Run Training
MOVING
ON UP ALREADY CONQUERED YOUR FAVORITE DISTANCE? GO LONGER IN 2014
BY MACKENZIE LOBBY As triathletes everywhere begin to plot
their 2014 seasons, many are looking for a fresh challenge. This often means tackling a longer distance race, moving from sprint to Olympic-distance or Olympic-distance to half-ultra or ultra-distance. Whether you conquered your first triathlon this past year or you’re a seasoned veteran, taking that step up can be a tricky prospect. Not only will it require more time to train, but you’ll also have to revamp your previous plans to accommodate the additional dis- tance. Charting a course for run training at the
longer distances can be especially difficult because it’s the discipline that tends to lead to the most injuries. If you go over- board, you’re likely to be sidelined your entire season. “Be gradual and conserva- tive,” said Michael Plumb, head coach for Triathlon Club of San Diego and TriPower Multisports. “I always remember one key quote: ‘it’s better to get to the start line 10 percent undertrained than 10 percent overtrained.’” When done correctly, how- ever, adjusting mileage, intensity, strength training and recovery can lead to a success- ful entrance into longer distance triathlons.
DISTANCE The first question triathletes tend to
ask when looking at increasing their race distance is about mileage. While you will certainly add running miles to your train- ing, Plumb said not to get too preoccu- pied with your weekly numbers. “The fo- cus should be on getting in the key work- outs,” he explained. “What I like to do for athletes who are bumping up in distance is to keep a similar training blueprint each week and within that, the key workout details can change.”
INTENSITY Intensity is another key aspect of any
training routine that will change with a longer race. “If anything you may do less, but generally speaking, it would be a simi- lar amount,” Plumb said. Although you’re training for a longer race and increasing your mileage, you don’t need to pile on a whole lot of extra high-intensity work. In fact, during the mileage-building phase, you may cut back slightly on harder work- outs to conserve energy and avoid injury. With that said, Plumb warned that
This means you’ll still have a scheduled
long run, tempo run, or intervals in the same way you did for the shorter races, but the speeds and distances will change. For distance, you should aim to increase your mileage by no more than 10 percent from one week to the next. So if you have been running 20 miles a week, do 22 next week, 24 the week after that, 26.5 the week after that, and so on. Over weeks and months, you’ll be able to gradually build a longer long run, as well as add in a mid-week semi-long run of 8-10 miles to build endurance.
training for a more endurance-based race doesn’t negate the need for high-in- tensity training. “One common miscon- ception is that because you are prepar- ing for a marathon within an Ironman, you need to do less or maybe even no intensity in your run training,” he said. “The truth is that regardless of what your speed is, if you become a faster runner overall, your marathon within an Ironman will be faster.” So while you may not utilize interval pace within a longer race, it assists in building a stronger car- diovascular system.
32 USA TRIATHLON WINTER 2014
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