Training plan basics and the reality of swim times

Training plan basics and the reality of swim times

1) Training for an endurance sport can be like taking a beginner's course in quantum mechanics (yes, there is a parallel): the more you research, the less you're sure of. Period training vs. high intensity intervals, free weights vs. body weights, stretching before vs. after a workout, plyometrics, yoga, pilates, fartlek - there are probably as many training plans as there are people entering any event that you may be interested in. And anyone will tell you why one plan is better than another.

But there is a way to get started and sort out your own triathlon training plan without letting your head spin. The logic behind it goes like this: in a given triathlon, there is a standard ratio of time usually spent on each leg of the course. If a racer is in decent shape, the ratio of time spent on swim/bike/run usually is in the neighborhood of 1/8/4. That is, the run will take approx. 4 times as long as the swim, and the bike will take about twice as long as the run.

So, an easy way to build a basic training plan is to work out your weekly mileage in each discipline according to these ratios. Spend 4 times as much time running than swimming, and twice as much time biking as running. Build up your mileage weekly by 10% or so in each event.

2) I had a great conversation with a triathlete friend of mine last night that revealed an important truth about training and improving your overall time in any given triathlon distance - especially for people who are not as confident in the swim as in other legs (which, from my experience, is nearly everyone): the swim portion is deceivingly small - don't overthink it or spend too much time worrying about it.

For example, let's look at a sprint distance swim - 800m. Let's suppose that you're a bit slower, or perhaps you haven't done a lot of open-water swimming, so your 100m splits are in the neighborhood of 2:30. That puts your total swim time at around 20 minutes. Let's assume now that you put in a lot of training, and get your 100m splits down to 2:00. Your swim time is now down to a sleek 16 minutes - not bad! You've improved your time by 25%. However, now let's consider a different athlete who keeps his swim training about the same, but manages to arrange his transition setup a little better, perhaps pre-clipping his bike shoes into the pedals or investing in some quick, one-pull laces for his running shoes, etc, thereby managing to shave 3 minutes off of his total time. All that this same guy has to do is make up one more minute on either the bike or the run (a much easier task), and he's back up to par with you, who put in all the extra swim time.

The moral of the tale is that, on the novice level, as long as you are comfortable in the water and confident to get through the swim without drowning or burning out before the rest of the race, there are some very easy ways to improve your overall time without the risk of overtraining. Of course, once your transition times are great, then you can start transforming yourself into the triathlete who has the total package - awesome splits in every distance with nice, short transition times in between.

End Transmission.