TRAINING PLAN

The second instalment of Dermott Hayes’ 2017 training plans finds short-course athletes upping the volume, while future long-course athletes should be honing their iron lifestyle

This month it’s all about building volume (short course) and stamina (long course)

After four weeks of (re)introducing your body to regular training, now’s the time to start building volume. The main objective for athletes racing short-course triathlon in 2017 is to continue to build stamina by keeping the effort quite moderate but longer. And then gradually increasing the amount of time spent completing more intensive efforts. There’s no major benefit at this point in trying to complete everything as hard as possible, as the body needs to adapt to the rigours of triathlon.

During the aerobic sessions, use the same routes as you did last month and just add the extra time onto the course. Keep a record of your training sessions and note your feelings on how they were executed.

In these first few months of the training plan, the profile of your training routes can be relatively flat as you aim for efficiency. Interval sessions continue to be conducted in an environment where you can control the variables; time, speed, incline, distance. If you’re planning on taking the step up in distance in 2017, then this second training plan is designed for you. It’s still early days in your training and prep for long-course tri, so you need to be patient and be prepared to build slowly.

The priority at this stage is to keep gradually building your stamina to perform training sessions at lower intensities; this may even mean training at slower speeds than you previously have done. It’s okay to do this while your body adapts. When working at lower effort levels you’ll be able to burn more calories from fat, which will help to ‘train’ your body to use fat as an energy source and will also help lower body fat levels.

Aerobic bike and run sessions should feel easy, so that you can recover quickly. They’ll also allow you to train more frequently with a lower risk of injury. In this four-week block, there’s a slight increase in the amount of time at higher intensity effort levels during interval sessions: this is your chance to get your sweat on!

Remember that training for an Ironman is a lifestyle choice and it takes time to create the perfect home/work/training balance. Now’s the time to create good habits that can be maintained.

For all athletes, complete interval sessions in a location that allows you to control the environment, meaning they’re often best conducted indoors. All pool sessions are based around a 25m pool but adjust accordingly. And, of course, adapt these plans to your own tri strengths and weaknesses. Enjoy!