Triathlon coaching, advice and statistics.
Ironman Training
Ironman Racing – A Two Week Taper Plan
During the taper a triathlete’s fears transform from ‘am I doing enough?‘ to ‘am I doing too much?‘. Many struggle with the unfamiliar emphasis on reducing effort and resting. Last Tuesday I wrote about the principles behind a good taper, providing a broad outline of the structure I use. This week I want to focus […]
Run Injury Recovery: First Steps Towards Improved Technique
After my video analysis with Kinetic Revolution I didn’t run a step. There seemed no point continuing to practice bad habits; the fitness gains would be small and this was about rebuilding my technique. The start of a new mindset – no interest in time or mileage, all that mattered was how I ran. Build […]
Ironman Racing – The Fine Art of Tapering
Goal races are imminent. Training plans have focussed on tapers with half my athletes racing Ironman or 70.3 events during June and July. I’ve also received a lot of emails about race strategy, pacing and nutrition so the blog is focussing on Ironman racing for the coming month. Starting today with an overview of the […]
Run Injury Recovery: Video Analysis and Identifying Running Issues
Running hit a wall last August. Tapering from a high run volume in preparation for ITU Long Distance Worlds I strained my calf. Two kilometres from home on an easy run I felt a pain that would persist for the following months. The damage wasn’t severe, but frustrating in its continual presence whenever I ran. […]
Signs of Fatigue
Last week was hard. Not from hours of work on the bike or in the pool, quite the opposite. After a few months of very consistent, very positive training I was a wreck! My body shut down; I felt vaguely ill exhibiting a range of symptoms: lethargy, water retention, weight fluctuation and fatigue. All the […]
Chasing the Right Numbers
Finish training, download the data and study the workout. Look for signs of improvements; checking averages, patterns and intervals. All immediate post-workout activity for the data obsessed triathlete. I consider myself a member of those ranks – I’ve tracked every training metric I can, right down to recording weight fluctuations and hours of sleep. There […]
First Steps Analysing Swim Data with the FINIS Swimsense
A week ago I received a Swimsense watch from FINIS, a starting point for analysing my swimming. Consistent weeks of training and technique work have given me some success before, but I’ve never measured what happens in the pool. I could see the potential in the Swimsense after reading this incredibly detailed review; at the […]
Performance, Fitness and Fatigue
As interesting as it is to track changes in fitness what really matters is performance. We want our training to deliver better results. The Performance Management Chart (PMC) is a useful tool for tracking the development of fitness and build up of fatigue, but high numbers don’t necessarily equal race success. We have to consider […]
Following Progress with the Performance Management Chart
I began the season with a simple goal: raise my performance to the next level. But following a winter break I was also at a fitness low. We all start somewhere and consistent work has restored my cycling back to previous season bests. With two-thirds of the year remaining cycling at least has a sound […]
Flexibility in Triathlon Training
Most athletes train in strict windows of opportunity scheduled around work and family. Coaching allows me the flexibility to adjust my plans, training as and when I need. It has its drawbacks and requires self-discipline; I can’t endlessly postpone workouts and pick favourite sessions over the plan, though sometimes I cross that line. My plans […]
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