• Strengths and weaknesses of the athlete outside triathlon—what is helping and what is a hindrance in the athlete’s life when it comes to reaching the goal? • Strengths and weaknesses of the athlete inside triathlon—we’re talking swim-bike-run as well as strength, endurance, speed, etc.
Maximize athlete’s contact with a coach and provide ample opportunities for questions If you are not in the constant practice of training beginners, then over time you will forget what it was like getting started in the sport. Beginners are like kindergartners; you have to repeat things over and over again until they show some sign of understanding! Patience is obviously key, and the more access the athlete has to a coach, the faster the athlete progresses.
Mon. Week 1Week 1 Week 2Week 2
30-­‐min. group swim
1-­‐hour group swim
Week 3 Week 3
1-­‐hour group swim
Tues.
30-­‐min. bike
20-­‐min. run
Wed.
30-­‐min. swim
30-­‐min. bike
A great way to foster a dynamic learning
environment is to create a beginner’s group. This is great for two reasons:
1. There is great synergy in a group of beginners all working towards the same race; it feels more like a team than it does an individual event, and 2. You end up answering less overall questions because your message spreads throughout the group members. With or without a training group, here is a short list of items to bring up early and often when training beginners: • Pre-race meal—practice this in training • How to change a flat tire—practice, practice, practice • Transition flow and set-up—study website maps and race morning visualization • Course specificity—what to expect on race day
Thurs.
1-­‐hour group track
1-­‐hour group track
30-­‐min. bike
OFF
1-­‐hour group track
Fri. OFF
30-­‐min. swim
Sat. 1-­‐hour
group bike -­‐ intervals 1-­‐hour
group bike -­‐ hills
2-­‐hour group brick -­‐
OFF
open water swim clinic;
bike (legal drafting work)
Week 4Week 4 Week 5Week 5
1-­‐hour group swim
1-­‐hour group swim
Week 6 Week 6
1-­‐hour group swim
1-­‐hour bike -­‐
intervals
20-­‐min. run
20-­‐min. run
1-­‐hour swim
1-­‐hour bike
1-­‐hour bike
30-­‐min. group track
1-­‐hour group track
1-­‐hour group track
2-­‐hour group
OFF
30-­‐min. swim
1-­‐hour swim
brick -­‐ bike hills;
run drills
1-­‐hour bike
1.5-­‐hour group
brick -­‐ bike with
intervals; run
Week 7Week 7 OFF
1-­‐hour bike -­‐
intervals
30-­‐min. run
30-­‐min. group track
OFF
2-­‐hour group brick -­‐ Open water swim
clinic; bike -­‐ (tempo work)
Week 8Week 8
1-­‐hour group swim
Week 9Week 9
1-­‐hour group swim
OFF
(2) 1-­‐hour bike -­‐ hills; 45-­‐min. run
OFF
1-­‐hour group track
1-­‐hour bike
page 6 | PERFORMANCECOACHING
1-­‐hour group track
1-­‐hour swim
1-­‐hour swim
2-­‐hour group
brick -­‐ bike hills;
run drills
1.5-­‐hour group
brick – 1 hour bike; 30-­‐min.
OFF
1-­‐hour bike
30-­‐min. run
OFF
Some last minute tips for you: whatever you do, keep it simple and make it fun. Go the extra effort to make the plan GREAT. Know when to push and when to back off. Insert extra recovery days where needed. Adjust on the fly and tailor the workout to the specific needs of the athlete. Seek expert help when you are unsure of what to do. And of course, never lose that beginner’s spirit yourself!
30-­‐min. run
David Bertrand is a USAT Level II coach and holds a USAC Level 3 certification. He is a Playtri Multisport Coach and a lecturer at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. David has led hundreds of beginners to their first triathlon through Playtri’s group and corporate programs. For further information, email David at
david@playtri.com or visit
www.playtri.com
OFF
30-­‐min. run
Sun.
20-­‐min. run
20-­‐min. run
• Signing up for the race (you’d be surprised!) • Volunteering at a race—a picture speaks 1,000 words • Packet pick-up—what, when and where • USA Triathlon annual membership
Make adjustments to the plan along the way Even if you do Step No. 1 and write a book about the athlete, you can never plan or anticipate for all of life’s twists and turns. For a beginner, always error on the conservative side when adjusting the plan, and remember it’s better to show up 50 percent under-trained than it is .01 percent over-trained. Encourage the beginner to give you frequent feedback to ensure he or she is progressing safely yet still being challenged along the way. The difference in a good plan and a
GREAT plan lies in the ability to make not only the right adjustments but to make the right adjustments AT THE RIGHT TIME!
Execute the plan Emphasize the importance of following
the plan. You will keep more people healthy and out of injury by stressing the importance of sticking to the schedule. Beginners typically don’t know when to rest and when to push, so they need to hear from the coach that following the plan is the best way to achieve optimum results. Here is an example of an 11-week sprint training plan (see left).
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