Finished reading Joe Friel’s Training Bible, and I’m now getting ready to set up a new training routine. First step is setting annual training hours. Do “training hours” include time spent stretching, warming up, etc? I’m looking to dedicate appx 2 hours/day, 6 days/week. Is the only time i’m concerned with the actual time spent running, biking, swimming, or lifting? Or would the 10 minute warm-ups and cool-downs be included in training time?
Thanks!
I’m pretty sure w/u and c/d are included in the training time. Not so sure about stretching but assuming you are trying to fit training into your busy life I would suggest including it. Otherwise it might get missed.
FWIW,
Pat
Include the warm up and cool down as you are doing stuff for those. Second, I’d say don’t get wrapped around the axle about your ATP. They are good but use it as a guide only, not something that has to be adhereed to all the time. I know a few triathletes who have had their year come unglued by March b/c life happened and they could not stick to the ATP. Use it as a guide, to plan what phases your going to be in and when. Use a worse case scenario if you are planning the # of hours per week to train. Assumme something will pop up and require you to shift things around. Most of all be flexible with it.
Thanks for the help.
Yea, with a wife and two kids, sometimes tri training has to take a backseat … the kids always come first for me. My main goal with the ATP was to at least have the phases planned out, and to hopefully prevent overtraining injuries like i’m currently coming off of. I did a horrible job of periodizing my first go around!
Brian made a good point about being flexible and that is really is important. I too have seen people all stressed b/c thier ‘plan’ was shot by March. One thing I would like to add is something I call ‘sport rotation’ - and this involves rotating sports over a period of time - that way you can spend a focused period on swimming or running or biking -not worrying if you miss a workout in another sport - I like this approach b/c if you are weaker in one area then you will need to spend some time working on that weakness and a traditional periodized approach won’t do this for you. Here is a link to the article I wrote on it:
http://www.d3multisport.com/articles/sportrotate.html
I hope this helps.
Mike
Mike, that’s a really good article. One question though, you really seem to keep your run time up even during your swim and bike focus. I have a major limiter in swimming and am really thinking about trying to swim 4-6x/week to improve that. That would be way more than you suggest in even your swim focus week. Should I be less concrete and just take your example as a general principle of changing around emphasis. I also wonder how much I would lose in bike/run fitness and base while doing all that swimming.
Thanks, hope I’m not hijacking this thread.
Pat
Pat
The forum is to ask questions and get advice, so you are not hijacking it by any means. I tend to keep my run fitness high just b/c I think its the hardest thing to get back. So, I run pretty much year round with the exception of after a marathon or IM where I take a week or more off. To answer your question - I think 4-6x swims per week would be great and I highly reccomend that. (I may need to revise my schedule on that article since it’s been a while since I wrote it). Swimming frequently (and correctly) will help you loads. You can use my example but if you can do more, then go for it. If you maintain the other sports with some technique workouts and some quicker faster sets, you shouldn’t lose too much fitness. You have to give up something to get better in something else, so losing a little fitness over 2 months to ultimately get faster is a small price to pay, in my opinion. Another thing I discovered is that the more fit I am in the water the better I run at the end of a triathlon just b/c I use less energy swimming so in reality, your swim fitness will lead to other gains, and more than just in swimming. I hope this helps.
Mike
I thought this forum was to discuss Lance Armstrong, who has the best -insert body part or relative, and to give unsolicited advice to people/pro’s who are much faster and more accomplished then you. LOL
Your advice helps a lot, thanks. And you did break a rule, I’m much slower than you!
Pat
Oh - and I thought the site was for posting pictures of your ‘hottie’ or ranting about IMNA or maybe to pick a fight with Francois - not sure what this site is about most times. which rule did I break? Am I going to be banned now?
And yet I’m addicted and keep comin’ back
Pat
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exactly, me too 
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Good article Mike. I guess I have also accidently followed a sport rotation as I live in the midwest. Winter months certainly change what is available. I am also very active in ice hockey during the winter season as I referee a lot, and play occassionally. Sounds like you run right thru the winter … mostly outdoors, or do you put a lot of miles on a treadmill?
At this time I don’t have a trainer for biking, but i’m looking into getting one.
The one sport that is hardest for me to focus on is swimming. Due to my work hours I can only access the local lap pool on the weekends, so pretty much all of my swimming gets done on Sat & Sun’s. I know that’s not enough to greatly improve my swimming, but that’s what my schedule dictates? A limited amount of open water training is what really holds me back, but obviously there are only a few months available for that here in the midwest.
My biggest concern is to NOT overtrain! So i’m not sure about running all the way thru the winter? I’ve had this ITB thing lingering for way too long as it is. Doing some massage therapy with chiro sessions mixed in, so hopefully it will be done soon.
Thanks!
Thanks, glad I could help. No treadmill - just outside. I like running in the winter, I think it toughens you up. Just have to be careful of the ice.
A trainer would help you, definitely get one if you can. Swimming on the weekends, if that is all you can do, you have to go with it. I would still do swim cords during the week if you could - its not actual swimming but it will help you get some ‘swim like’ technique in. Gordo has some good photos on his site.
Overtaining - running year round is something you have to build up to. Keeping a minimum of even 10 miles per week will help. Say 3x3 miles each week on the off weeks - it’s a long road to get an ITB 100% - I had an issue that came up before one of my marathons but after I healed and it took a lot of discipline to stretch and work on it each day, its as good as new. Don’t over do, but find out where that edge is that you can sit on without going over. Find your limits and you will suprise yourself with how much you can actually handle week to week, month to month etc.
Are the vast majority of your runs long, with a slower pace (especially during the off-season) ?Or do you spend a lot of your runs at near 5k pace?
I think the two biggest mistakes I made in training for my first tri were
I only ran 2-3 days/week, but all runs were done at appx a 5k pace(for myself), while also mixing in speedwork once/week. Then I would do my bike rides the following day.
Another mistake was doing my lower body weight training on run days just prior to running.
How do you fit weight training into your routine? I’m a weight trainer from way back, and with all the benefits of lifting, I just hate to give it up completely?
Most of my runs are on trails, even in the winter so much of my running tends to be around 9-10:00 pace. My 10k pace is around 6:00-6:20 off the bike - so my longer runs are typically pretty easy. In season, like now my longer runs are 7:00-7:30 pace and typically I am around 1:30 off the bike in a 1/2 IM. So as the more important races get closer my run pace gets closer to my race effort for longer races. For tempo and track work I do run closer to 6:00-6:30 pace.
Those are two common mistakes I see all the time.
Run about 90-120 seconds slower per mile on your training runs than your 10k or 5k bests. There is nothing wrong with running close to race pace once per week, but more than that and you may be asking for trouble. Typically keep key workouts seperated. I wouldn’t lift hard and then run, that is a recipe for injury. I would usually swim and then lift, and this is what I do 99% of the time. I will run to the gym as warm up, lift and run home, but this running is VERY easy - like 9:00 pace. Most days its swim and then lift right after.
I wouldn’t stop lifting, but I would focus on the parts of the body you need in triathlon:
1 - above all else, core! http://www.d3multisport.com/articles.html look to the upper right - all my core and weight training routines are there
2 - back - needed for swim and cycling
3 - quads, glutes
4 - lower legs - they take a pounding when racing
5 - upper body, chest, triceps, biceps
Let me know if you have any more questions.
Mike
Great stuff Mike!
While weight training is where i’m most knowledgeable (as compared to tri specific training), I’ll read thru the articles on your site as i’m sure they will be of help. Since i’ve become involved in tri training I have cut my weights back quite a bit, just focusing on compound movements for the chect, back, shoulder, and quad, hamstring, calf. I do mix in a few isolation lifts as well, but most of my lifting is now light weight, high rep. I’m working on periodizing my lifting to match tri training in the future.
I’ve been thinking of doing trail running to get off the hard surfaces, i’ll have to mix that in.
You are doing it right, keep it up. And yeah, trail runninig is just so much more peaceful and every run is different, a good change from the roads. Good luck!