Offseason training

Matthew Dale gets some offseason training tips from some of the sport's top coaches

It's a problem that confronts the North American long-distance triathlete every winter: what to do during the offseason. Take a couple weeks off, then plow right back into heavy mileage? Hang the bike in the garage rafters, don't look at it for months, pack on 15 pounds, then start shedding the winter coat? Or maybe step outside your swim-bike-run comfort zone and sample something completely different, keeping the mind and body sharp?

We tracked down three of the sport’s most respected coaches – Paul Huddle and Roch Frey of multisports.com, plus Lance Watson of LifeSportcoaching.com, Ironman’s official coach. All three offered excellent and varied suggestions, which they say applies to both the Ironman and 70.3 distance.

 

Before he turned to triathlon and finished in the top seven at Ironman Hawaii three times, Huddle was a runner. He walked onto the track and cross country teams at the University of Arizona. “And I sucked,” said Huddle, now 47.

“Sucked,” of course, is relative.

“Now we’re all in our 40s, facing mortality,” Huddle said. “We have jobs, wives, kids. We have no life. We got out of shape and fat.”

Yet they threw down the gauntlet. Could they train seven weeks and crack five minutes?

Knowing how Type A most long-distance triathletes are, Huddle said, “It’s nice to have a goal you’re chasing.”

Before taking the challenge, Huddle was running 2-3 times a week with his dog. Distance: three miles. Pace: 9-10 minutes. He biked maybe once a week and swam about the same.

His mile training program called for four workouts a week. Two of the sessions were intense. He jogged to a track, then did three one-mile repeats, lowering the times by about 10 seconds each mile. The second tough workout was six repeat 400s, aiming for 75-second race-pace intervals. The other two workouts were easy: an hour run at an 8-minute pace and a 25- to 30-minute run at the same speed.

The 6-foot-2 Huddle trimmed down from 195 pounds to 190. “I was shocked at how I felt,” he said. “I got halfway fit on very little training. That was a revelation to me.”

Come race day, about 12 to 15 people showed up for the mile. Huddle posted the fastest time: 5:06. Heather Fuhr came in next, a couple seconds back. And what does all this have to do with offseason triathlon training?

“Everyone wants that lifetime achievement experience,” Huddle said. “Stop it. Go the other way. Quit feeling like the only achievement that’s worthwhile or can alter your life is some godforsaken Bataan Death March. It doesn’t have to be long to feel like an incredible achievement. This is a fun test of your fitness.”

The challenge doesn’t have to be a one-mile run. If you prefer the pool, Huddle suggests substituting a 400-meter swim. Or maybe a 2.5-mile bike ride. Anything that takes about five minutes.

Huddle believes the change will make for a faster triathlete.

“Because nobody goes hard,” he said. “Everybody talks about intensity and quality. They think they do it, but nobody does. It’s like a masters swim class. You can’t get anybody to do a sprint set.”

Frey: Think variety

What’s the most common mistake committed by the first-time marathoner? Too much (as in too many miles), too soon. Frey said many triathletes commit the same sin.

“Everyone starts swimming, biking and running too long, too hard early in the season,” he said.

Even in December, Frey said he hears about people having already logged five century rides.

“Come March, you’re very fit,” he said. “But come April or May, they don’t want to look at their bike anymore. People are seriously burned out.”

Frey suggests stepping away from the three disciplines. He recommends focusing on strength training or perhaps taking yoga or Pilates classes. Paddle boarding can be a good substitute for swimming. If you want to ride or run, he suggests heading to the trails, which will build strength.

The main thing, he said, is to keep the training fresh.

“It’s huge,” he said. “No matter how nice it is come July, if you’ve been (swim-bike-run) training a lot since January, you’ve only got so many workouts in you.”

During the season triathletes fight the balance battle, squeezing in all three disciplines. Watson feels the winter is a good time to target one discipline for improvement. As a means to focus on one of the disciplines, he suggests signing up for a masters swim meet, a road race or trying to set a personal record say in a 5K.

“Not necessarily doing a pile of mileage within that one sport,” Watson said, “but building your training week around that one sport so that you’re hitting more sessions fresh.”

Watson said workouts can be more skill specific, like hill strides or classic running drills. “Things that remind the body how to move more efficiently,” Watson said.

In the pool, he recommends “blasts,” firing off the wall for 15 high-tempo strokes, then cruising the rest of the way. You might emphasize balance drills in the pool. On the bike, cyclists can practice “stomps,” quick 10- to 15-second accelerations.

When going out on an easy run, Watson suggests running with someone new. Leave the heart-rate monitor at home and don’t worry about mile splits. For bike rides, drive somewhere an hour away and hit new terrain.

“Put some creative energy into your training. Create variety,” he said. “Just keep it interesting and stimulate yourself. Go out and smell the roses.”

You can reach Matthew Dale at mdale@ironman.com