Eliminate Two Sports for One Week
Participating in a weeklong bike tour and eliminating swim and run workouts bumps up cycling volume and is a great way to boost endurance. Many triathletes can significantly increase cycling volume with less risk of injury than doing the same with running or swimming.
This strategy is much easier to do when there's a reason for it. For example, when travel takes triathletes to locations where a pool or access to a bike is not available, only running workouts are scheduled. A week of swimming only is less common, but can be just as effective. Usually, this strategy is a result of some type of injury that forces triathletes away from running and cycling.
When focusing on one sport, be cautious to not overdo volume and intensity. Be aware of the signals your body gives you, and rest if needed.
More: Tri Training: Which Sport Should You Focus on Most?
Schedule Intervals For The End of a Long Workout
Instead of doing an interval workout during the week, replace it with a form workout or an aerobic maintenance session, and move the interval training to the end of a long workout on the weekend.
For example, if your plan calls for a cycling workout that includes 4 to 5 repetitions of 4 minutes (with 1-minute recoveries) at lactate threshold heart rate, power or pace on Wednesday, replace that with an easy ride or single-leg drills. Move the intervals to the last 30 to 60 minutes of your long weekend ride. Strive for a strong finish on the long ride because learning to control intensity can be beneficial on race day.
Pull the Long Run Out of the Weekend
Scheduling the long run and long ride on back-to-back days is common, but try structuring your week to separate the two by 48 hours. Try running long on Thursday and riding long on Saturday or Sunday. This strategy allows your legs to be relatively fresh for both workouts.
More: 13 New Tech Tools for Triathletes
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About the Author
Gale Bernhardt was the USA Triathlon team coach at the 2003 Pan American Games and 2004 Athens Olympics. She's worked as one of the few World Cup coaches and delivered coached education training for the Triathlon Union's Sport Development Team. She has coached Olympic road racers, World Cup mountain bike riders and Leadville 100 racers. Thousands of athletes have had successful training and racing experiences using Gale's ready-to-use, easy-to-follow training plans.
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