Triathlon- not just swim bike & run, the bigger picture!

Essentially, yes, triathlon is a race or event that involves swimming, cycling & running, but for Triathletes this is just the start of a much bigger picture.

Nevertheless, let me give you a quick rundown on the “Smaller Picture” that is triathlon. Triathlon is (nearly) always run in the same order of disciplines- Start swimming, then ride, finishing with a run. There are transitions 1 & 2, Transition 1 is from swim to ride & getting on the bike, transition 2 is getting off the bike & going form bike to run. There are 4 different triathlon event lengths- Sprint (750m/20km/5km), Standard/ Olympic Distance (1.5km/40km/10km), Half ironman (2.1km/90km/21.1km) and Ironman (4.2km/180km/42.2km) Sprint & Olympic distances are commonly known as Short course & Half or full Ironman being long course triathlon. Similarly, professional athletes will tend to race either in the Short course ITU World Series, World Cup, Olympic Games, & Superleague circuit, or in the Long course, Ironman & 70.3 circuit at one time.

But this is just the basics to a very dynamic, technical, tactical & well-rounded sport. Triathlon is a lifestyle, and if you don’t already have a friend who’s involved in the sport, sharing race battle stories, killer training sessions or their meal plans, then you soon will because this sport is on the Move!

Triathlon being 3 disciplines involves long hours of training over any given week- as the sport demands excellence across all 3 disciplines these days, there is no such thing as a weak leg anymore! But outside of the swimming, cycling & running are a growing number of factors triathletes have to include into a weekly management & training program- #THEATHLETELIFE

Strength & Conditioning
S & C is the 4th discipline to Triathlon, it is crucial to any triathletes longevity, consistency, form & efficiency. For me this means up to 6 (mixed) strength & conditioning sessions a week! This can range from a standard gym workout prescription, to Pilates, reformer work, yoga or even something as easy as setting out a matt on the grass & going through my key exercises under the sun! Strength & Conditioning themselves are prudent, but they are key to switching on the right muscles firing, efficiency, form under fatigue, flexibility, coordination, along with prehab work to target weaknesses & rehab work to correct problems.

Stretching & Trigger Point + Roller Work
Self Release & stretch work is key your self-management practice and needs to be done daily, as much as it hurts!! Focusing on the key body areas/ muscle groups that were under fire recently at “work.” A foam roller, or trigger ball (from tennis ball, golf ball, to bouncy ball, or spikey trigger torture ball) are perfect tools to help release & relax tight & tired muscle groups, e.g. calves, glutes, quads, ITB & back, shoulders, & hip flexors. Stretching likewise is a great way to release any tight areas of the body & increase range of movement gradually over time!

Nutrition!! Fuel to train!!
If I had a dollar for every time someone said, ‘Oh you do triathlon, you must be on a strict diet!’ The answer is no, we don’t diet, We Fuel our bodies to Train!! That’s the way you have think about Nutrition, If i am a race car then i need to fill myself with top quality, long lasting, efficient fuel to be able to go hard & fast for lengths of time, well it’s the same for Triathletes! A balanced, fresh, wholesome diet, fuelling around key training sessions, planning pre crabs & post recovery crab + protein mix.

Soft tissue Treatment
Having 3 disciples to train over, means triathletes train a LOT, so need to make sure they recover well by managing themselves with soft tissue treatment, with the likes of physio, deep tissue sports massage, chiropractor, Accupuncture, and osteopath. And lets face it if you take a short cut on this recovery management work, you’ll end up spending a lot more time here if you become insjured!

Sleep / Naps
Adequate sleep in KEY, those 8 hours a day are recommended for a reason! Sleep is critical to your body’s recover, its when your body & mind stop, relax & deload- you can’t sell yourself short on this good stuff, & its free! For many though 8 hours may be impossible with very early morning training starts & long days working, so finding the time in the day for a nap & some quality shut eye is vital, using lunch breaks or even a 20 minute window on the bus/train home.

Training diary / data
Many will be familiar with the latest training applications that help you to update your training feedback, training data, & all important strava segment numbers. For professionals we have to report in with Daily morning “metrics” – everything from sleep quality, to perceived waking energy, & that’s even before we’ve started the first session. Keeping communication up to date, with self feedback/ comments is very useful for coaching & to reflect back on. Likewise for all you number crunches out there, I don’t need to go into why its great to upload & share data from quality workouts with others on – Garmin connect, strava, & even social media.

Work….?
It would be brilliant to comfortably earn enough not to have to work when home from overseas racing, but for the majority work is essential to pay the bills! SO finding the “right” or “best case” work hours around training is important, so not swamping yourself & digging yourself into a whole! After all we work to earn so that we can then enjoy! Flexible work days & hours, routine days to plan around, & half days have always worked well from personal experience

Equipment servicing
Now that reminds me, my bike needs a clean… Yep a clean bike is a fast bike!

With 3 sports involved their is no shortage of sporting equipment needed.

SO now you can see why us triathletes go on & on about this swim , bike, run business! There is a lot to talk about in the Bigger Picture, take a leap & give it a go!

Photo by: Montreal ITU World Series. Photographer unknown