triathlone

Triathlone training tips – week 8

by Army Triathlon Coach Derek Nugent

Woohoo Race Week Has Landed!

Good day folks, and here we are on the verge of another Waterways Ireland TriAthlone, the 6th edition and I hope your all excited about swimming, biking and running through the streets of Athlone. This week is an important week for you and your training and its really important that you relax and prepare properly for the race this Saturday, as it is often in race week itself that you panic and make simple yet costly mistakes that will have a negative impact on how you get on.

So remember, “He who fails to prepare, prepares to fail…”

We’ve all put the much needed work in over these last 8 weeks so relax, you are ready to race!!! This week’s focus is all about getting to the start line in Athlone as fresh and ready as we need to be and I’m also going to chat about some of the main points that you need to remember, or, if you’ve been around a bit longer, the stuff you need to think about around race day. Think of it as a gentle reminder

1. DON’T DO ANY “EXTRA” HARD TRAINING LAST MINUTE:

If its not on the program, then best not do it. More races get blown by this type of error than most that I can think of…Your not really going to get any fitter at this stage so its actually better to relax, wind down and the fitness that’s been built over 8 weeks will shine through. Trust in your training. Relax.

2. DON’T TRY ANY NEW FUNKY RACE FOODS BEFORE OR DURING THE EVENT:

If you haven’t trained using gels or bars or certain types of energy drinks then race week (and in particular race day) are not the time to try these out. Trust me on this one implicitly. If you do make this error then its going to be quite a few visits to the event port-a-loos, and you will be making enough of those already!

3. DON’T TRY OUT BRAND NEW RUNNERS/SHORTS/VEST ETC:

You should use the clothing that you’ve trained in and gotten this far in…But certainly with the runners, don’t try out brand new shoes because they’ve not been broken in and you can end up paying quite dearly…

4. MAKE A PACK LIST AND PACK IT ON YOUR REST DAY!

Making lists always helps. Outside of a pie-chart, nothing gets me riled up for an event like a good old fashioned list The following should help towards getting your own list down pat, but its always different for everyone so by all means add to it …

Before/After

Race Belt

Basic First Aid Kit

Nutrition (bars, pre-post)

Flip flops

Irish Race suit x 1

Post race cool down clothes

Watch/HRM (Strap)

Swim

Wetsuit

2 x googles

2 x Towels

Sunscreen

Baby oil / lube

Bike

Helmet!

Bike Shoes (Tri)

Waterbottles

Nutritional aids

Spare tube/tyre

Co2 Cartridges

Bike Multi tool

Bike pump

Chain lube

Mini Elastics

Run

Race flats

Nutritional gels

Running hat / visor

You will also need:

A print off of your booking reference.

Your One Day Licence or Triathlon Ireland ID.

Some clothes for having some “Downtime” with your coach!

Make sure you also read and familiarise yourself with the RACE INFO PACK that your going to be sent out in the coming days. This will tell you when your wave start is, has some groovy maps and will answer all of your race related queries. Study it, it has the answers. Make sure you plan your travel to Athlone town well, road closures will affect the approach from the Old Galway rd (r446) and make sure to leave plenty of time to get down, get settled and check out the race site and Expo.

You can register on Friday afternoon and all day Saturday, and when you get in make sure you take a look and see where your bike goes, and get a good look at where the Bike and Run out is. You should familiarise yourself with where the toilets are because you will need them a lot on race day…”nerves!” You must attend the briefing on race morning. Remember, this is all part of our sport and tradition, so enjoy them, and Relax.

In general, pace yourself. The sport of triathlon is not about the best swim, bike or runner its really about the best economy of all 3. You all do the same course, so cherish it.

For the swim:

Baby oil up, or use some fancy other type but this will help get that wetsuit off in T1. Apply some Vaseline to your neck as your wetsuit will chafe. Make sure you’ve gotten your race number on a belt or safety pinned on front and rear to the the clothing your going to be racing in.

For the bike:

Wear you number to the rear. Helmet on and fastened any time your touching your bike. Have an energy drink on the bike ready for the race and make sure that your bike is in a gear that you can push easily from the start, as otherwise you risk a faceplant on the way out Don’t draft off other cyclists and watch how you go. make sure you turn at the correct turnaround (the Try and Sprint is at 10k, the olympic is at 20k so don’t get mixed up!) and spin lighter gears and stretch out before you dismount.

For the run:

Wear you number to the front. Relax on the run and it will start to flow for you. Hydrate as needed at the water stations. Ensure you do the correct number of laps. This is a big one that alot of our competitors make. You run out from the army barracks as far as the finish line, and then you count either 2 or 4 laps from that point…There’s a sign that even says that so if you have problems keep an eye out for it.

But most importantly, remember to enjoy yourself. If it hurts, then take the foot of the gas a smidgen and look up at the crowds and go “Hell yeah this rocks!” and if you feel good then go that little bit harder. And no matter what, keep an eye out for me because I’m going to be there throughout looking on as I’m part of the Organising Committee, and I expect “high 5′s” and your personal war stories for good measure too lol…

And sure if you can’t be good at it, then at least be “good looking at it” So its all the very best of luck and I look forward to meeting you all on Saturday and later that night too as we complete the other well know part of the Waterways Ireland TriAthlone, the dreaded post race party

Later’s,

Derek Nugent.

Week 8: Race week.

Monday Rest

Tuesday 30min Z1 swim

Wednesday Bike 25mins Z1

Thursday swim Rest

Friday Swim 15 mins Z1 Bike 15 mins Z1

Saturday (Race)

Sunday Rest (Well deserved!)

Take the triathlone challenge 2011!

Triathlone training tips – week 7

by Army Triathlon Coach Derek Nugent

So here we have it. Week 7, and my second to last post to you the athletes. My goodness, where have the last few weeks gone? Well, if you’ve been following our program then you are within two weeks of competing (and completing) the Waterways Ireland TriAthlone 2011, home of the National Sprint Championships. We, as a committee, have been busy bees putting the finishing touches onto the race course and look forward to your arrival to our scenic garrison town of Athlone.

This week I’m going to talk to you about one of my favourite sports within a sport, the “Triathlon Run”. The triathlon run is a different kind of sport to regular running but they do share some common ground so I will outline the basic principles first.

1. DECENT FOOTWEAR IS A MUST!

Before you run, (and as your coach I know you’ve been running for over 6 weeks now ) be very considerate that running is a pretty physically demanding discipline. When we run, every time your foot leaves the ground it’s lifting around 3 times your body weight up and forward. Then down…Ouch. The basis for your running success will hinge on the base that you put in (i.e, your footwear). So make sure to look after yourself and your footwear. Buy appropriately, and as always suit your own budget and if you can, stretch to get your Bio-Mechanics checked out to see if you have any of the pretty common foot strikes, and avoiding injury can sometimes be as simple as having these gait peculiarities stymied now, rather than protracted injury later on! Remember, we don’t emphasise bad habits, we address them! Triathlon can have a costly outlay but I’m a firm believer in doing it on a shoe string (bad pun intended!)

2. BABY OIL AND VASELINE ARE YOUR FRIENDS!

Okay, at least until your body becomes a little bit more accustomed to the rigours of running. Its easier to apply these items rather than wish you had applied it retrospectively!!!

3. WARM UP, COOL DOWN AND STRETCH, STRETCH, STRETCH!

Always start out at a very, very easy pace. Walk for a short time, and gently bring your pace up to a jog. During this part, make sure to gently rotate joints that are going to be used as we train, and stretch those muscles too. The simplest approach is that if the race is long, then the warm up should be short, and vice versa. Before training, hold the stretch’s for a short time, and post event or training for longer. But never neglect a warm up or cool down. More importantly, when your finished any training session take time to let your body cool down, your heart rate to drop and this is a great time to stretch out on the mat and really work on good flexibilty, holding our stretch’s for that little bit longer will improve not just your flexibility (which declines as we get older, damn!) but can set up on the proper road to recovery to your next training session!

Remember to stretch - but maybe not quite as much as this

4. RUN RELAXED!

Running is all about economy and efficiency. Well, there’s plenty more “science’y” things that apply too but lets keep it simple. When you run, you should feel tall and relaxed, head up looking at the horizon (and eyes keeping an eye out for potholes and worse) your shoulders laid back. Your hands should also be loose and relaxed, and should move forward and backwards (kind of like as if there is and invisible rope in each hand and your running your hands forward and back on it) You need to make sure that your not moving your arms in a sawing motion in front of your body, as this is not economical. Remember, all our movements need to be relaxed and forward, not side-to-side. So relax…

5. RUNNING OFF THE BIKE IN THE TRIATHLON IS A KILLER!

Okay, its certainly not pleasant, but our goal is to swim, bike and run through Athlone. To make it easier for us to run off the bike there are 2 really obvious ways to work at this

a) Do “Brick” sessions (Bike to Run, or any combination such as Swim to Bike etc) These really are very beneficial once you get training regularly and can help you get accustomed to what it feels like to “run off the bike” Knowing what it feels like is half the battle. You see, your legs muscles are held in contraction as you cycle and are “shorter” once you begin to run. This horrid feeling where your legs don’t seem to work like they did in training will pass, trust me, and once you loosen out and get into your stride you will (could) be flying as you approach the finish line.

b) Okay, as you approach the last few kilometers of the bike section in the Waterways Ireland Triathlone, you need to start pedalling at a higher cadence than when you were on the bike. Spin the pedals that bit faster (NOT HARDER MIND YOU, JUST SPIN A HIGH CADENCE!) as you approach the transition area as your legs will thank you for it! Spinning that little bit actually gets the legs at the right running cadence that you will adopt for the run section and could mean that you get into your normal running stride that bit quicker too…perfect:P

6. DRESS APPROPRIATELY:

Wear running shorts and socks, and a vest if it’s warm. Use sunblock, as getting burnt is not cool and sooo 1980′s, and we all know the risks of exposure nowadays. If your following the training you will spend enough time outdoors so get to know the “sunblock and umbrella” climate we have. If its late then a Hi-Viz vest is really a no brainer and they are easily purchased and are invaluable. Wear a vizor or sunglasses if its hot, or sunny, or windy or you just want to look cool! But most of all, start your run aware of the fact that your going to get warm and that that waterproof jacket that you brought is a pain to drag around and wasn’t needed anyway, because you know you can run in the rain too and its not so bad!

So there you have it. I guess there is always more to talk about when we talk about running but this should help you going until next time,

Thanks and stay tuned for your most important week next week, RACE WEEK ITSELF!!

Derek Nugent.

P.S THIS IS A “HARD WEEK” SO ENJOY!!!

Week 7: Hard effort week.

Monday Rest

Tuesday 30min Z2 swim

Wednesday A.M Bike 45mins Z2 P.M Run 25mins Z2

Thursday A.M 30min Z1 swim P.M Gym (S&T)

Friday Rest

Saturday (Brick) Bike 40min Z1 then run straight of bike 25mins Z2

Sunday Rest

Take the triathlone challenge 2011!

Triathlone training tips – week 6

by Army Triathlon Coach Derek Nugent

Hello folks, I hope your training is going to plan and that you have entered our fantastic event, the Waterways Ireland TriAthlone.

Right, this week I’m going to go through 5 common mistakes that new to the sport (and sometimes not so new) triathletes make;

1. DIDN’T SET A GOAL

Whoops. If you haven’t set a goal then your training just to train, but will run short when it comes to achieving that PB or goal. If your following this training program then your goal is obviously Saturday the 2nd of July, our fantastic event in Athlone. Setting goals is important because you will have something that you can realistically work towards, and measure your success when you get to the start line ready for business.

2. PRIORITISE

When you train for an event you find that your fitness levels get better and you seem to end up doing other events on the road to that first big one you chose. Here’s the rub, you end up racing as hard as you know how for all these “mini” events and this is what could eventually lead to you falling short for the race that was supposed to be your top goal. If every little run/race is approached as a critical event then you run out of steam and can’t peak for the big one. Yeah, that means you can only be at your average, not best. So keep the goals and priority in check and see your race day results raise dramatically!

3. TRAINING WHAT WE’RE GOOD AT, NOT THE STUFF WE ARE BAD AT

So, maybe, just maybe, you used to swim but suck at running (or cycling, or weight lifting etc) so you focus on doing well at the sport or discipline that you are strong at and kind of leave the stuff that you aren’t so strong at to one side, relegated to that one session a week that you do only because you have to and you hate it? This is the wrong way to go at your training. You need to work at what your bad at, as this is where the real benefits are. Your weak link is always going to be your weak link, so work on improving that. Paying lip service to your weak discipline whilst you run or bike because they are easier perhaps for you to do is the wrong choice. Work on that weak link to see real improvements.

4. GOING AS FAST AS YOU CAN FOR AS LONG AS YOU CAN

Doing to much hard work when you are new to the sport, or any sport, is a sure fire way to burn out. Simply put, you need to look at getting aerobically fit in your first season and then look at looking at going faster. this aerobic conditioning will set you nicely for the next year and will go to great lengths to seeing you injury free and fit for purpose. You need to get used to your training, riding, hills, running and so on before we look at getting faster. If you try to go at 100% all the time your going to find out quickly that this is not really feasible. So enjoy your training, speed will come in good time.

5. NOT ENOUGH REST

I’ve left this one until last as its really one of the most common ones. You will need to train, but more importantly you will need to rest up appropriately for the benefits of your training to take hold. Rest is needed weekly and this is reflected in the program that i am writing for you. Also, after any extended training, say 3-4 weeks a period of a few days of reduced training is also beneficial. Its also recommended that you take 2 periods of proper downtime per year two, best done at the end of the season (after the last race) and I like to rest up to around Christmas.

Hope this helps

Week 6: Increased effort week.

Monday Rest

Tuesday 30min Z2 swim

Wednesday A.M Bike 45mins Z1 P.M Run 25mins Z2

Thursday A.M 30min Z1 swim P.M Gym (S&T)

Friday Rest

Saturday (Brick) Bike 30min Z1 then run straight of bike 20mins Z2

Sunday Rest

Take the TriAthlone challenge 2011! 

Triathlone training tips – week 5

by Army Triathlon Coach Derek Nugent

Keep the Wheels in motion this June with our top cycling training tips

1. NEVER, EVER STOP PEDALLING. NOT ONCE.

If you stop pedalling, your speed drops. You slow down down, even if its by the smallest amount, which is not what were after. There are many factors that lead to this happening such as;

a) poor training or conditioning pre race /ingrained bad habits.

b) fatigue!

c) poor handling skills/bike confidence, low skill level.

All of these issues and more lead to people stopping to pedal, be it on a bend, or on a flat, its irrelevant. The only simple solution is to fix this issue by pedalling properly at all times, smoothly, evenly and in the appropriate gear for the course. Start visualising that every time you stop pedalling I’m watching, and I’m pretty annoyed that your ignoring my advice (le joke:P). We as cyclists know when the time to stop pedalling is, which is quite simply, never…

2. USE A HIGH CADENCE. 80-100

BIKE SPEED=CADENCExGEAR SIZE!!!

Cadence refers to how many times you turn the pedals in a given minute. Aim for a high, spinning cadence as this will mean your spinning and not straining and will also get your legs ready to “spin” once you get off the bike to start the run! If you can afford one you could get a cadence computer, if you don’t have one then simply count any foots pedal stroke for 15 seconds and multiple by 4, with 90 being the magic number, because when we push low cadence or harder gears, we basically put a lot of strain on our knees and hips, but don’t get anywhere fast. There is a happy medium and its 90, so get used to what it feels like and start pedalling at that cadence. Think of it as a spin rather than a push. Think also of this image, the one where your driving up a moderately sharp hill in town and you see a person on a mountain bike straining impossibly as they attempt to push the biggest gear they have up the hill??? About to almost fall off the bike in their poorly trained cadence of 60??? Well, that’s what I see every time I see someone pushing anything less than the appropriate cadence. Shifting the effort towards the aerobic side of the house and away from the muscularly straining side of the house will free you up energy wise, but most importantly there is this…When you get of the bike you need to run, and running is every bit as reliant on cadence as cycling is…if you cycle slowly, which is what a slow cadence really equates to, then your legs are going to be stuck in “60-75″ cadence which will not get you that PB. You ride sluggish, you run sluggish. Fix this by looking for an average cadence of 90, MINIMUM! ( in the late 90′s the Germans were all about lower cadences, but one Mr. L. Armstrong showed the world the benifit of a 90+ cadence….)

3. IF AEROBARS ARE FITTED, STAY ON THEM, OTHERWISE STAY ON THE DROPS.

Having aero bars, aero bikes and aero wheels is only an advantage if you stay (STAYING AERO, IN POSITION/PEDALLING) on them throughout the entire bike section of the race. You shouldn’t need to come off them at all, (except at the worst of corners, and we only have few in Athlone!) This goes for one and all. If your not staying down on the aerobars (or on the dropped parts of your regular handlebars!) you are not going to get that aero advantage. This said, its not so important for your first event however good habits started early will last a lifetime so lets try and train on the drops and be as aero as we can!

4. HANDLING.

I really don’t have too much to say about handling a bike because this is really down to the individuals confidence and personal skill level and this varies. Well I do, but not for today. But remember, the biggest block holding most individuals back when they ride a bike is the rider themselves and not the bike, provided it is serviceable.

In my role as a coach, I see the full spectrum of cycling abilities, but more than anything its highlighted that riding a bike will only get you up to a certain level. You will need to ride in a group to bring you up that bit more, as the skill level will be considerably higher. that said, and being a local Athlone man I would have to recommend the Shannonside Cycling Club and also the Athlone Triathlon Club for people training locally to the TriAthlones beautiful race course. Triathlon Ireland is your next stop for your local club. To finish, it is the responsibility of each rider to know how his/her equipment handles and to fully explore this. Some corners that were inconceivably difficult, or perceived so when on the bike became very negotiable post race. This would be a wee bit too late though, methinks…

So in conclusion, Always Pedal, never stop, High cadence at all times, Stay aero to save time or don’t bother and remember, its your bike, so know how to handle it in all conditions.

P.S Wear glasses/sunglasses, not only will they make you look cool (or not:P) they will protect your eyes on these “Summer” days from bugs! You’ll thank me for this at some stage, cheers…

Week 5: Medium effort week.

Monday Rest

Tuesday 30min Z2 swim

Wednesday A.M Bike Z1 P.M Run Z2

Thursday A.M 25min Z1 swim P.M Gym (S&T)

Friday Rest

Saturday (Brick) Bike 25min Z1 then run straight of bike 20mins Z1

Sunday Rest

Take the TriAthlone challenge 2011!

Triathlone training tips – week 4

by Army Triathlon Coach Derek Nugent

Howdy folks, I hope the last three weeks training has gone well for you and that you are enjoying the process of preparing for your first “big” triathlon!

This week myself and the team that I coach, the Irish Defence Forces Triathlon Team, are travelling out to Holland to compete in the regional military triathlon championships (basically, the European Triathlon Championships only for soldiers!) We have been working very hard for the last year and I for one am really looking forward to watching the six athletes that I’m responsible for “let loose” on race day! So good luck team and race hard.

What did occur to me though was that no matter how well prepared you are and no matter your experience or expertise you can’t beat a good old fashioned list to help you out so I have put together the following with them in mind, but also for all of you that will have to pack your bags for the trip down to beautiful Athlone

Now this is a list that is not the “be all and end all” of lists, nor is it complete…you may or may not have the items mentioned but it will be a good check chart for you to see how your getting on, or, how you may need to flesh out that training bag a bit better.

Before/After

• Race Belt
• Basic First Aid Kit
• Nutrition (bars, pre-post)
• Flip flops
• Irish Race suit x 1
• Post race cool down clothes
• Watch/HRM (Strap)

Swim

• Wetsuit
• 2 x googles
• 2 x Towels
• Sunscreen
• Baby oil / lube

Bike

Helmet!

• Bike Shoes (Tri)
• Waterbottles
• Nutritional aids
• Spare tube/tyre
• Co2 Cartridges
• Bike Multi tool
• Bike pump
• Chain lube
• Mini Elastics

Run

• Race flats
• Nutritional gels
• Running hat / visor

You will also need:

• A print off of your booking reference.
• Your One Day Licence or Triathlon Ireland ID.
• Some clothes for having some “Downtime” with your coach!

You may want:

• A charger for your mobile phone.
• Hairdryers for the girls, hair gel for the bhoys!

WEEK 4

Monday Rest

Tuesday 20min Z1 swim

Wednesday Gym (strength and conditioning)

Thursday Rest

Friday Rest

Saturday 40min bike Z1

Sunday Rest

Take the triathloen challenge 2011!