I have been asked by numerous road cyclists and triathletes what they should do now that they are in race season. As I stated at the Calgary 70.3 talk back in May, “it all depends upon what you have done up to this point in time”. Now this statement garnered some sneers and some people felt I hadn’t “answered” their question. How can I?? The act of training or preparing for an event whether you are a beginner or elite can follow a similar path, that of a structured approach and knowing how everything fits to create a greater whole. Yes this would seem to advocate for the hiring of a coach to help construct this plan which is similar to the process of building a house where there are key steps to follow along the way otherwise you may end up with a faulty foundation, leaky roof or no plumbing! I have decided to provide to the best of my ability a “plan” for Club members looking for some more clarity on preparing for their race season.
Now I will make several assumptions in this post that people in the Triathlon Club have been attending their selected training courses as well as supplementing this training with regular and consistent aerobic training including long rides and runs. I will also assume that most would know what events they are training towards (their “A” race) and what the course profiles look like.
The discipline I see most of our Triathlon Club members making their biggest performance gains in is the bike and I base this off the most recent races our Club members have done. Most have not been outside long enough so their training volume is low or they claim to not know what to do on the bike for training other than just going for a ride. The fact remains that the bike is where you will spend the greatest amount of time in during a triathlon and if you can ride faster more comfortably you will be fresher transitioning to the run. Therefore I will focus on cycling workouts below.
I am often asked if people should be doing interval training during this final race preparation phase and I can emphatically say “yes” to this question. Especially in the 6 weeks out from the race. You should also select routes that would mimic the course profile of your goal race. If it is a flat bike course then do the intervals in your aerobars. If hilly then do half the intervals on the hills and the other half on the flats in the aerobars or alternate them – odd numbered intervals on the hills and even numbered intervals climbing. However I would also state that the intensity level for the intervals as well as length of the intervals will vary depending upon the race distance;
Sprint events:
Intervals should be of higher intensity at MAP (Maximal Aerobic Power) intensity and done between 3-5min in length for a total of 15-30min of time spent at MAP intensity.
Option 1: 3-6x 5min @ MAP effort/power + 5min easy spinning as
recovery
Option 2: 5-8x 3min @ MAP effort/power + 3min easy spinning as
recovery
The Final 6 weeks:
Week 6: Aerobic focus long ride 2.0 - 2.5hours and long run 60-80min
2x Workout Option 1(above)
Week 5: Aerobic focus long ride 2.0hours and long run 50-65min
1x Workout Option 1 & 1x Workout Option 2(above)
Week 4: Aerobic focus long ride 2.0 - 2.5hours and long run 60-70min
2x Workout Option 2(above)
Week 3: Aerobic focus long ride 2.0 - 2.5hours and long run 50-65min
2x Workout Option 1(above)
Week 2: Aerobic focus long ride 1.5hours and long run 45-50min
1x Workout Option 1(above)
Race week: Complete 60% of 1x Workout Option 1 & 1x Workout Option 2 (above)& race day.
Olympic Distance:
Spend more time at your Functional Threshold power or E4 level and do longer interval sets totaling 20-45min of time spent at E4 intensity. Get comfortable being in the aero position while throwing down the power.
Option 1: 2x 15-20min @ E4 effort/power + 7.5-10min easy spinning between intervals
Option 2: 4x 8min @ E4 effort/power + 2.5-4min easy spinning between intervals
Option 3: Over-geared work 6x 5min @ E4 effort but pushing a MASSIVE gear ratio under 75rpm + 3min easy spinning >95rpm as recovery
Option 4: For those with a power meter perform 3-4x 10min alternating every 2min between your low & high end E4 power + 5min easy spinning between intervals
The Final 6 weeks:
Week 6: Aerobic focus long ride 2.0 - 3.5hours and long run 60-90min
1x Workout Option 1 & 1x Workout Option 3(above)
Week 5: Aerobic focus long ride 2.0hours and long run 60-75min
1x Workout Option 2 & 1x Workout Option 4(above)
Week 4: Aerobic focus long ride 2.0 - 3.0hours and long run 60-90min
1x Workout Option 3 & 1x Workout Option 1(above)
Week 3: Aerobic focus long ride 2.0 - 2.5hours and long run 60-70min
1x Workout Option 2 & 1x Workout Option 4(above)
Week 2: Aerobic focus long ride 1.5-2.0hours and long run 45-60min
1x Workout Option 2(above)
Race week: Complete 60% of 1x Workout Option 3 & 1x Workout Option 2 (above)& race day.
Half & Full Ironman:
More of your time will be spent in the high E2 to high E3 range for these races distances. Again get comfortable being in the aero position as well as climbing on your triathlon bike as many long distance courses have hills on the route. Interval sets are long (20-60min) with total riding volume in the neighborhood of 60-120min depending upon your fitness level. These are good workouts to practice your fueling plan and products to see how you absorb and tolerate them.
Option 1: 2x 30min @ your mid-E3 effort/power/HR intensity + 10- 15min @ E2 intensity between intervals done on a rolling course and focusing on controlling your intensity level on the climbs
Option 2: 3-4x 20min @ your E3 intensity level + 5min easy spinning between intervals
Option 3: For experienced athletes: 1-2x 60min @ E3 intensity level
These workouts are great to do on loops of 10-20km with mixed terrain like down south in the Priddis area or in the north near Madden.
The Final 6 weeks:
Week 6: Aerobic focus long ride 4.0 - 5.5hours and long run 100-
150min
1x Workout Option 1 & 1x Workout Option 2(above)
Week 5: Aerobic focus long ride 4.0-5.0hours and long run 100-150min
1x Workout Option 1 & 1x Workout Option 2(above)
Week 4: Aerobic focus long ride 4.0 - 5.0hours and long run 90-120min
1x Workout Option 3 & 1x Workout Option 2(above)
Week 3: Aerobic focus long ride 3.0 - 4.0hours and long run 80- 100min
1x Workout Option 2 & 1x Workout Option 3(above)
Week 2: Aerobic focus long ride 3.0-3.5hours and long run 65-70min
1x Workout Option 3(above)
Race week: Complete 50% of 1x Workout Option 3 & 1x Workout Option 1 (above)& race day.
Keep in mind this is simply a guide based on a number of assumptions I have made. For some this basic plan will work and for others it won’t. If training was as easy as swim, bike and run then we coaches or performance specialists would be out of work. Our roles are to help filter the information and apply what we know to each individual based upon their specific circumstances and needs. Good luck to everyone and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask me.
JVD
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