Training Tip - Taking on the early season

Mar 13, 2009

Enhance your preparation for the coming season
By Lance Watson

Ask 10 athletes and coaches about how one should prepare for next season and odds are you will get 10 completely different answers.

Some will tell you to begin preparation only after an extensive "off-season," where you do very little training and allow your body to recover with a month, or even more, of time off. Others will tell you the precise opposite. Others will advocate a position somewhere in between.

No off-season

I advocate that there is no "off-season," just varied levels of training that allow you body to actively recover. This allows you to maintain a level of conditioning without slipping into a fitness valley, which takes an extended period of time to climb out of.

While a great number of athletes start with sprint races and work their way up to longer distances, if you have already raced long course (1/2 IM or IM), now is the time to evaluate your racing goals. What type of racing suits you? Do you have the time to devote to longer races? Maybe you are better at racing shorter triathlons such as international- or sprint-distance. Once you have established the type of triathlons you should be racing, it is time to set your goals. Be sure to pick only one or two "A" priority races; these will be your most important events. Then, pick "B" and "C" races -- less important events that will help prepare you for the key races.

The winter months are the time when you have the most to gain, so while it may be difficult to train outdoors here, are a few tips to prepare you for the new season ahead.

Swimming

While this may be the shortest distance of the three disciplines, a poor swim can put you out of contention right away. If you don't swim with a masters group, maybe now is the time to get involved with one.

Masters teams usually have a wide variety of abilities so you can gage your progress by starting with swimmers who are at your current level and possibly move up a couple lanes as you improve. Some masters groups have excellent coaches available who can help you improve your stroke and technique.

Now is also the time to incorporate increased numbers of drill sets into your pool workouts. Breaking down your stroke through drills will help you improve your balance and efficiency in the water. Doing a drill set of 10 x 50 drill (25 drill/25 swim), incorporating some one-arm, catch up, sculling, closed-fist and balance drills, will teach you better efficiency and body position in the water. The idea is to swim the first 25m performing the drill and the second 25m freestyle, concentrating on incorporating the skill from the drill just completed into your front crawl.

You also want to include mixed-stroke work in the winter months. Learning to swim a better back, fly and breaststroke will only help your freestyle by working complementary muscle groups. Swimming these other strokes will also increase your feel and versatility in the water.

Great early-season goals to focus on in the pool are perfecting your technique, decreasing your stroke count per length (indicating a longer stroke and holding more water per stroke) and building a higher comfort level in the water. The winter months are an excellent period to spend more time in the water.

Cycling

This may be the toughest of the three disciplines to train during this time of year, but it is no less important than the other two. The inclement weather and shorter days can make it hard to find the time to get outside and ride, but there are options.

One obvious option is to put your bike on an indoor trainer. We all know this can be tedious, but if you can put in time on the trainer during the colder months, it will pay off come race season.

Mix in some threshold work on the bike. Try to get some friends to join you as well. For a more hi-tech approach, check out products such as the CompuTrainer, which allows riders to train (or race) interactively, on the same course and computer screen.

By spending time on a trainer, you can work on pedal efficiency by incorporating single-leg and high-cadence drills. Also, if you have access to a fixed-gear bike, using it during your foundation period can dramatically improve your pedalling efficiency because it forces a smooth and evenly distributed pedal stroke.

Another way to work on your cycling during the winter months is to get on a mountain bike. Mountain biking will teach you to spin more effectively and improve your handling skills. When mountain biking, you use all your energy systems and develop muscular strength and endurance.

If mountain biking in the cold still doesn't push you to get outside and ride, you might want to try and some spinning classes at a local club. Just remember, this is a building phase of your training, so you might have to do these classes easier than the rest on the class to ensure your heart rate stays at the proper level for you.

Running

There is no good excuse for not getting out for a run -- unless you are injured or sick. If you dress properly, you can run in pretty much any type of weather. But if you are not motivated to run on the roads, now is also a great time to get out and do some exploring. Go run on some trails that you might not have been on before. There is nothing like enjoying a crisp winter day on a single-track trail and savoring the peaceful quiet as you work toward building your fitness. If you have taken some time off, gradually increase mileage 10 to 15 percent each week with long, slow running to build your aerobic fitness -- just be sure not to overdo it and end up with an overuse injury. 

Running on the trails is also a good time to do some strength-enhancing "fartlek" sessions. To do this, on you longer runs find a hilly trail and run the up hills at a steady state. Practice running over the crest, but slow it down on the decline, for recovery. Try to incorporate 10 x 15 to 30 seconds of climbing in the middle 45 minutes of a 75-minute run. This will add a strength component to your endurance run.

Let's also not forget about drills and strides. They should be done year round as they help your running form and neuromuscular recruitment as well as increase your range of motion without causing you much fatigue. Drills and strides are best done on a flat, grassy area or soft track. Intersperse 10 minutes of drills and strides in the middle of a 45-minute run.

Be honest with yourself, your assessment of your strength and weaknesses and put in the training now and 2009 should be an outstanding season.

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