Best Practice Training Tips from a Sub 9 Hour Ironman® Finisher

#4: Follow a Plan

#3: Listen to your body

#2: Purposeful training periods

"Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago."

—Warren Buffett

"We will use the actions of others to decide on proper behavior for ourselves.."

- Dr. Robert Cialdini, PhD

“In the absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily acts of trivia.”

- Unknown

Simple run interval progression

Your plan is the steps you need to take to get to race day

What is over training?

Potential for injury is a real concern

Think of training like a "funnel" narrowing to race day

Athlete stressed to the point that unable to recovery adequately and performance declines.

Study of 131 triathletes showed that:

• 50% had injury in 6-month pre-season
• 37% had injury in 10-week competition season

Quantity vs. quality

Important to note: Stress can come from outside training

B

A

Source: Burns J, Keenan AM, Redmond AC. Factors associated with triathlon-related overuse injuries. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2003:22:177-184.

vs.

6 hour ride w/ 3 stops

4 hour ride w/ 1 stop

plus 2 x 45 min race pace

Key: Identify and address areas of concern or uncertainty

Write down and practice your plan

vs.

2:20 run with tempo efforts mixed in

3.5 hour long run

(slog)

Example swim interval progression

Possible symptoms of over training...

Elements to consider:

• Priorities - other commitments, events
• Marker sets to gauge progress
• Non-goal races
• Nutrition & hydration

Establish consistency week to week

Strength training and intervals/drills are appropriate year round

• Fatigue
• Performance declines
• Poor mood; irritability
• Poor sleep
• Anxiety, depression
• etc.

What increases likelihood of injury?

Example:

Intervals & Drills

Strength Training

Only one solution: REST

• Improve muscle fiber firing efficiency
• Train fast twitch muscle fibers
• Sustain harder efforts, longer
• Improve form and technique
• Training variability

RI = Rest Interval (sec)

• History of high running mileage
• Previous injury
• Inadequate warm-up and cool-down
• Increasing years of experience

• Improve muscle function, strength and power
• Increase lean muscle mass
• Decrease body fat
• Decrease risk of injury
• Boost testosterone

Takeaway: Prioritize & complete 70-90% of workouts in a week

Source: Burns J, Keenan AM, Redmond AC. Factors associated with triathlon-related overuse injuries. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2003:22:177-184.

#5: Be Flexible

"Mastery of life is not absence of problems, but mastery of problems."

- Humberto

#1: Conscious Commitment

“Whether I fail or succeed shall be no man’s doing but my own. I am the force.”

- Elaine Maxwell

Achieving Your Dream

Understand your commitment level

Commitment Continuum

More

Before anything else - what is your "Why?"

Key Question: What are your priorities?

Less

“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.”

— Nietzsche

Avoid the 5 Deadly Sins

Now, go achieve YOUR success!

"The successful person has the habit of doing the things failures don't like to do."

—Thomas Edison

"Successful people are simply those with successful habits." —Brian Tracy

Don't forget - have fun; smile and just do your best.

The 5 Habits of Successful Triathletes

The 5 Deadly Sins of Training

1. Over commitment

2. Too much, too soon

3. Not enough recovery

4. Inconsistency

5. Rigidness

1. Conscious commitment

2. Purposeful training periods

3. Listen to your body

4. Follow a plan

5. Be flexible

1. Over commitment

2. Too much, too soon

3. Not enough recovery

4. Inconsistency

5. Rigidness

Best Practice Training Tips from

a Sub 9 Hour Ironman® Finisher

David Glover

Thank you for attending!

I'll post the recording at: www.schooloftri.com/library

Upcoming webinars:

- 3/12: Strength Training for Triathletes

- 4/14: Crash Course in Triathlon Training for Beginners

- 5/7: Tips for Racing Your First Full or Half Ironman® Triathlon

Please contact me with any questions:

David Glover

Email: david@schooloftri.com

Web: www.schooloftri.com

David B. Glover, MSE, MS, CSCS

Need a training plan? Visit us at www.enduranceworks.net