Articles that are of interest and benefit for people training for triathlons
Tempo is the intensity that can be sustained for longer durations. It is the intensity that is used in marathon mountain bike events, gravel races, Ironman and Ironman 70.3 events. This session gives a single, sustained exposure to this intensity. This workout is great to include early in a build up, or later in a build up to enhance aerobic efficiency or as a recovery session.
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In the swim leg of a triathlon (or open water swim) there is often some variation in swim intensity. The start of the race will often start at a hectic pace, as people try and jostle for a good position or to get to the first turn buoy in a good position before settling into a more sustainable pace. the pace then picks up again towards the end of the swim. This set builds on that top-end speed you have to enhance your overall performance. This session is great for open-water swimmers and triathletes of all distances.
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Tempo is an intensity that means different things to different athletes and coaches. For me, I define Tempo as an effort comfortably below the Threshold pace. It is the sort of intensity that if you had to you could maintain for a duration longer than a half marathon. It is higher than the aerobic running pace, sort of in the mid-zone between the two levels. Spending more than 15-20 minutes at this intensity, helps the body practice clearing the small amount of lactic acid generated at this pace, without needing to slow down to do so. This is a perfect session for runners and triathletes running events up to full marathons and further.
View More Friday Fartlek Run: 20/15/10/5min Tempo Runs
Threshold intensity is race pace for shorter events. This session is fantastic for building fast biking and running off the bike in preparation for a sprint or Olympic distance triathlon.
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This session is based on the favorite workout of Amelie Kretz, who is an elite Canadian triathlete competing on the ITU circuit.
The session is a great way to develop your ability to develop your top-end intensity and your ability to sustain it. Perfect for draft-legal triathletes, road cyclists, and mountain bikers.
Swimming at a sustained pace with short rest intervals will enhance your swimming fitness. This session is great for open-water swimmers and triathletes of all distances.
View More Saturday Swim Session: Swim Tempo
Exposing your body to a range of running paces and intensities prepares you for events when the intensity can be quite high but you need to sustain that pace. This session is a great for building your overall fitness and gives you a great exposure to a range of intensities repeatedly.
View More Friday Fartlek Run: Triathlon Plus Multi-Pace Run
Struggling to swim faster and more confidently in open water? In this video, Coach Ray from Qwik Kiwi Coaching shares proven strategies to boost your open water swim performance for triathlon. You’ll learn how to:
View More Coach Ray’s Chats: EP 021 Triathlete’s Guide to Enhancing Open Water Swim Performance
Sustained efforts particularly on climbs is an important aspect for all cyclists – road, triathletes and mountain bikers. The ability to change effort, especially when fatigued will help you tactically in events. This workout provides elements of all of the above to build your fitness and ensure future success (and a reasonable amount of fatigue) – make sure you rest and rest well after this session. Even though this workout is significantly toned down from the professional version – it’s still not for the faint hearted.
View More Sunday Smart-Trainer Session: Pogačar’s Spiked Threshold Efforts (Advanced)
Building your ability to hold a sustained pace for the duration of your triathlon or open-water swim will enhance your performance. By including these faster 100’s will build your ability to repeat the intensity and hold your threshold pace in the event. There is also immense benefit to incorporating the other strokes into your training. By practising and developing the other strokes you will enhance both your feel for the water and the catch phase of you stroke. These are important skills to enhance as you advance your capabilities. This session is great for open-water swimmers and triathletes of all distances.
View More Saturday Swim Session: 100’s for Threshold Speed