A recipe for triathlon success

A recipe for triathlon success

So you ve decided you re going to try to bake a cake. Fantastic! What kind of cake? There a hundreds of kinds of cake and probably hundreds of variations on each of these kinds! Every baker likely has his or her own recipe with different frostings, icings, mousses, sprinkles, fruits, chocolates Question: What does each of these individuals from professional baker to first timer have in common from the start?

Nobody sets out to make a crappy cake!

Wetsuit Bodyglide Goggles & Cap Cannondale Slice 5 with free bike fit Look Pedals LG Tri Lite Shoes Bell Sweep Helmet Bottles and Cages Flat Repair Kit Racebelt Sunglasses Tri Shorts Singlet Cap Running Shoes Gear bag Sunscreen Food and Drink

Ingredient Portions? Time? Temperature?

The two primary goals of any training program are: Improve physiological capacity and/or performance Stay healthy

Adaptation is achieved through the stressresponse-recovery cycle The adaptations that arise are specific to the characteristics of the stress or demand placed on the system In training we modulate the stress using the FIT PRINCIPLE Frequency how often? Intensity how hard? Time how long? In triathlon we have the added complication of 3 modes THREE CAKES & ONE OVEN

Any effective training program has a proper balance a of frequency, intensity and time Training Volume is a factor of baking time Frequency of sessions x Time per session Training Intensity is a factor of baking temperature The energy expended per unit of time

Pace Miles/hour Minutes/mile seconds/minutes/hours per 100 meters

Easy to understand Relatively inexpensive Easy recording, storage and analysis of data Can demonstrate improved fitness and/or technique given consistent prepost conditions Pros Can and will be affected by weather, road surface, terrain, etc. when riding outdoors Too inconsistent (due to factors above) for programming Cons

Pace Heart Rate (HR)

Brings a certain amount of objectivity to a training program Simple recording, storage and analysis of training data Keeps the athlete somewhat in tune with the body s response throughout a given training session Provides a consistent indicator of relative workload even deep into a long workout when relative intensity may change Can help to identify overtraining syndrome Pros Inconsistency: HR can be affected by things other than training stimulus Delayed response to intensity Excess of data?? Incompatible with group training cardiac drift in ultraendurance training or events Cons

Pace Heart Rate (HR) Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)

Free!!!!! Integrates physiology, psychology, nutrition, hydration, weather, terrain, etc. Immediate and allows for instant response and adjustment Useful for those who take medications that affect HR response Can be useful in detecting overtraining Integrates physiology, psychology, nutrition, hydration, weather, terrain, etc. Data collection, storage and analysis less meaningful more difficult?? Pros Cons

Pace (mph) Heart Rate (HR) Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) Power (Watts) Normalized Power (NP) Intensity Factor (IF) Training Stress Score (TSS)

Specific and reliable 150W =150W Data collection, storage and analysis is easy and useful short and long term Can be useful in detecting training effect Pros Moment by moment data has little value Takes focus away from the athlete s body and mind Weather conditions? Applicability of zones and thresholds established in 10-20 minute tests? Cons

Pace (mph) Heart Rate (HR) Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) Power (Watts) Normalized Power (NP) Intensity Factor (IF) Training Stress Score (TSS) rtss (run) stss (swim)

Uses the average power for a ride or ride segment (>30s) and applies an algorithm that takes into account key physiological factors Provides and estimate of the power output that an athlete could have maintained at the same physiological cost had power been constant throughout

The ratio of normalized power to an individual athletes threshold power The intensity factor translates the absolute intensity (normalized power) of a given ride or ride segment into the context of the athlete s personal fitness or ability level

Duration x IF 2 x 100 Provides a value for the overall training load of a given workout or series of workouts This can help to dial in a given individuals optimal training load and can help to avoid or detect overtraining

Zones HR Estimated Measured Power Functional Threshold Power 20-minute 60-minute % VO2max Estimated Measured Threshold-based Lactate Threshold Ventilatory Threshold

Stepto et al., 1999 Regionally competitive cyclists (non-interval trained) Bouts ranging from 80-175% of peak aerobic power Largest gains in endurance performance seen in group that performed 8 x 4 minutes at 85% PPO with 90s recovery Lindsay et al., 1996; Weston et al., 1997 Regionally competitive cyclists (non-interval trained) Six sessions of 6 x 5 minute high intensity bouts Modest improvements in 40-km time trial performance Peak sustained power output (PPO) Time to fatigue at 150% PPO

MacDougal et al., 1998 30-second sprint efforts w/ 2-4 minutes of recovery; 3 times per week for 7 weeks; number of intervals increased and recovery period decreased over course of study Significant increase in Wpeak, total work over 30 seconds, VO2max and glycolytic and oxidative enzyme activity in muscle

Laursen and Jenkins, 2002 Trained Cyclists 2 x per week for 4 weeks Repeat intervals at Wmax for 60% of the maximal duration that Wmax could be sustained Increases in VO2max, peak power and average velocity during a 40-km time trial

INJURY OVERTRAINING THIS LEADS US TO THE ALL- IMPORTANT QUESTION OF DOSAGE

SWIMMERS National and international class 100 and 200 meter specialists Completed 1150 km over the course of the season 77% of the distance was done at an intensity below 2mM/L of blood lactate. Mujika et al., 1995

MARATHONERS French and Portuguese marathoners 12-weeks leading up to an Olympic trials marathon 78% of their kilometers below marathon pace 4% at marathon race pace 18% at 10K or faster pace Billat et al., 2001

ROWERS German world-class junior rowers 37-weeks culminating in national championships and world championship qualification races 95% of their rowing training performed below 2 mm blood lactate Gullich et al., 2009

Road Cyclists Elite Spanish U-23 riders Followed through their winter and spring training mesocycles Physiological testing performed before winter, before spring and after spring Despite a four-fold increase (5 hours to 21 hours) in Zone 3 (supra-lactate threshold) training from winter to spring, there was no increase in threshold power or power at VO2max Zapico et al., 2007

TRACK CYCLISTS German team pursuit athletes Training to maintain 670 W in lead position and 450 W when following In 200 days preceding the Olympics 140 days of low-intensity (50-60% VO2max), high mileage training 40 days of stage races 20 days of specific track competition intensities They won GOLD in Sydney Schumacher and Mueller, 2002

Esteve-Lanao (taken from a Review by Seiler & Tonnesen, 2009) Recreational runners were distributed into to groups and were given programs with the following intensity distributions (3-zone system): 77-3-20% in zones 1, 2, 3 respectively 46-35-19% in zones 1, 2, 3 respectively Achieved zone distributions were 65-21-14 and 31-56-13 ---note the attraction toward the lactate threshold black hole Nevertheless: the more polarized group saw significantly greater improvements in 10 km performance at 7 and 11 weeks.

Based on the training methods of successful endurance athletes, it appears that an approximate 80:20 split of low to high intensity training produces optimal benefits Low-intensity, longer duration training does produce beneficial physiological adaptations. These are NOT junk miles. High-intensity training should be a part of an athlete s training program. An established endurance base built from highvolume training may be an important condition for tolerating an increase in high-intensity training The results of marked increases in HIT in already well trained athletes over 12-45 weeks are equivocal Seiler & Tonnensen, 2009

Laboratory Testing VO2 max Testing w/ HR, power (on bike) $139/individual $109/individual for groups of 3+ Metabolic Efficiency Testing w/ pace, power (on bike) and HR $145/individual $116/individual for groups of 3+

Periodic Field Testing Threshold Testing Bike 60-min TT 30-min TT 20-min TT 10-min TT Run 10 km race time 15 km or 13.1 mile race time 30-min TT Swim 1000 meter TT

Use all of the information at your disposal to make adjustments to your recipe until you have it just how you want it. Signs to turn it up Testing demonstrates significant changes in overall aerobic fitness or threshold wattage (or pace) Changes in goals or key races (e.g. need to work on top end speed and form) with base mileage established and injury free. Signs to turn it down Mental fatigue and or depression Physical fatigue lasting beyond normal recovery Testing shows performance decrements Elevated sub-max or resting HRs