Driva77 wrote:
I am coming from a pretty heavy distance running background, and I must admit, this whole multisport training thing seems very complicated. Not only do you have to learn two more sports, each of which is more complicated on there own in comparison to running, but you have to train how they interact with each other. So, I come with two questions.
1. How long did it take you to understand training for the sport? I mean like all the drills and novel types of workouts the other two sports need, and how all that interacts with periodization and so forth.
2. What helped you learn this process? I'm sure personal experience plays a part, but did you read books? Talk to coaches? Other athletes on seedy forums?
Overall, I'm having fun building a physical base, but my incredible lack of a knowledge base grows more and more frustration, and I'd very much like your advice.
1. Its a never ending learning process---often just about yourself. But, if you have a good handle on distance running workouts you should be able to relate those to the bike pretty easily. If you are doing "bike (or run)
drills" you're doing it wrong. Drills only have a place in the pool...even that is questionable without on-deck coaching---as doing a drill wrong is worse than not doing a drill.
2. I starting tri-ing back in early 2002. I hung out in seedy forums (gordoworld, trainingbible.com, cruciblefitness, etc) talking to highly mentally suspect individuals, and coaches. I traded professional services with a couple coaches back then, to get some 1-on-1 coaching. I've only read one book on Triathlon, and don't recommend it (see above).
Triathlon doesn't have to be complicated. But, you can make it as complex as you like. That's a personal choice that has little impact on results. Some people like having a library of 40 workouts to choose from (per sport) and doing something different every day and week. Other's just get out the door. Neither approach is "better" than the other, because as others have noted....90% of it is just showing up every day---usually twice, sometimes thrice.
Daily workout scheduling is probably the hardest part. I learned a lot about daily scheduling from those two coaches I worked with early on. You've only got so much "recovery" to invest into intense training. So, spend it wisely. You will have to learn how intensity in each sport impacts your ability to perform in downstream workouts in the other sports...either on the same day or within the next 48 hours. They may not be the same thing. You will find that the order of sports matters.
I can get away with stacking intensity between two sports on the same day. Hard Swim (morning), Hard run/bike (lunch or dinner)...or run (lunch), bike (dinner). But, my swimming is
badly impacted by hard running the day before, but not bike. I need to be physically and mentally fresh to swim well (er...as well as I can...which is not). My legs need to be fresh-ish to do a hard run. But, I can get away with some fatigue for a SST bike. You may be the same or you may be different---our different backgrounds have some impact here. So, I prioritize freshness requirements as Swim -> Run -> Bike.
I try to space things out that either have downstream effects or upstream requirements by 36-48 hours. EG: If I need to be fresh to swim (upstream req) on Wed, then I know I can't do a hard-run (downstream effect) on Tuesday--it will need to be easy or short (or both). And my hard run will need to be on Monday....or, Wednesday after the swim.
Periodization has its place, but its different from what you might do for single-sport racing...and, changes (to a degree) with race distance. I would say that's more of an advanced topic, and not really relevant for a first-year triathlete. Certainly, its not nearly as important as figuring out a weekly routine that works, and just getting out the door every day.