From: tjensen@cbnewsk.cb.att.com (todd.r.jensen)
Subject: Triathlon Training (Repost)
Organization: AT&T
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 21:24:34 GMT

I updated the triathlon training article I wrote and thought some
of you might be interested, so I'm reposting it.  Enjoy!

Todd Jensen                                  o
AT&T Bell Labs             ___^o_    __o    <|\
(708) 979-1254                     _ \<_     \
tjensen@ihlpe.att.com             (_)/(_)    /



       TRIATHLON TRAINING

       TODD JENSEN


       GETTING STARTED

       The following sections describe how to train for triathlons
       for people with little or no triathlon experience, but the
       information is general enough that it can be used for almost
       any endurance sport.  First things first.  You need to gauge
       your current fitness level.  Get a physical done by your
       physician.  Ask yourself questions such as, "Do I work out
       regularly (3 or more times a week)?", "How far can I
       swim/bike/run comfortably?", and "Do I have any physical
       limitations I should be aware of (e.g. asthma)?"  It is
       important to understand your current fitness level so that
       you can properly train and build onto your fitness without
       becoming injured.

       You should determine your training heart rate ranges.
       First, you need to know your maximum heart rate (HRmax).
       You can estimate it using the following formulas:

                      ------------------------------
                       Women:   226 - AGE   = HRmax
                      ------------------------------
                       Men:     220 - AGE   = HRmax
                      ------------------------------

       Be aware that the above formulas only give estimates - your
       actual maximum heart rate may be higher or lower.  There are
       tests to determine this, but the formulas give a good
       starting point.

       Now you should find your resting heart rate (HRrest).  This
       can be done by taking the average of your pulse for a few
       mornings after you wake up but while still in bed.  From
       these two numbers you can determine your training heart rate
       ranges using the Karvonen method.  The formula below is used
       to find your heart rate at a specific exertion level (from a
       range of 0 to 100%).

        ---------------------------------------------------------
          (HRmax - HRrest) x (%effort) + (HRrest)  =  HR%effort
        ---------------------------------------------------------

          Example:

          HRmax = 220 - 26 = 194  (assuming a 26-year-old male)

          HRrest = 45  (averaged over 7 consecutive mornings)

          HR_80% = (194 - 45) x 0.80 + 45 = 163

       Using the table below, you will know what your heart rate
       should be for certain types of workouts.  In the beginning
       of your training, you'll mostly be training in the lower
       ranges.  As the races get closer, you'll begin to explore
       the higher ranges of your heart rate.

              ----------------------------------------------
               Level    %effort        Type of Training
              ==============================================
                 I     60% - 70%    Overdistance, Endurance
              ----------------------------------------------
                II     71% - 74%    Endurance, Speedwork
              ----------------------------------------------
                III    75% - 80%    Endurance
              ----------------------------------------------
                IV     81% - 90%    Intervals
              ----------------------------------------------
                 V     91% - 100%   Race
              ----------------------------------------------


       A PLAN

       Would you try to build a new home without a floorplan?  You
       don't want to train without a plan, either.  With a plan,
       you know exactly what you need to do to achieve your goals.
       The plan also prevents you from overtraining, which is
       discussed later, and allows you to fit training in around
       other activities and work.  You may want to base your
       training on the amount of time you have to work out.
       Instead of trying to run 5 miles over your lunch hour, you
       may want to plan on running 40 minutes and not be late for
       your 1:00 meeting.  Know how hard or easy you want to work
       out - use your heart rate to make yourself work harder or to
       keep yourself from working too hard.

       Your plan doesn't need to be detailed, but it should be
       flexible for those unplanned for instances.  Keep a training
       log with notes of what you did each day and how you felt.
       You should also write it down so you can compare notes later
       when you create a plan for next season.  The following
       sections divide up the season into 5 parts: Base, Intensity,
       Peak, Race, and Recovery.  After reading these sections, you
       should have a better idea of how to plan your season.


       BASE BUILDING

       Before you start "real" training, you'll want to strengthen
       and prepare your body for the stresses it will need to
       handle.  This is done by doing easy training and slowly
       increasing the amount of time or distance spent swimming,
       biking, and running.  It is not a time to see how fast you
       can run 5 miles or to be hammering in the biggest gears on
       your bike - these types of activities will most likely lead
       to injuries.  This is because it takes longer to build up
       the strength of your ligaments, tendons, and muscles than
       the time it take to build up your aerobic capacity (i.e.
       lungs and heart).  Base building will slowly but surely
       strengthen the muscles your need to do your chosen sport.
       Most of this training should be done in heart rate zones I
       and II.  You should avoid training in zone III - in this
       zone you can build your endurance, but your body doesn't
       recover as well and can become depleted over a period of
       time if you continue to train at that level.  Zones IV and V
       should be avoided until you have built up enough strength to
       handle the higher intensities.

       You can prevent injury by following your plan.  Depending on
       your current level of fitness, Base building can last
       anywhere from 6 weeks to 26 weeks.  Follow the 10% rule -
       never increase the distance more than 10% above the maximum
       distance you have done in the last few weeks.  For example,
       you rode your bike 100 miles last week, you wouldn't want to
       ride more than 110 miles this week.  Base building workouts
       should seem easy, but may leave you tired.  It is important
       to get enough rest and eat properly during this time.  This
       may also be the time to put yourself on a regular schedule,
       fatigue can creep up unnoticed at any time.

       Don't worry about speed or times yet, that is what the next
       periods are for.  At the end of the Base period, you should
       be able to easily cover the distances you want to race.  For
       example, if I wanted to do an Olympic distance triathlon
       such as the Sun-Times in Chicago, I should be able to swim 1
       mile, bike 25 miles, and run 6 miles.  Even if you can cover
       the distances now, you would still want to have some sort of
       Base period to prevent injuries later.

       Plan on spending more time training in the sports you are
       weaker in.  For example, if you already run 10K's, you'll
       probably want to devote more of your time to swimming and
       biking.


       INTENSITY

       Now that you have a Base of fitness, you're ready to add
       more Intensity to your workouts.  Again, most of the
       training will be done with your heart rate in zones I and
       II, but now you should also be doing some speedwork and
       intervals where your heart rate goes into zone IV for short
       periods of time.  The Intensity period should be no longer
       than your Base period.

       To improve performance, push your body just above what it
       can do comfortably, and then allow it to recover.  This
       translates into the hard/easy training method.  If you do a
       hard workout one day, you probably want to take it easy the
       next day or even take the day off as rest.  This will allow
       your body to recover and rebuild, and your muscles will
       become stronger as you adapt to the greater amounts of work.

       Intensity can be achieved in different ways.  You may want
       to try some fartlek work in the beginning - going hard for a
       few minutes when you feel like it.  Or timed intervals - go
       hard for X number of minutes with Y number of minutes rest.
       Running or biking up hills is also a good way to achieve
       Intensity.

       Group workouts are a great way to force yourself to work
       hard.  Most people find they can train more regularly, at a
       faster pace, or at greater distances when they have other
       people to work out with.  Try to find a club or group to
       train with when you want to do some higher intensity
       workouts.  Most cities have a Masters swimming team, a
       running club, and a bike shop that knows about the local
       rides.  You might need to do some searching, but it is worth
       the effort.

       Keep in mind that group workouts usually end up being a
       higher intensity than workouts done individually due to the
       competitive genes that seem to surface when groups of
       athletes get together to train.  The 5x100 Easy set in the
       pool becomes 5x100 Sprints.  The group ride turns into a
       classic cycling road race with attacks and speed surges.
       The group run turns into a charge on the course record.  If
       your want an easy workout or plan on training in heart rate
       zones I and II, you might be better off going out by
       yourself.


       PEAKING

       A few weeks before racing, you should reduce the amount of
       time and distance you are training at and concentrate on
       speed.  You can do this by doing shorter, more intense
       workouts.  Races used as practice are also useful.  Do some
       short cycling time trials or running races, especially if
       you're having trouble motivating yourself to train - they
       can be fun and a good workout at the same time.  You should
       be doing some training in heart rate zones I and II to keep
       your endurance, but a good portion of your training will be
       in heart rate zone IV.

       The idea of peaking is that you have the endurance base
       necessary to finish the race, now is the time to work on
       performance.


       RACING

       Depending on the distance of the race, you need to take a
       few easy days or more to allow your body to be fully
       recovered and refueled for the race.  Everyone is different
       - some people need weeks of rest, others can train right up
       to the day of the race and still perform well.  A good sign
       of how rested you are is your morning heart rate.  If it's
       higher than normal or your legs feel heavy and sluggish, you
       probably should train lightly or not at all in order to be
       prepared for the race.  A good rule of thumb for longer
       distance races such as marathons or Ironman triathlons is to
       reduce your training time with two weeks to go before the
       event to about 70%, and with one week to go reduce your
       training even further to about 30% of your normal time.

       If you're racing every weekend, you really don't need to
       worry about adding much Intensity to your workouts during
       the Racing season.  Races can be your hard workout - train
       lightly to keep active and to keep your endurance between
       races.  If you're not racing much, you need to keep doing
       some hard workouts or race simulation to keep in race-shape.

       As far as what to do during an actual race, experience is
       the best factor.  For specific help, pose your questions to
       triathletes in your area.  Some helpful hints for a
       triathlon are listed below:

          * Plan and pack what you are going to wear and use during
            the race the night before.  Create a checklist to make
            sure you haven't forgotten anything.

          * Arrive early enough to the race site so you can scout
            out the transition area and course.  You may want to
            even do this the day before if it is a long race or you
            are unfamiliar with the area.

          * Leave more time than you think you will need for
            setting up in the transition area, warming up, and
            waiting in line for a port-a-john.

          * Swim starts can be scary, especially if you are not
            used to swimming in the open water.  Be prepared to get
            pushed, shoved, kicked, and swam over if you want to
            keep up with the pack.  If you feel nervous about the
            close body contact, start off to the side or back.

          * Have landmarks picked out so you can navigate your way
            over the course.  Those big orange buoys that are easy
            to see from shore can be difficult to see in choppy
            water.  Try sighting tall buildings or towers so you
            can swim as straight as line as possible.

          * About 100 yards from shore, start thinking about how
            you are going to transition to the bike.  Think about
            what order you will put your clothes and shoes on and
            which way to exit the transition to start the bike leg.
            Remember to strap your helmet on before you get on the
            bike!

          * For the first mile or so on the bike, spin an easier
            gear.  This is to get your legs used to going in
            circles instead of up and down.  Get aerodynamic as
            soon as possible.

          * Concentrate on catching the person in front of you.
            After you pass them, start going after the next person
            ahead of you.  Avoid riding at along side someone at
            their speed - either pass or back off,  as people have
            a tendency to group up on the bike which can lead to
            packs forming.

          * Make sure to drink plenty of fluids during the bike
            leg.  If the swim was long, you are probably already
            somewhat dehydrated at the beginning of the bike.  The
            bike is the best place to build up your fluid
            reservoirs for the run ahead.

          * Coming into the bike transition, practice the same
            mental technique as you did when you were finishing the
            swim.  Think about how you will transition to start the
            run - where to enter the transition with your bike, how
            to change shoes and clothes, where to exit to start the
            run.

          * Your legs will probably feel heavy and stiff when you
            start running.  Try shortening up and quickening your
            stride to turn your running muscles on.

          * Again, remember to keep drinking fluids.  Most people
            cramp up or slow down not because they run out of
            energy, but because they become dehydrated.

          * The run turns into a survival session for a lot of
            people, but try to keep moving and think positive
            thoughts.

          * Finish strong.

       After the race evaluate your performance.  Did you meet your
       goal, whether it was to run a certain time, place overall,
       or just to finish?  If you didn't, try not to be negative
       about it.  Rather, ask yourself what can you do to improve
       next time and then work at it.  Remember to keep a healthy
       perspective about triathlon and how it fits into your
       overall life.


       RECOVERY

       This period follows the racing season and gives your body
       the time it needs to fully recover from the abuse it took
       from racing.  You shouldn't become a couch potato, or you
       have to start from ground zero next year.  Do easy training.
       Take time to try other sports.  Lift weights to rebuild
       strength in muscles that you do not use swimming, biking, or
       running (e.g. your abdominals).  Don't worry about losing
       some fitness, but try to keep off any unnecessary pounds.

       This is also the time to evaluate your plan.  Did you meet
       your goals?  Were they too high or too low?  Start planning
       for next year.  If you were injured, look at your training
       log to find things you should avoid.  (Did you do four days
       of running in a row when you had only been used to doing
       two?)

       After recovering, you are ready to start the whole cycle
       over again, beginning with creating a new plan for the next
       season.


       SOME FINAL WORDS

       "If God invented marathons to keep people from doing
       anything more stupid, triathlon must have taken Him
       completely by surprise."   P. Z. Pearce, M.D.

       Just remember, triathlons are only as hard as you make them.
       When many people think of triathlons, they think of the
       Hawaii Ironman, but most triathlons are much shorter and can
       be completed by almost anyone with the proper training.
       Finishing can be a reward in itself.  Just tri it, but be
       wary of Dr. Pearce's warning  more is not always better.
       If you train properly, you'll stay healthy, be competitive,
       and probably end up finding training is just as fun as
       racing.  Good luck!


       REFERENCES

        [1]  Rob Sleamaker, SERIOUS Training for Serious Athletes.

        [2]  Triathlete Magazine, June 1991


       (Updated 11/12/92)