be reached at coachkev@enduranceplanner.com – Call 250 276 7457. Also visit www.enduranceplanner.com.
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