I had the chance to make another tri club presentation this past weekend...this time it was to TriFury, a great team here on the North Shore (just, well, north of Boston). The main focus of the talk was on building a basic week. You can view a general sketch for the talk here: View Sketch.Newbie Triathlete Tips
The presentation was for newbies, and was meant to be down to earth enough that folks could actually walk away with something. So I chose the basic week as most folks get waaaaaay too carried away with planning and drop the execution piece. Here are my main tips:
- An early season week should be pretty compact: Ironman Triathlete = 10 hrs; Half Ironman Triathlete = 8 hrs; Olympic & Sprint Triathlete = 6 hrs
- The week should be consistent - reduce the moving parts to increase chances of success.
- Should be heavy on the stretching, core and strength.
- You should have a day off!
- Avoid winter running overkill - fatigue, injury and burnout do not lead to a PR!
- Take advantage of winter cross-training opportunities to boost your fitness.
- Stack your workouts to make them do-able (i.e., core/run @ home).
- Get your friends involved to make it more fun.
- Prioritize your workouts according to your annual performance goals.
- Track your hours so you know where to start when you move to a formal program.
Again, very limited, but here are my thoughts for the new folks: Don't stress out, triathlon is fun. Don't buy the expensive gear - do more with what you have - it's the engine that matters the most. Focus on your weaknesses to make them strengths. Do one crazy bike ride/trip a year. Volunteer - because athletes make the best volunteers, period. Ask your training partners - if they don't have an answer, they'll have a really good story to tell about whatever it is you are asking. Smile - you are a triathlete!
New Triathlete Web Resources
This is a very limited list, but if you have more ideas, please feel free to email me and I will add them to the PTS site!
Happy training...
p
