This is the time of year where I get the random emails from triathletes in panic mode. “Coach, I’ve been running a tempo run for the last 6 weeks, but I don't seem to be getting faster. What am I doing wrong?” Or I’ll get an email like this, “Coach, I get dropped by my friends on the hills, so I am going to add in hills 3 days a week to help my climbing. What do you think?”
Both questions are legit, but the answer is ‘It depends’. As we all know, doing the same workouts or running the same routes over and over gets boring and our bodies stop get stronger because the stress remains the same. In addition, adding too much stress too quickly when the body is not ready for it either leads to a very tired (or injured) athlete who can’t perform on race day. By following the seven steps I’ve outlined below, you should be able to solve this riddle known as triathlon training and get faster to boot.

Let’s start with the basics: How do we improve at swimming, biking and running? The easy answer is that we change the stress on the body from cycle to cycle as our body adapts. This could mean adding more volume, more speed, or more strength work. In my experience the simpler I have kept the plan, the better the result I have seen with my athletes. For example I have a first time athlete racing Ironman Lake Placid later this month. Back in December he asked me what his ‘Build’ period would look like. I explained to him as gently as possible that he may not have a ‘Build’ period. He had to lose twenty pounds to start with (which he has) and he had to be consistent with his training week after week and month after month (he has amazed me with how consistent his training has been!). Once he lost the weight and was able to be consistent, I challenged him with volume, not intensity. I added some intensity in small doses, but not enough to blow him apart. The plan I set out for him was very basic, but most importantly, it was very effective. We built a plan, for the most part, that allowed him to swim, bike and run on the same days each week. We did move the recovery days and long workouts around depending on family commitments. The result is a finely tuned athlete ready to have a great first IMLP. The point here is that we didn’t decide to follow a certain protocol for three weeks, or two cycles, but instead we went into each period open minded and didn’t progress the program until the athlete had adapted to the previous cycle. This is what adaptation is all about – progressing the plan when the body is ready, not when the calendar says to. Many athletes either don’t have a plan or try to stick to a plan that’s unrealistic. Either way, it’s hard to get stronger and faster on a program that doesn’t allow for a natural progression.
Follow these steps to get faster:
1. The first step is having baseline numbers at the start of training: You don’t know if you are getting faster if you don’t know where your starting point is. For swimming, start with a set of 100s on a certain send off. For instance 10x100 on 1:45or 2:05 (whatever gives you 10-15” rest) and see what you average for the 10. Or you could swim 3-5x500 on 30” rest, seeing how much you can descend 1-5. One of my favorite test sets is to swim 8x100 on 3:00 and do your best to hit every 100 as close to possible while redlining the entire set. I typically rotate these 3 swims and one straight 1000 yard swim every 4 weeks to gage progress. One week it’s the 5x500, the next week it may be the 1k, the next week it might be the 8x100 on 3:00 and the fourth week would be the 10x100 on 1:45 set.
For the bike, something simple like a 10-12 mile TT would be fine – taking your avg HR over the course and even your time for that course as long as the conditions are the same test to test.
For running, I use a few different tests. I like to run 3 miles on the track at a HR 20 beats below LT. I call this my ‘all day’ HR, meaning I could run this HR for a few hours. Another test I like to do is a straight up 30 minute test as hard and as fast as I can run. You could also use a 5k or 10k instead of the straight up 30 minutes. You are looking to determine threshold HR and pace in these run tests.
All of the tests we use are located here: http://www.d3multisport.com/blog/index.php/defining-heart-rate-zones

2. Test often enough to see if your training plan is working or not:
Once you have the baselines set, don’t forget to re-test every 4-6 weeks. Knowing your LT from 4 years ago does not help your current training. Put the test on your schedule so you know you have to do it and get it done. Most people don’t test because a) it’s painful and b) they don’t want to know if they are any faster than 3 months ago!

3. Create training stress: Just like my athlete above, you need to change things up – distance, effort, pace, HR etc. Routine is certainly a positive thing, but doing the same thing day after day, week after week is not. Changing up the duration, distance, speed, and effort will all create a stimulus that will cause you to get stronger and faster. If you run 1:30 for your long run two weeks in a row, then make the next week either a 1:45 or run 1:15 but at a faster pace for the last 15’. Whatever it is, change up the workout. Make it challenging and make it fun!

4. Get out of your comfort zone: Too many times I see athletes that run their 5k, 10k, and 21k races at the same pace. I often wonder how this is possible. My hat is certainly off to anyone who steps up to the start line of any distance, but if you don’t have the ability to get out of your comfort zone, you won’t get faster, no matter how far you can run at one pace. Workout with faster athletes once per week and see what it’s like to swim, bike or run at a faster pace than you currently do. Even changing up your run pace by 15” per mile will give your body a challenge from the same old, same old.

5. Don’t listen to everyone and try to incorporate every expert’s ideas into your training: By starting a new training idea or theory every few weeks you aren’t giving your body a chance to adapt to the new stress and your body keeps restarting or stays in a state of fatigue. Pick a plan that makes sense to you (not your friends or that of a professional athlete) and stick with it for at least 12 weeks. If you don’t see any progress, than change the plan up or talk with someone who can advise you how to improve on your plan.
6. Keep it simple: The KISS method really does work. Create a challenging set of workouts that leave you tired but not exhausted- do this for 2-3 weeks, take a recovery week, and then come back and increase the volume, frequency, effort or the intensity in the next block of training.

7. Go Easy on the Easy days! The biggest difference between front of the pack (FOP) age groupers and middle of the pack (MOP) age groupers is that FOP racers know how to go ‘easy’. If you can stop training in that ‘no benefit zone’ you’ll absorb the harder workouts and make fitness gains. If you continually train too hard, your body will never be able to adapt to the harder sessions and will be in a constant state of fatigue. One of the best quotes I have read on training came from Frank Shorter, Gold Medalist at the 1972 Olympics: “On the hard days, I go as hard as I can, but on the easy days, I go as easy as I can.” If it works for a Gold Medalist, maybe you could give it a shot too?
If you are tired of the same old results from the same training, it’s time to get organized and plan out your training differently than you have in the past. By following these seven rules you’ll be setting yourself up for continued improvement throughout the triathlon season.

Mike Ricci, D3 Multisport head coach and USA Triathlon Level III Certified Coach, was selected to write the training programs for both the short and long course USA World Championship Teams from 2002-2009. D3 Multisport has a variety of services ranging from one-on-one coaching to training plans for specific events and races. Visit www.D3multisport.com more information or e-mail Mike at mike@d3multisport.com