Sprint Triathlon Training

Hey everyone, I wanted to share my experiences with you of using the tempo trainer for the first time to apply to longer sets. I realize longer is relative, but for me I’m talking about 500 yards. In some of my previous posts and training logs, I’ve talked about the value of stroke counting and setting a tempo. Here’s how that practiced helped me PR my 500 yd swim by over 25 seconds in 2 weeks. (hint: it’s not high volume swimming)

A few weeks ago while assisting at a clinic in FLA, Coach Shane Eversfield gave some ideas about how to use the tempo trainer to help in training for longer distances. The first step was: “Find a tempo at which you can comfortably swim a 500.”

There was more to his set, but at this point I’m still trying to nail down a “comfortable 500″ with the tempo trainer. I know that I can swim 500, but I’d never done so with a tempo trainer and I was nervous what it might teach me about my (bad?) swimming habits.

The first time I tried it, I chose a setting of 1.3 seconds, which feels downright slow when I do 50s or even 100s, but I know that I can maintain good form at that pace.

After 250 yards, I gave up on the set! My stroke was getting sloppy, my SPL went from 16 to 20, my turns went form flip to open and I was “stealing” extra seconds at the wall just trying to figure out how to regain control. The issue was not one of a lack of fitness, but rather swimming at a coordinated, consistent effort for the duration at a set tempo. The remainder of that set I continued at the same TT setting, but did repeats of 100s & 50s, which went just fine.

The following week I attempted it again. My goal was still to complete the set. I managed to alternate flip & open turns for a few hundred yards, then went to all open. The turns were taking 3-5 beeps from initiation to completion (instead of the 3 I was striving for), and my stroke rate stayed between 16-18. It was a better set, and I finished having set a new PR for 500 yards at 8:50, which is 1:45/100.

I was thrilled, but knew that I was capable of swimming even better. With the metric of SPL, I knew that if I could keep my strokes consistent at 16 SPL, or improve my turns that I could easily take 20-30 seconds off the set. Never before had I understood swimming so well. Can you imagine just staring at the pace clock wondering how you could get faster for your next effort? There was no question about it…to get faster I simply need to swim more consistently and now I had objective measures to follow.

Yesterday was my 3rd such attempt at completing 500 yards with the tempo trainer, and I set a new PR for 500 of 1:40/100! I started at the same setting (1.3s) and started the set with 14-16 SPL (how did that happen???). I was hitting every wall around 15 SPL with a well timed flip turn & pushoff using exactly 3 beeps for the turn and taking my first stroke on the 4th beep without feeling breathless.

The consistency with which I was swimming shocked me! After 300 I knew this would be another PR, not because I was trying to swim faster…just trying to swim better, following a plan. The manager stopped me with 25 yards to go to tell me the swim team would be arriving soon, but even with that 3-5 second delay included, I finished the set in 8:25, for a new PR (for the 2nd time in 2 weeks). Subtacting the 3 seconds or so I stopped for the manager, that’s 1:40/100. No blazing fast, but faster than MOP.

My focuses were primarily on maintaining some core tension and rotating from the core with the aid of my (2 beat) kick. I think that’s how I got down to 14 SPL for the first few lengths.

I can’t tell you how enlightening this is for me. I’ve never had this much control of my swimming before. Funny thing is that 2 weeks ago I would have said the same thing, and 2 weeks prior to that I would have said the same thing. It just keeps getting better.

Just wanted to share, I hope you all can experience the same sorts of improvements not just in swimming, but in your approach to planning your training.

Triathlon Swimming Techniques

Some coaches will say that the “catch” is the first part of the swim stroke, that without a good catch, you’re odds of going nowhere fast increase dramatically. I’d like to propose that the opposite is true. That the catch can only happen as a result of your body position and rotation being properly set up.

Swimming Occurs in Three Dimensions

By considering the catch as Phase 1 of the stroke, you are at risk of overreaching and overextending not only the elbow but also the shoulder joint. When a swimmer focuses only on reaching forward and trying to then bend the elbow to 90 degrees, the shoulder joint is typically fully locked out in abduction and external rotation.

From this position, bending the elbow to 90 degrees and pulling results in increased forces on the shoulder joint itself and requires a great deal of strength to hold this position relative to the water. Not to mention that most people will then try to force their arm through the water in this position, adding to the repetitive stress placed on the shoulder itself. Thinking of the catch as phase one of the stroke allows for little room to consider the catch in it’s natural context, which is part of the three dimentional act of swimming.

The Three Phases of the Basic Swim Stroke

I’d like to propose that the catch is the final portion of the swim stroke. That it happens only after several other important body positions have been established.

Phase one is placing the body on an edge, like the hull of a seaworthy boat which will have two stable positions on each side allowing it to lean into the waves without tipping over. The body is first placed on it’s “edge” around 40-70 degrees of rotation. Not 90 degrees, and not zero degrees.

Phase two (whcih really happens simultaneously with Phase 1) involves the lead arm piercing the water at an angle just lateral to the center axis of the body (11 oclock and 1 oclock respectively for the left and right sides). The downward angle of the arm should be adjusted to allow the swimmer to lean forward into the armpit and buoy the hips up towards the surface.

Phase 3 involves great patience as the body should ride this stable edge as long as possible so as to not interfere with any forward motion already created. Many coaches and systems call this the “glide”.Most slow swimmers are slow because of frequent placement of body parts in a way that increases frontal surface area. Once you have reached the “skating” position with minimal drag you need to preserve as much forward motion as possible before destabliizing the vessel of your body.

Once the recovering arm begins to pierce the water (Phase 2), body rotation then begins as the recovery arm pierces down and forward (at the 11 or 1 oclock position) accompanied by a quick forward flick of the opposoite leg (also known as the 2-beat-kick or 2BK).

The Forearm Flop initiates the true Catch

At this point and only at this point, the lead arm can then gently begin an inward rotation of the shoulder accomanied by bending of the elbow so taht the forearm “flops” inward and the body skates past. This is the catch and it’s a far simpler movement than usually described. What makes it complex is the fact that it is happening in 3 dimensions and must be timed so as to not upset the fore/aft nor the rotational balance of the body when the catch takes place.

The catch and pull are the result of proper body positioning and fine attention to the movement of the lead arm, and as such, is the last phase of the stroke.  As the lead forearm “flops” to the catch position, the remainder of the pull involves pressure at the elbow, not the hand, while keeping the forearm verticall aligned with the pool bottom. All the while the new lead arm is piercing the water and the body has already rotated to it’s opposite stable edge between 40 -70 degrees.

Next time you are in the pool, try implementing the “forearm flop” on one side at a time.  Don’t worry initially about the pull itself, just focus on the timing of the flop.  Swim a length (or half a length) focusing on only one side’s timing while not concerning yourself with any other parts of your stroke.  Soon you will find that the catch becomes a much more powerful part of your stroke, leading to “free speed”.

Please let me know any comments or concerns you have about the technique I described above.  If you’ve tried it, let me know how it’s feeling!

Core training is a term that you hear thrown around a lot these days, but what does it mean and how do you do it? And why is it important?

In this video, Suzan Falvey demonstrates several varations on the basic plank position for core strength training. These exercises can be used for any athlete, but her primary focus is cyclists and triathletes. These are great routines to begin during off-season triathlon training or off-season cycling training.

Sue and I have been working on a DVD of Core Strength Training Exercises for cyclists and triathletes and you can check out a sneak preview right here:

Core Training for Cyclists and Triathletes

Fall is clearly here in the Northeast and Winter is right around the corner. What should you do with your triathlon training for the next 3-4 months? You’ll here this time period referred to as “Off season”, “out season”, “base training season” and probably a myriad of other names.

So what’s the best way to spend your Off Season Triathlon Training time?

“Off Season” is typically a time of change in focus, transition or a switch to another sport altogether. What you ultimately do depends on your goals for next year. If you have an early season A race (April or May), then you should be embarking on your training preparation soon…starting within the next few weeks. If your A race is not until July or August, then you have some additional time to work on other non-triathlon focuses, or weaknesses in your triathlon training.

There are two general ways I see triathletes approach the “off season” and I think both ways are acceptable. What you choose to do depends entirely upon your weaknesses, strengths, motivations and goals.

The first approach is to work on your weaknesses. So if you did your first sprint triathlon this past summer and ended up walking most of the run, or run/walk more than you wanted to, you might consider running your weakness. A great “off season” training objective would be to increase the frequency of your running in order to get your body more accustomed to it, and improve your running economy. If you are currently (or were, during your traiing) running twice a week, add one run a week for the next four weeks. If that goals well, add another run so you are up to four runs per week. If you are already doing four runs per week, a nice way to add more run frequency is to do a short 10-15 minute transition run after one of your bike workouts.

A great way to sneak in extra running for time crunched people is to do a bike trainer workout in the morning before work, then immediately change into running shoes and run for 10-15 minutes, focusing on the feeling in your legs and trying to get your torso straightened out, and extending from the hips. Basically unfolding yourself from your bike workout. 10-15 minutes is enough. Shower and go to work. Then sneak in another short run at lunchtime or after work. This adds run frequency without placing a significant demand on your time or your body.

If swimming is your weakness, spend time working on balance and body position in the water. A few swimmign lessons are typically time and money well spent for the triathlete with a 100yd time around 2 minutes or more. Then it’s a matter of practice. Get in the water and swim, constantly revisiting your form and technique.

if you consider biking your weakness, then consider yourself lucky. Biking requires far less technique than either running or swimming. When biking is your weakness, its usually a low threshold power that is keeping you back. I’ll have more posts soon about winter biking plans as well as an off season plan that will be very affordable and can be done on a trainer.

Above I mentioned that there were two ways I see triathletes approach the off season, with the first being to focus on your weaknesses. The second is a variation of the first and I alluded to it above.

Spend the winter months focused on increasing your threshold power on the bike. This is such a great time to build up your power, when the demands of training are not present, your A race is far away and you can spend time doign short hard workouts on your trainer either before work or before dinner.

This is a really exciting way to get better quickly at the discipline that many new triathletes take for granted. a high threshold power on the bike goes a long way in improving your run off the bike. Focusing on an off-season triathlon biking plan will make you a faster triathlete come next season.

Stay tuned for my off -season triathlon bike training plans coming soon. Mix and match with a running or swimming plan and you’ll be blazing fast 3 months from now.

If you have any questions about off season triathlon training, please leave a comment for me below. Thanks!

-Coach Suzanne

The arms are at least 50% of running yet most triathletes let them do as they wish without conscious effort in using them to refine form. These are not my original ideas, rather my assimilation of many sessions with Bobby McGee, the greatest smartest running coach alive.

There is a kinetic chain of motion that connects your upper and lower body. Right arm connected to left leg and left arm connected to right leg. What one limb does mirrors & synergistically affects the other. Shoulder and hip are connected, elbow and knee are connected, wrist and ankle are connected.

arms swing naturally from the shoulder joints which should be loose and relaxed and respond naturally to the movement and motion of the alternate hip.

The arms are a pendulum and the total length of that pendulum should be limtied to the distance between your shoulder and the tip of your elbow. In other words, your elbows shoudl be bent at an angle that stays closed while running. Opening up the elbow angle at the rear part of the movement results in an opening up of hte knee at the front of the swing phase and results in over-striding.

Arm drills to try while running include foldign the arms across the chest to keep the arms still while letting the shoulders respond naturally to the running movement. The let your arms follow the natural movement of the shoulders in a relaxed way while keeping the elbow angle closed, rather than “pumping” the arms as some people may teach.

A second drill is to run with 1 lb weights in your hands. Begin jogging and then do 20 foot strikes as a pickup. Your natural inclination will be to hold the elbow angle fairly closed so that the weights do not swing out more than needed causing you to use more energy carrying the weights than necessary. this teaches you how to keep the elbow angle closed, which helps prvent overstriding.

If you have trouble with supination or pronation of your feet, pay attention to what your wrists are doing while you run. if you run habitually wiht your palms/wrists facing down, you may be overpronating. try turning your wrists to a neutral position (palms facing each other) and see if that helps correct some of the pronation movement. If you run with your palms/wrists facing the sky, you may be supinating more than necessary. Again, correct the wrists and see what happens with yoru feet.

Getting your leg forward under your body to “catch your next fall” requires a quick forward knee action without overstriding. Try focusing on the rearward elbow of the opposite arm to help develop a quick forward swing of the leg. Remember to keep that elbow angle closed (pretend you’re holding a weight and you dont want it to swing behind you) and this will help prevent your opposite lower leg form opening forward resulting in overstriding and exaggerated heel strikign. (heel striking is still OK, but not if you land with your foot in front of you).

If you are considering doing your first triathlon, you may be curious how long it takes to complete a sprint triathlon.  There are a few easy ways to figure this out. First of all, most sprint triathlons are of a similar length, but the distances can vary. A typical sprint triathlon consists of 3 legs such as the following:

• 400m Swim (.25 miles)
• 20k Bike (12 miles)
• 5k Run (3.1 miles)

For a novice tri-athlete, it will take about 2:00 minutes per 100 meters for the swim, or 8 minutes total, about an hour for the bike (avg 12mph) and 30 minutes or so for the run.  Add in 5 minutes (generous) for each transion and the total time for a beginner or first time triathlon to complete a sprint triathlon is about 1 hour and 50 minutes. 

That’s probably a bit on the long side for many people, but you will have to look at your own fitness to see where you would fit in on this scale.

An advanced sprint triathlete would complete the swim in 1:20 minutes/100meters, ride the bike leg at 20+ mph (frequently using a time trial or triathlon bike), and run the 5k distance in 20 minutes.  The transitions will take less than 2 minutes each so the total time would be about 1 hr 15 minutes. 

Many people mistakenly assume that a sprint triathlon is a “beginners” triathlon, but nothing could be further from the truth. While a sprint triathlon is a great distance for a beginner to take part in, there is plenty of room for advanced competition in triathlons even in the sprint distance.

If you want to see how your potential competition will fare at a race you are thinking of doing, just go to the race website and look for the results from last year. Look up your age group and find the range of times for all the entrants and you’ll get a good idea of what you can expect to see at this years race.

A great website to look for races and find last year’s sites is trifind.com.

Now that you have completed your first triathlon, you are probably wondering what type of Triathlon Schedule will help you achieve your goals for next year. As an example, I had an athlete email me who had just completed her first triathlon last month, and her second sprint triathlon just this past weekend. Her goal is to do an Olympic distance triathlon by next September and she would like to have some small goals along the way.

What kind of triathlon schedule will help her reach her goal by next September?

These are some ideas of how she can get her fitness where it needs to be. 

Fall (Oct-Dec): “Off Season” – Off Season is a relative term – it does not mean don’t workout. It means to take a break from your typical run/bike/swim/repeat and do some other sports and activities.  Expand your physical horizons and try somethings that involve lateral movement, flexibility or maybe some explosive muscle power…things that tend to gradually decline during your triathlon training. By doing this, you keep your mind fresh, keep your body engaged in new movements and strengthen neglected areas of fitness.

Winter (Jan – March) : “Power Building” – Now I know this isn’t what you expected…you expected me to say “Winter Base Training”.  Well here’s the thing. For those of you new to the triathlon training world, it used to be that winter was a time for “long slow distance” riding and exercising, with nothing over a conversational pace of exertion. The thinking was that this was the best way to build not only endurance, but the best way to maximize your “aerobic engine” and prepare your body for more intense work to come.

But recent studies of different training ideas in addition to sound understanding of physiology tells us that the “aerobic engine” can be built much more efficiently, and with much less time in the saddle, by increasing the intensity of our winter workouts. Threshold training is the new base training.  Sort of.

This is really a big topic to cover in a single blog post, so look for more ideas from me about this topic soon.  I could probably write a book about it, and in fact, I do a lecture called “Exploding Winter Base Training  Myths” for our local triathletes.

Spring (March-June): “Specific Power and Endurance” By spring time, if our athlete has followed  a winter of sound aerobic engine building, she’s developed a lot more power than she had in the fall, but has possibly lost some endurance. Depending on the distance of her goal event, now is a good timeto start adding distance to her training workouts. While this may sound backwards compared to some traditional ideas about periodized training, It makes a lot more sense from a practical and physiologic point of view. Practically speaking, the days start getting longer and by mid march there are 12 hours of sunlight every day. Time for longer outdoor training makes it much more likely that  it will get done. The strength and power built in teh winter will come into play here making the outdoor rides relatively easier than if she’d been doing nothing but trying to increase training distance.

Also during this time, she shoudl consider scheduling at least one or two sprint triathlons. She’s already got two under  her belt, so she can use these events to hone her transition skills and shoot for personal bests in each leg or in the overall sprint triathlon.

Fall: (June – Sept): Now is the time to really focus on the goal event, the Olympic distance triathlon she had picked out. She’ll want to make sure she can complete the distances, incorporate regular bricks and practice her race intensity during  her workouts.

This simplified triathlon schedule would help this new triathlete have a well rounded season plan and still accomplish her goals for next fall.

If you are a more advanced triathlete, you may find that waiting until september is too long for you to attempt your first olympic, but every triathlete will need to map out their own season according to their goals.

Hey everyone, I just wanted to write a quick over view of what’s included in my 12 week sprint triathlon training plan for beginners.  This plan is designed for the first time triathlete with a minimum of experience.  Requirements include being able to ride a bike for about 20 minutes, being able to walk/jog for 10 minutes, and being able to swim 25 yards without stopping.

By the way, if you are looking for an 8 Week Sprint Triathlon Training Plan, you can just use the final 8 weeks of this plan as long as you can start at the right durations for the 5th week of the plan (which will be your first week)

The plan focuses on progressively increasing training distance for each event done two times per week, with a rest week every fourth week. During the rest week, you will still do your workouts, but the trianing time will be slightly less.  This format is a very safe, very traditional “periodized” base training plan, designed to get you across the finish line for your first triathlon!

Many people will begin the plan with much more experience in one of the sports than the plan calls for. That’s OK, you can use the plan for your two “weaker” sports while continuing your workouts in your primary sport (masters swimming for example, or your regular group rides or runs).

By the end of the 12 week plan, you will be able to:

• Swim 750 yards without stopping
• Bike 12 miles without stopping
• Run a 5k without stopping
• And do them all consquetively on the same day!

The plan also has “bricks” built in to the last 6 weeks of training to help accomidate your body to running after the bike leg. The first 3 bricks are short, and the final 3 bricks are closer to the race distance. You will NOT have to complete the distances in all 3 legs on the same day in order to finish your first triathlon, you will use your race day as your “breakthrough” training day and be able to cross the finish line with a smile! (hopefully you’ll get a finishers medal or ribbon as well).

This is the basic outline for my 12 Week Sprint Training Plan for Beginners.  To download the plan w hich includes a 29 page training guide,  just enter your name and email over there to the right.   I’m also working on getting a day by day description up online so you can follow along with my “virtual” athlete.  Check it out over here at my Sprint Triathlon Training Tips on Blogger.  This site is just an overview, it’s not the  plan itself. Download the plan here on this page (up to the right is a signup box).

Are you looking for advanced sprint triathlon training?  Go ahead and sign up for the free plan, and you’ll be added to my training list where I send out regular updates, blog posts and announcements about new training plans I have available. Thanks, talk to guys all soon!

-Coach Suzanne

As a busy mom, womens triathlon training can seem to be an impossible task. While true that the first few years of life require a large portion of yoru time to be devoted to your little one, there are ways to carve out time for yourself in order to fit in some training for your next triathlon.

What’s even better, is that while the number  of hours in a day remain the same, your child keeps getting older and will soon be involved in activities that don’t require as much time from you.  Things like preschool, daycare and playdates.

Finally when your future triathlete gets old enough they be able to start participating in some of your trianing with you, possibly even becoming a good training partner for you!

So no matter what phase of motherhood you are in or how old your children are, here are some top ideas for fitting in workouts where ever you can.

1)  Babysitting at the gym – perhaps the gym you belonged to before you got pregnant wasn’t so kid friendly…but I bet there are plenty of gyms in a decent driving distance that offer some type of daycare or babysitting for parents while they workout.  Your child gets to see a new environment and socialize with a new group of kids, and you get to sneak  in your treadmill session or spinning class.

2)  Children’s lessons – Swimming is a great example of an activity that you can share with your child. If swim lessons are offered for your child’s age group, you may be able to get in some lap swimming at the same time. You may be torn about watching your little guy or girl learn to swim, but if you have no other opportunity to get into the pool, it will help you get some exercise, destress and reneergize…all of which make you a better mom!  After the swim lessons and your workout you can spend some time together playing in the kids pool.

3)  Playdates in the nieghborhood. This works best if you can find a group of 3 or more moms (or stay at home dads) who are all interested in helping each other find some time for each other. Here’s how it works.  One mom (or dad) hosts a play date for an hour or two while the other 2 (or more) moms go for a midday run or jog.  The more parents in the group, the better because with more than 3 kids, having another adult along ot watch the kids is a safer situation. Likewise, having a larger group of exercising moms helps your womens triathlon training group grow…making it more likely that you will all continue training!

4) Naptime Core Workouts. No parent wants to be far from their child during  naptime.  But with a baby monitor right next to you, naptime is a great time to do some core work, yoga or pilates DVDs at home.  I know that when your lil triathlete is sleeping you may be tempted to take a nap as well.  But keep in mind that this may be one of the only times you have some alone time…do something nice for yourself, like working on that slim mid-section!

5) Bathtime with Dad. It’s no secret that mom’s do the lion’s share (lioness’ share?) of the work in most households. Even if you are a full time working mom, it’s likely that you still spend more time with the tykes than dad (unless dad stays at home).  Give dad some one on one time with the kid and let him help with bathtime/bedtime routines a few nights a week.  Take t his time for yourself ot do a quick jog around the block, or mabye a spin on your indoor trainer.  You’ll be done wiht your mini-workout just in time to help tuck Junior into bed.

I hope this has inspired some ideas for womens triathlon training.   Just because you’ve got a baby/toddler/tween/teen in the house doesn’t mean you cant successfully find time for a little sprint triathlon training. 

Let me know if you have other ideas!

-Coach Suzanne

Technorati Tags: womens triathlon

Sprint Triathlon Training is the most exciting type of triathalon training there is.  Sprint Triathlons are relatively short and most active people are already proficient in at least one of the three sports.  A sprint triathlon consists of three legs, swimming, biking and running.

What is a typical distance for a Sprint Triathlon?

The distances for each leg of a sprint triathlon will vary slightly from one race to the next. In general, the distances are typically:

Swim: 400 yards (1/4 mile)

Bike: 12 miles

Run: 3.1 miles

If you are a moderately active person or have participated in any of these activities during high school or college intramurals, or even just recreationally, you can probably (although not guaranteed) finish a sprint triathlon right now.

Can a sendentary  person complete a sprint triathlon?

Yes, most definately. I have helped many people start from scratch and complete their first sprint triathlon. Sprint Triathlon Training that is taken in small, incremental steps will help you build the endurance needed to complete your first sprint triathlon.

How much time does it take to train for a sprint triathlon?

A 12 week program of 4 hours a week is plenty of training time to train for your first sprint triathlon.  If you have some experience in one of the three sports, you’ll want to spend most of your time on the weaker sports.  Got one that is the weakest? Spend the most time on that sport!

Sprint Triathlon Training plans are abudantly available online, but how do you know which one is good for you?  I have written a free sprint triathlon training guide that you can download along with a free training book. I’ve collected the most common questions and concerns and put them all together in this guide.

Join me and my team of “soon to be” sprint triathletes and check out the “First Time Finishers Guide”.  Soon you’ll be calling yourself, “Triathlete”!  You won’t find a better Sprint Triathlon Training Guide Anywhere.

Technorati Tags: First Time Finisher's Guide, Forging the Athlete, Sprint Triathlon Training