John's Traithlon Site, Information on triathlons, triathletes and other triathlon stuff.

Back to our Home Page
Triathlon Training
Coaching information
Links
Races
Sports Poetry
About Me!

Training for the Triathlon

Articles and Tips on this site:
Aerodynamic Frame Design - What is important?" by Gerard Vroomen
Doing More with Less by Joe Friel
High Octane Sports Fuels by Joe Friel
Ironman Heart Rate Monitor Training by Jyri Manninen
Hydrating in the Heat by Joe Friel
How to Beat the Jet Lag Blues by Joel Friel
My Training Plan by John Becker
Overtraining Syndrome by Mark Jenkins
Swimming Article by Brendan Terry
Tapering from Paul Newby-Fraser
Articles and Tips on other sites:
Orca's tritrainer provides a uniquely individual and personalized training program for triathletes.
Mark Jenkins - Great info on sports medicine, heart rate monitoring, & ironman physiology.
Masters Athlete Physiology & Performance from Stephen Seiler PhD.
Ironman Training Camps - I don't know much about the camp. Let me know if you attended.
Training Tips Archive from Joe Friel at VeloNews.
 

TIPS

Here are a few things I have learned during my Ironman training:

* Slow Down. I train at a very easy intensity level (60-75% Max Heart Rate) most of the time. I found this is especially effective for my swim workouts, which used to always be done at higher intensities. I swim one day a week with a masters group and this pushes me at high intensity levels. My other two swim workouts are both done as long slow distance. I needed to swim with a heart rate monitor to make sure I was swimming slow enough.

* Swim with pull-buoys. During my base training period, I found that I needed to swim lots of yardage with a buoy holding my legs up in the pool. Swim coaches may not like it too much, but I find that this isolates my upper body and improves my endurance, especially when swimming those long slow laps. My stroke mechanics stay better longer. Also, my legs are usually pretty beat from running and bicycling.

* Get more sleep. I know this sounds obvious but it is difficult to do. We are used to getting by on less sleep and have established daily routines. I have to get to bed earlier and sleep a little longer, especially during the weeks when I am pushing longer training hours and higher intensities. A weekend nap helps too.

* Experiment with nutrition bars. As my weekend rides and runs get longer, I have found the need to begin seriously experimenting with keeping myself fueled. So far I have tried bananas, Powerbars, Hydra Fuel, and Power Gel. I have found the Power Gel to be very convenient and easy to use. Much easier to get down then half a Powerbar. I am finding that I can sustain longer workouts by consuming one every 30 minutes or so (with water).

* Best Books.

Below are the best books I could find on training.

  • "Triathlete's Bible", Joe Friel - This book has become the definitive guide to triathlon training. Joe coaches many world class athletes and offers information in an easy to understand yet scientific way.
  • "Serious Training for Serious Athletes", Rob Sleamaker - This book gives you all the information you need to understand heart rate training, heart rate zones, training intensities throughout the year, and annual training levels.
  • "Heart Rate Monitor Book", Sally Edwards - This book explains heart rate training and has a lot of useful information specific to triathletes.
  • "Total Immersion", Terry Laughlin - This is by far the best book I have ever seen on swimming. Do the drills and you will absolutely improve you swim.
  • "Galloway's Book on Running", Jeff Galloway - He is the dean of long distance running. This book offers expert advice on building up your run distance and how to deal with injuries.
  • "Dave Scott's Triathlon Training", Dave Scott - The book is now a little out dated and is highly technical. However, he gives you a mini course in muscle physiology and explains why it is important to train at different levels of intensity. CAUTION - I have found that Scott's training tips (here and in current magazines) tend to be geared to elite athletes. Think twice before attempting to duplicate his suggested workouts.
  • "Scott Tinley's Winning Triathlon", Scott Tinley - Another outdated book, but a fun one to read. Everyone should be familiar with the early days of triathlon.
 

Tired of Training? Check out some fun stuff!