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Triathlete's Training Bible - Q&A

PostPosted: 17 Jan 2010 19:53
by 45Cdo
Is anyone else using this approach? If so I've set up a thread for Q&A. Please answer if you know or want to comment (even if you're not actually using this approach).

My first questions --

1. During Prep and Base 1 do you gradually increase the endurance sessions or do they stay the same length?

2. Do you avoid all speed (I mean intervals and tempo runs etc. not speed skills as per the TTB) training during these phases? if so what do you do about turbo or spin session?

Cheers,

Dean

Re: Triathlete's Training Bible - Q&A

PostPosted: 17 Jan 2010 21:47
by Sir Conehead
As Joe is now within my clutches - if there are any expansive questions about TBB let me know. Prob won't ask him detialed stuff, but if there's a peice missing that you can't get your head around let me know and I'll run it past him.

I actually haven't read TBB so can't answer specifics myself.

Re: Triathlete's Training Bible - Q&A

PostPosted: 17 Jan 2010 21:54
by AndyM
I am trying to (very trying the WAT would say):

1. For the bike/run I'm incremently increasing the length of at least one of the sessions whilst increasing the total weekly hours, a) because there's s only a certain number of sessions I can fit in a week, and b) because ultimately I'm looking to go 1/2IM I need to be able to do the equivalent hours on the hours run/cycle. Swimming isn't so much an issue as I can comfortably do the distance already.

2. For the bike/run I'm sticking mainly to the suggested workouts so low intensity concentrating on form and cadence.
On the turbo I'm doing 2 x 1 hour sessions concentrating on cadence and form - 1 leg drills etc. My weekend session will genreally be a long low intensity turbo of up to 3h - this is in lieu of the sunday club run which will probably replace this session now the weather's improving.
I may do a short series of speed intervals during one of my run and turbo sessions, but this will only account for 10-15 minutes of a 60 minute session.
For the swim I'm doing drills (arms and legs) every session utilising fins (I recommend the Aquasphere Alpha Fins) with a main f/s endurance set of the target distance (e.g. 5 x400m, or 10 x 200m).

A question in return: does the weight sessions count towards the training hours? I'm currently doing 3 x 1h weight sessions a week (including core) but if this doesn't count, it's a serious chunk of time to fit in over and above the stipulated hours (e.g. my base 1 peaks at 16h).

Re: Triathlete's Training Bible - Q&A

PostPosted: 17 Jan 2010 23:48
by didds
sort of following on from Andy... last year I started devising my plan a la TTTB... I had my training hours worked out and in prep phase (IIRC) I had something like 5.5 hours to do per week. This was to fit 3 disciplines and weights in, and 2 x weights was an hour total... leaving me 4.5 hours to do something like 6 sessions... trying to divvy those up with a bike predominance (50%) ended up with me having stuff like 20 minute swim sessions and 30 minute bikes... which seemed pointless so I binned it at the time as I clearly just didn;t understand the processes enough.

I re-read TTTB last autumn to see if I could get a better handle on how i was supposed to divvy up the time... and wasn't any better off... so still don;t have a clue how I divvy up 6 hours into swim, bike, run and weights in any meaningful manner.

didds

Re: Triathlete's Training Bible - Q&A

PostPosted: 18 Jan 2010 06:41
by Jack Hughes
Good question Didds.

How I work around it is divide up my time into four week chunks, and focus on just one sport in that. I.e. be a cyclist for a month, then a runner, then a swimmer. That way I can do some meaningful training - i.e. put some stress/overload, so I improve. A recovery session might be replaced by something from another discipline - especially working on swimming technique (I'm not really good enough to train at swimming).

Well, that's the theory. I usually have some injury which means I can't run. And the over the last few months it's been hard to find 6 hours.

Re: Triathlete's Training Bible - Q&A

PostPosted: 18 Jan 2010 08:44
by 45Cdo
Yes, I have exactly the same issue about the way to split up the disciplines - I have also tried to do it the way a race is split up i.e. c.50% bike etc. but this does mean that I am often doing 30 min sessions in the pool. I'm okay with this as I'm reasonably comfortable with the swimming.

Andy, my understanding is that the weight sessions are included.