Triathlon Training Notes

The competitive season for triathlons is typically May through September. Within that period you might have a race you really want to do well in, often called your “A” race, and those used more for tracking progress.

Periodization of training means planning your training cycles to maximize your performance for competition. You might know this intuitively but did not know there was a science behind it. There is a Tudor Bompa is regarded as the guru of periodization of training. I read his first edition “Periodization Training for Sports” when my son was on the high school track team. I was actually able to email correspond with an athlete who said he used that book as his training bible, and he went on to win a gold medal at the Olympics.

Training is broken down into yearly cycles, or phases:

• Anatomical Adaptation (getting your body and soft tissues ready for training)
• Hypertrophy (building muscle mass)
• Maximum Strength (taking the gains is mass and making them stronger)
• Conversion (taking strength gains and converting them to sport-specific power)
• Competitive and Transition (your races and before you start the training year over again)

In the second edition of Periodization Training for Sports, Tudor Bompa and Michael Carrera add some things that might be more interest to triathletes than just the science. It offers a yearly plan including the phases above. If you don’t think triathletes need strength training, ask Joe Friel and Tudor Bompa. You can benefit from strength training. The book walks you through the science of what to do, how to plan it, and break it down to smaller cycles (monthly and weekly) to maximize your performance.

It tells you the dominant energy sources, energy suppliers, limiting factors and training objectives, plans to train each energy systems, and nutrition. By the time you reach the plans, you understand and can immediately apply them because you already understand the science and how to get the most out of your training.

Here’s a good excerpt on Principles of Strength Training.

If you’re like me, you will enjoy learning the science behind the training theory. Then you will adapt to your own training and maximize your performance.

Triathletes are not always known for leading a balanced life. With work, and for most of us, kids, spouses, school activities, and a social life, who has time to train. I compromised other aspects of my life to train. Sometimes, to the detriment of both.

Terry Orlick is a world renowned pioneer in sports psychology.

Around the world, athletes, coaches, teachers, and performers know Terry Orlick as “the best” in his field. He has worked with thousands of Olympic and professional athletes, great surgeons, astronauts, top classical musicians, opera singers, dancers, performing artists, trial lawyers, business executives, mission control personnel, and others engaged in high stress careers.

He has written a book called, “Embracing Your Potential“. In part of it he talks about leading a balanced life. With permission of Human Kinetics, I quote part of it here.

Life in the Green and Gold Zones
Life consists of two zones, the green zone and the gold zone. The gold zone is our life at work and in performance domains, whereas the green zone is the rest of life. The secret to excelling in the green and gold zones of life is to free our mind, body, and spirit to enter the right zone at the right time. Green without gold doesn’t let us reach our individual performance potentials. Gold without green doesn’t let us reach our human potential. We need both. Read more… »

For your first triathlon may say, “I just want to finish without embarrassing myself.” I remember telling that to a guy I trained with. He said, it was a very common feeling for your first time out. He said people would be there using mountain bikes or maybe people who have hardly ever trained. Just go and have fun - it’s an experience. I remember most everything about it. The picture of me transitioning to the run is blurry - probably because that’s how I felt at that point.

Finishing a triathlon is a great accomplishment and that might be it for you. You put in a lot of training and will move on to your next accomplishment. For those who found something they really enjoy, they want more. Read more… »