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Lets be clear from the outset; there is no magic “one size fits all” optimal taper formula for each race distance and I would argue it is much an art as it a science. This is due to whole host of reasons including genetic disposition to adaptation of training volume/intensity, typical training volumes and intensity, length of time in the sport and age. However, there are some general guiding principles which have both experiential and scientific validity to help you on the elusive trail of finding the right taper.

In general terms, reducing training load should occur approximately 3 weeks out from your goal race. Counting backwards (race week is 0), week 2 would be about 80% of week 3, while intensity would remain just about the same. Week 1 would be about 60%. Week 0 (race week), volume should drop by to about 30% ensuring intensity is limited to short accelerations to race pace.

Some athletes have found that a final 5-10 minute effort at goal race effort 3-5 days out helps them ‘dial in’ their pace. A recent research study from the University of Western Australia on carbo loading found that 3 minutes at high effort 1-3 days out immediately followed by high carb consumption assisted with ‘carb loading,’ the process of jamming as much glycogen into your muscles as possible for use on race day. (Ref Owen Anderson of Peak Performance)

Specific Tapering Examples for various triathlon Race Distance (Ref: Marty Gaal)

Below are a few tables with possible taper volume and intensity targets. Newer athletes training for long-distance races may find that threshold work does not help their primary limiters (stamina/endurance). More experienced athletes may find that the time required to recover from threshold work is not worth the return in performance they experience from the work. However, threshold work is essential for excelling in short course racing.

Note: As the race distance gets shorter the time spent at ‘intensity’ or race effort becomes less. That’s because the effort level is increasing. 70-75% at IM, 80-88% at half-IM, 85% and higher for Olympic and sprint

Personally, even though I may partake in more than 20 races per year, I only taper for 3 or 4 key “A” races as I want to ensure I maximise and optimise my training for those key events even if this results in “training through”and compromising the other events. If am tapering for a key half ironman event I will commence my taper about 2 weeks prior to the event reducing the volume to about 60% of a typical week whilst maintaining the same intensity. The last week I will drastically reduce my training volume to about 20% of my normal training volume and reduce the length of my intervals to a maximum of 2 minutes whilst increasing the rest interval. My last above lactate threshold session is 10 days prior to the race. Studies has shown you will not reap the physiological gains/adaptations from a session for atleast 7-10 days so it is pointless risking being tired for race day when there will be no return for that effort.

Other points to consider when tapering:-

1. Avoid big meals and sugar. Tapering is an adjustment for your body, and your immune system may not be as strong during this time. Big meals and carbohydrates like sugar will wear your immune system and leave you susceptible to colds and flus. Keep in mind that as your workout intensity decreases, you must decrease calorie intake accordingly.

2. Get as much sleep as you can before midnight. Ideally, get to bed by 10:30pm. The sleep you get before midnight is the most crucial to your recovery. You will feel more rested if you can do this for at least 2 weeks before your event.

3. Lay off the strength training. This is more of an individual call (some people feel better if they are doing some strength work all the way up until the event, others will be too broken down unless they take a good 2 weeks off), but at the minimum, you should go lighter in the weeks leading up to your event.

4. Avoid caffeine. It may be tough if you are a coffee addict, but 2 weeks of not having that morning cup will give you more natural energy for your race. Take it from 6-time Ironman champion Mark Allen- he practiced this for every race and it worked pretty well for him!

Lastly remember that your body might feel “sluggish” in the taper period. This is perfectly normal and is a sign that your body is in “repair mode” for a big effort which you will unleash on raceday. Don’t fall into the temptation to test your fitness when this arises and just stick to your plan.

Ultimately it will be experience through trial and error which will help you refine the perfect taper for you. Get your taper right and you are guaranteed to maximise all the hard work you have done in the preceding few months.

Lee Piercy, March 2012.
TRIdeals.co.uk

So why is there still a general reluctance of triathletes, especially part time ones, to carve out some of their overall training time to do strength/core training?

From my experience, many part time triathletes see strength and core work as superfluous and secondary to direct training in each of the 3 triathlon disciplines.  As such, due to the multiple competing demands on the typical triathlete, strength/core work gets deprioritised.  Perhaps more concerning other triathletes are reluctant to incorporate this type of training due to the misguided belief that the benefits are outweighed by the fear of gaining bulk, losing flexibility and the diminished “feel” for their sport.

As many triathletes tend to exhibit Type A overachiever and competitive traits, amassing a huge number of bike/run/cycle miles is often more appealing perhaps partly because they can boast about these numbers with their triathlon buddies.  However, this may be a flawed approach since there is a mass of research showing that “volume of training is one of the main culprits of overtraining and injury incidence” (ref 1,2)

Nick Grantham, strength and core conditioning coach to a number of elite athletes, strongly believes that triathletes are not aware of the performance and training benefits that can be achieved with this musculoskeletal training.    For instance he argues that if the musculoskeletal system cannot cope with the stress of thousands of repetitions, something which happens when carrying out  triathlon training, then you need to condition the musculoskeletal system first.   Nick continues to explain that for many triathletes moving the body is the biggest problem rather than their ability to transfer oxygen.  “For years triathletes try to improve their cardiosvascular system but more often or not breakdown with illness or injury.  Using a motoring analogy, they were trying to put a new engine in a beaten up old car with worn out chassis and suspension.  A better approach is work on the chassis and bodywork first and tinker with the engine later” (ref 3)

A programme should consist of the following in a sequential flow: Flexibility, Stability and Strength.

Flexibility: flexibility, corrective stretching and dynamic movement preparation are critical to incorporate into your training regime and need to be precede any strength work.  Placing your body weight through a golf or tennis ball for a release of the fascial system primes it for the foam massage roller which can be used for calf, hip flexors, quads and hamstrings.

Stability: there are a whole gambit of exercises to help stability but the well known “plank” is a winner if done correctly.  This is where you position yourself on elbows and toes, keeping ankles, shoulders and hips in line, head and body in a neutral position, maintaining a flat back, and focussing on tightening the abdominal muscles and squeezing in your glutes.

Strength: The key here for triathletes is to find exercises that are multi joint, multi muscle group and sometimes multi planar exercises that recruit considerably more muscle mass than a single joint or machine variation.  Some options worth considering are:

Press ups: this is a great upper body exercise but also fantastic for the core too.

Split squats (with or without barbell): take a long step out with one leg (knee parallel with the foot), with the knee of the rear leg is almost touching the floor at the end of the movement.  Maintain a vertical trunk throughout the movement

Inverse pulls: lying on your back pull yourself up on an Olympic bar that is placed in a squat rack just beyond arm’s length.  Grip the bar with an overhand grip and pull the upper body to the bar so that the chest touches the bar.  Keep the body flat throughout the movement

Conclusion

Focussing solely on the cardiovascular system alone neglecting the muscoskeletal system will ultimately lead to reduced triathlon performance.  For the typical part time triathlete who doesn’t think they can afford the time to do strength and core work may need to rethink their approach and consider elevating the priority of this type of training even if it is at the expense of one of their weekly swim, bike or run sessions.

References

1. Int J Sports Med 1996; 17 (3): 187-192
2. Med Sci Sports Ex 1999; 31 (8): 1176-1182
3. Nick Grantham, PP Number 257

Therefore the key is to first diagnose the severity of the illness the best you can and then devise an appropriate training strategy.

Minor Symptoms:

Most of us are aware of the simple rule of thumb that “if the symptoms are above the neck” then some level of train should be ok.  However the body is still experiencing an additional “stressor” on the system and would be wise to tread very carefully.  It is unlikely you will make positive adaptations in this state but you can limit deconditioning and maintain fitness without exerting too much stress on the body.   It is essential though to reduce the intensity of any session to less than 80% of your maximum heart rate coupled with a significant drop in the volume of training.  Also replace this freed up time with both more rest and sleep.

Example workouts:

• All training less than 80% max HR
• Riding less than 2 hours
• Run less than 45 minutes
• Swim less than 45 minutes; good time to focus on technique and drills

Severe Symptoms:

More acute symptoms don’t necessarily means more time away from real training, although they do call for more drastic and immediate action at the onset of symptoms.  Heavy symptoms might include chesty cough, fever and heavy inexplicable fatigue.  Your body will not be able to withstand and adapt to any serious training during this state and could worsen the symptoms and longevity of the illness.  It is best to begin with complete rest and increase the number of hours you sleep.  Furthermore keeping well hydrated and having a healthy diet is critical. When you start feeling better don’t rush back into training immediately.  As experienced triathlon coach, Matt Dixon, explains “when you feel 90% better wait an extra day and then resume the recovery protocol above until back to normal health”

Prevention is  better than cure:

If you feel uncharacteristically fatigued for several consecutive days and start feeling the first signs of illness (sore throat, sniffles) the only sensible thing to do is “back off” disregarding what you may have already planned.  Taking a couple of rest days could stave of real illness and allow you to quickly reengage with your training plan, although there are no guarantees of course.

While it is almost inevitable for illness to strike at some stage during the season due to the rigours of triathlon training and the resulting suppressed immune system, you are empowered to take the right steps to ensure an expedient return to serious training. Often those who are smart enough to “back off” at the right time will suffer less impact to their training in the long term than those who belligerently push on when illness strikes.

Lee Piercy – Feb 2012

My personal belief is that those within the sport developing mental toughness, seek it out as something to push them not just physically but mentally too. You wouldn’t take up the sport if you weren’t prepared to feel pain. Training can hurt and racing should hurt at any level, from the novice to the elite racers, you are pushing your body to its limits. Whether its a sprint distance or an Ironman, speed vs endurance, you will be required to dig deeper than you imagine because lets be honest, quitting is never really an option.

So what is it that keeps us going – what is it that means when we jump off the bike and our legs feel like lead we find that strength to keep putting one foot in front of the other and continue to run?  Quite simply it’s mental toughness. How we choose to articulate that to ourselves varies as we all have methods to keep pushing ourselves. It may be as simple as just saying “come on” in our minds, for others its focusing on the sense of achievement at the finish or visualising those that love and support them cheering them on. Strategies range from trash talking yourself to reassurance and reminding yourself that you have prepared for this.  The mind is a very powerful thing, it can be the difference between winning and losing, hitting a PB or not.  Your mind is in control of how you react to situations. Whilst the mind can’t stop the pain, with the right mental training an athlete can re-interpret that pain. Pain can become a trigger, if it hurts “I’m working hard enough” and the feeling when you cross the line, with your body crying for you to stop, is worth every second of agony you felt round that course. In that one moment you know you have challenged your body and mind to their limit.  The ability to do that defines you, it proves you will above all else achieve your ultimate potential.

Don’t be afraid of the pain, work with it, strive to feel it, embrace it – it’s what makes you a triathlete.

Candice Lingam-Willgoss
Applied Sport Psychologist
Associate Lecturer Open University
www.candicelingamwillgoss.co.uk

Many of you will have heard of the concept of functional threshold power (FTP). This is described as the maximum sustainable power output for an hour. While many physiological measures are genetically based and quite constant, FTP can fluctuate greatly depending on training, time of year etc. Time trials are an effective way of improving and measuring your FTP. A 10 mile TT will typically last somewhere in the region of 20-30minutes for the vast majority depending on the rider and the course. The effort required at this distance would be in excess off FTP, somewhere in the region of 110-120%. Every time you push your limits in this way the body adapts and enables you to go that little bit further next time.

Whichever distance you are racing, the pacing of a bike leg is key to leave you strong enough for a good run split. Time trials help to develop pacing strategies and awareness. Many ‘testers’ have come unstuck and blown up by going too hard in the first part of a race in a similar way that triathletes have also fallen away in on the run. The key to a good ride in both sports is even pacing. Many will now use power meters to pace correctly, but for those without that luxury, getting out and riding regularly and getting a ‘feel’ for the correct effort during a time trial will serve you well in your multi-sport endeavours.

Time trialling can also be fun. As you start a minute apart from other riders, test yourself against friends, try to catch you ‘minuteman’ and not become one yourself. The motivation of having a number on your back and a friend to chase down will make you ride harder than any turbo or training ride. Get out there this season and give it a go. Find more details from your local cycling club – and remember to stay safe and KEEP YOUR HEAD UP!

Lawrence Down BSc(Hons) –  Sports Scientist and Triathlon Coach

It feels like we have barely had a winter in the UK this year it’s already mid January!  For many cyclists and triathletes who loathe indoor cycle training this fine weather has come as a big relief.  Personally I would always opt for training in the freezing cold, dressed appropriately, rather than endure the turbo trainer, especially when I need to do a longer session.  However the cold snap is likely to be just around the corner and if we are keen to continue the momentum of training outdoors there are a few simple tips and tricks to keep you warm when it’s cold!

Ensure you are warm before starting.  Sounds obvious, but as triathletes we typically have lower body fat and therefore particularly susceptible to the cold, it is essential to start the ride warm.   Make sure you are fully layered up before you go outside and even consider having a hot drink just prior to starting.   Try to get going as soon as you venture outside ensuring that any pre ride admin such as inflating the tyres or making bike adjustments have already been taken care of.  Multi Hawaii Ironman legend Dave Scott says “When you’re warm you have “better joint mobility, enhanced blood flow and warmer muscles”.

Pay special attention to the extremities-

• Head:  Approximately 30 percent of the body’s heat will be lost through the head. An enormous amount of blood circulates through this area, so keeping your head warm will help keep your body warm.  A cycling specific skull cap is an essential piece of winter kit.  Since they are made out of a thin synthetic material, they typically fit snugly under your helmet.  Also, consider using a neck scarf which you can purchase from ski or outdoor shops.  Many years ago I bought one for a skiing holiday in Canada preparing for temperatures below – 20 degrees C and found it really made a difference.  It is now an essential piece of my winter cycling attire.  If it is really cold (minus degrees C) then you could consider a balaclava which covers the head, neck and face with small cut outs for nose and eyes, but the chances are if you require such extreme kit you are better off training indoors (or need your head seeing to)!

• Hands: Invest in a decent pair of winter full fingered cycling gloves which are both wind and waterproof.  These are an extremely tricky purchase as some, even expensive branded ones, just don’t work well, so you might be want to get a recommendation from several experienced “all weather hard core” cyclists.  Be careful not to purchase ones which look like heavy duty ski gloves; they may keep your hands nice and snug but are often quite cumbersome and you may lose the dexterity in your hands to handle your bike effectively.

• Feet: If you have ever experienced cold feet on a long winter ride you will know just how painful it can be.  Since your feet are travelling rapidly through cold air and have poor circulation they are more prone to the cold than the rest of the body.  Purchase some thermal socks that will wick away moisture and preserve heat.  Also investing in some quality neoprene overshoes may turn out to be one of your best ever winter cycling purchases.  The zips tend to break easily on the cheaper models so worth spending a few more pounds to get a pair which will last.

• Legs: Full length cycling tights are a must in temperatures below 10 degrees C.  Depending on how cold it is you can opt for the more lightweight thin compression style ones on warmer winter days or heavier duty ones when it is particularly cold.

Upper body: Always start with a relatively thin cycling/running specific polyester “base layer” that will wick moisture away from the skin helping to keep both your skin and clothing dry.  Then add a mid layer which is slightly heavier and ideally has thermal properties (polyester is a good choice here too) that will retain warmth and is breathable.  The outer layer needs to be able to trap and retain the heat aswell as block out the cold air and wind.  Therefore consider a cycling specific wind and waterproof jacket.

Glasses: many cyclists wear glasses only in the spring and summer for some reason, but it is as critical to wear them in the winter.  As you are travelling at a rapid pace when riding your eyes will have a tendency to  stream which will impair your vision.  Go for cycling specific glasses which wrap tightly to your face protecting your eyes from the wind and ones which don’t fog easily.  Glasses with a choice of lenses are ideal for different light levels, sodium filters even make dull, overcast days appear more bright.

Don’t let the cold stop you in your tracks.  Dress appropriately and you can continue your love of cycling all year round where it was meant to be done..…the great outdoors.

Competition
Do you have any tips for keeping warm? Add your tip below and the best one (chosen by the TRIdeals team on Monday 23 Jan 2012) will win a pair of Vision Aero Brake Levers worth £89.95! Good Luck.

Endurance training

Endurance training involves the manipulation of intensity, duration, and frequency of training sessions. The relative impact and effectiveness of short, high-intensity training (HIT) versus longer, slower distance (LSD) training has been studied and debated for decades among athletes, coaches, and scientists.

Recently, the popularity pendulum has swung towards an increased focus on high intensity sessions which has filtered through to age group and pro triathletes alike. Many fitness experts, as well as some scientists, now argue that brief, high-intensity interval work is the only form of training necessary for performance optimization.  Triathlon magazines are full of magic interval sessions which claim to transform your performances and relegate the importance of “distance” low intensity training; often seen as something which might be worth doing in the winter period. Some fitness experts even refer to any kind of distance running or biking at low intensity as “junk mileage”.

Interval training

Research on the effectiveness of interval and continuous training with untrained to moderately trained subjects does not support the current interval craze; rather the evidence does suggest that “short intense training bouts and longer continuous exercise sessions should both be a part of effective endurance training”.

Interestingly, “elite endurance athletes perform 80% or more of their training at intensities clearly below their lactate threshold and use high-intensity training surprisingly sparingly. Studies involving intensification of training in already well-trained athletes have shown equivocal results at best.”

This may come as a surprise to many triathletes, especially inexperienced amateurs, who feel that tempo or HIT is the only way to improve, or might possibly be a short cut to quick performance gains. After all, it is counter intuitive to think that doing 4/5ths of our training at an “easy” pace could possibly be the fastest path for performance gains. The reduced adoption of HIT has numerous other benefits too; you are less prone to injury, overtraining/overreaching and illness, and are able to withstand a greater volume and intensity of training later.  This also means greater consistency of training which is one of the essential factors to making improvements. You are likely to be less tired outside of training too which is always good when you trying to manage a job, relationships to name a few.

Conclusion

“The available evidence suggests that combining large volumes of low-intensity training with careful use of high-intensity interval training throughout the annual training cycle is the best-practice model for development of endurance performance”  For a triathlete who is juggling 3 sports this would mean one HIT session in each of the 3 disciplines is more than adequate, especially for those who have full time jobs with less recovery time than professional athletes.

Written by Lee Piercy, Jan 2012.
References: Seiler & Tonnesson: Intensity and Duration in Endurance Training

However, empirical data from elite athletes across a variety of endurance sports including triathlon does provide some interesting findings which may be worth a closer inspection if you are looking for some guideliness on apportioning your training time in order improve your performance next season.

Here are a summary of the findings:-

“Data shows that national to Olympic standard elites average more than 80% of their training volume in Zone 1 base training, despite training for events ranging from 4 minutes to 2 hours. Despite high-tech training tools, top performances still require a fair amount of training time in the bank; there’s no get-fit-quick solution.

Golden nugget #1
Endurance training should be performed at below 80% maximum heart rate [train low] for least three quarters of your training volume.

Golden nugget #2
You have to train very hard [train high] to get the full benefit of lactate tolerance and competition preparedness.

Golden nugget #3
Accept that base is easy and you will relax. When your body relaxes, enjoyable and productive training can begin.

Summary

Whatever endurance athlete type you are, train low, train high can work for you. This does not mean ‘go easy, we don’t want to push ourselves do we?’ Inclusion of the very high intensity (Z3) work is absolutely critical. However, for long-term success, you need to construct your training so that the body can evolve in a very patient way. Many athletes, even with the best coaching, only see on average a 2 to 8% improvement in a given year, especially those who’ve got several racing seasons under their belts already. If you’ve been struggling in no man’s land and not making much progress, try using train low, train high approach and set realistic improvements of say 5% (not 10 or 15%). And if you remember the valuable three golden nuggets above, better times are ahead” Ref 1

References

Ref 1: Joe Beer from Peak Performance Issue 281.  Joe is an endurance coach working with cyclists, triathletes, duathletes and runners through his company JBST.com.

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