Let’s start setting the pace

As the global sporting spotlight will fall on Bahrain again later this year, GulfWeekly has teamed up with one of the world’s top trainers to coach the island’s sports-lovers to prepare to take part. If you have ever fancied trying a triathlon there will never be a better opportunity. Your community newspaper hopes to inspire you to put your best foot forward and have a go.

Don’t be scared … Andy Price will help you every step of the way!
Here’s your WEEK 3 SCHEDULE – 134 days until Bahrain Challenge.

Training programme for the week starting July 26 to August 1 
This is week one of Block One and will last for four weeks when you will have a recovery week. The block is focused on building up strength and endurance and will provide a basis to move into more speed endurance-based workouts later on. This week’s aim is to understand at what speed you need to train at.

For ease I will include a key to explain any abbreviations each week:
• F/S – Freestyle or Front Crawl
• Alt – Alternative Stroke. For most this should be Backstroke, but for some Breastroke
• PULL – F/S with a Pull Float between your legs
• KICK – F/S kick using a Kick Board
• R – Rest (normally in seconds)
• Z – Zones (1 – 4)
• RPM – Revs per Minute
• HRM – Heart Rate Monitor

From the start try and breathe bilaterally. By this we mean breath to one side then to the other alternatively. Not only will this keep you body position more even in the water it will also get you used to breathing on both sides and may come in useful should you ever need to change breathing patterns in a race due to water conditions.  If you find it hard, try bilateral breathing for the first length of each repetition and then extend it to the first two lengths the following week and so on.

Drills – swimming coaches use swimming drills to smooth out strokes. For the purpose of these sessions mix up any of the following drills:
• FIST. Bunch your hands into fists and swim normally.  Keep the stroke long and even and see how much force your forearms give to propel forward.
• CATCH UP. Keep one arm out in front as the other completes the full stroke and only when both arms are out in front complete a full cycle of the other arm and repeat. Simply put its single arm swimming.
• FINGERS. Drag all your fingers just below the surface of the water during the recovery phase.  Keep a high elbow.

SESSION 1 - Time Trial
• Warm up
3 x 150m F/S R 60
1 x 150m Drills
• Time trial
400m Hard  R120
2 x 100m F/S Easy R60
200m Hard R120
Record your times and use www.swimsmooth.com/css-calculator.html to work out your race pace
• Main set
3 x 100m F/S Hard R 30
200m Kick
• Warm down
200m F/S Steady
Total – 2100m

Session 2 - Pool
• Warm up
4 x 100m F/S Steady R 30
6 x 50m Drill
• Main set
3 x 150m F/S at Race pace R45
1 x 150 Alt Stroke Steady R60 (use this to assist with recovery)
Repeat above 3 times
• Warm down
100m F/S Kick
100m F/S Pull
100m F/S Swim

Session 3 – Open Water
• 3 x 500m. Rest after each 500m by treading water / lying on your back. All as close to race pace as you can. Focus on not dropping off the pace on the last one.
• 1 x 500m steady

There will be two types of sessions, those on the Road and those on a Turbo Trainer. If you are unable to get out on your bike or the weather is too hot then consider doing the workouts indoors whether on a static bike, Turbo Trainer or exercise bike.  Cycling is all about being efficient and getting into a rhythm.  In training Block 1 we will focus on timed rides, concentrating on long, smooth rides and trying to ride slightly further each ride, gradually build distance rather than bursts of speed; that will come later.

SESSION 1 = INDOORS / Turbo Trainer - British Cycling Threshold Test
• 20 min warm up – Steady
• 30 min test  - Ride as hard as you can but sustain the tempo and pace over the whole 30 minutes
After 10 minutes start to record your heart rate. Aim for a cadence of 90 to 100 Revs Per Minute (RPM) and a reasonably hard gear. Ideally you need a Heart Rate Monitor (HRM) to be accurate you can record your heart rate every five minutes by taking a pulse over six seconds and x by 10.
• 20 min easy cycle warm down
Go to www.britishcycling.org.uk and type your results into their Threshold Calculator.

SESSION 2 - OUTDOORS  (remember this is a bike to run)
• 90 minutes ride in Zone 2 / Steady followed by a 5km or 25 min steady run (Zone 2)

SESSION 3 – OUTDOORS - 60 minute Time Trial.
• 15-minute warm up at a steady pace
• 60-minute at a hard but sustainable pace. Keep an average speed and sustain it
• Record your distance
• 10-minute steady warm down

Running is all about being consistent and getting into a rhythm. You will have completed a hard swim and bike in race conditions so train for it. Once a week (Friday morning) add a run to the bike. On average it takes 15 – 25 minutes for your body to accustom itself to transitioning from the bike. Remember in effect you have just been sat still for more than two hours and using different lower body muscles than that used in running.  You will not be able to stride out properly and you will be very stiff so we will practice going from the bike into a run each week.

This week will be a relatively easy running week as you get used to training.

Unlike the other two events where you can warm up gradually, try and get into a short routine of flexible warm up before you start each run;
• Warm Up – start off with some mobility exercises
Leg Swings. Facing a wall or car, Raise you leg to 90 degrees and let it drop down in front, repeat 10 times on each leg
Leg Swings. As above but face at right angle to wall or car and raise outside leg to hip height and let if fall naturally behind you. 10 times on each leg
Walking lunge – take a short stride, go down on one knee, but don’t let it touch the ground, straight back and then take three steps and repeat on other leg. Repeat 10 times each then jog out 50m
 
Calf Stretch
Each week aim for three runs. They will be broken down into
• A steady run at gradually longer distances.
• Some form of interval training be it on a track or known distance (400 or 800m).
• A bike to run.

Session 1 – Steady Run.  5km Time Trial (Don’t worry it will get further as the weeks progress)

• Warm up
Mobility stretches
400m Easy
Mobility stretches
400m Easy
• Trial
400m Steady R 120
400m Steady R 120
5km time trial.  Maintain a fast but sustainable pace
• Warm down
Dynamic stretches. Don’t push the stretches just hold for 20 seconds each. Work from your feet up stretching each major running group muscle.

Session 2 – Intervals on a track if possible
• Warm up
Mobility stretches
400m Easy
Mobility stretches
400m Easy
• Main set
10 x 400m R60.  Focus on even splits. Don’t go out too hard, start at a steady pace and try and maintain it.
• Warm down
Dynamic stretches. Don’t push the stretches just hold for 20 seconds each.  Work from your feet up stretching each major running group muscle.
Total Distance – 4800m

Session 3 - Bike to Run
• Following your weekend bike give yourself three to five minutes rest as you stow away the bike then go for a 5km or max 25 minute run at a steady pace (Zone 2) whichever is the shortest.