Building up endurance

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 13 – 64 Days until Bahrain Challenge

* Training programme for the week starting Sunday to Saturday, October 10

So recovery week over and (hopefully) you took park in the Aquathon and were pleased with your time and performance.

Now we enter the final block of four weeks training before starting the three-week taper to Challenge.

Your next real test will be the Olympic Triathlon on Friday, October 16, at the Sofitel and this is a must for race preparation. Its where, albeit over shorter distances, you can test your hydration and feeding strategy, improve your transitions and have a feel for competing at race pace.

For ease I will include a key to explain 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

So it’s back to speed endurance. The distances are going to be increased and the rest reduced slightly as we build up your endurance over race pace.

* SESSION 1 – Pool

• Warm up (All R30)
  150m Swim
  150m Kick
  150m Pull
  150m Swim
• Main set (all at Z3 /Hard)
  4 x 200m R30
  4 x 150m R30
  4 x 100m R20
  4 x 50m (Max) R20
• Warm down
  6 x 100m Easy R45 (Alt strokes)
  Total – 3200m

* Session 2 – Pool

• Warm up
  400m F/S R45
  200m Drills R30
• Main set
  19 x 100m (All at Zone 3 / Race Pace) R30.

Note your total time and take off nine minutes to get your simulated race pace. You should be faster!

10 x 50m (Z3 / Hard) R30

• Warm down
  200m F/S Easy
  Total – 3200M

* Session 3 – Open Water

• 6 x 500m steady R120 after each

* SESSION 1 – Indoors / Turbo Trainer

• Warm up – 15 minutes steady
• Main set
  3 x 2 mins hard in big gear (high resistance) R60
  4 mins spinning easy
  3 x 1 min hard in big gear R60
  4 mins spinning easy
  4 x 30 secs hard in big gear
• Cool down – 15 mins

* SESSION 2 - OUTDOORS (remember this is a Bike to Run)

• 120 minutes ride in Zone 3 / race pace and hard followed by a 3km or 18 mins steady run (Zone 2)

* SESSION 3 – Outdoors

• 120 minutes hard ride. Mix up with five minutes in big gear / above race pace (simulate hill reps) back to five minutes hard in normal race gear in the middle 60 minutes.
  
  Over the last 10 weeks we have been focusing on long steady runs. Now it’s all about getting as close to race pace over distance as possible. So we will be building up to a 21km race pace in the next few weeks.
  
  Remember your race pace for a single run without a pre bike and swim will be faster so go at your predicted race pace. Also remember that it is not about running as fast as you can it’s about training you body to run at pace, there is a difference.

* Session 1 – Pace Run

• Warm up before you start the run. Try to avoid going straight off.
  Mobility stretches
  200m Jogs
• Main – 15km at race pace.
• Warm down
  4 x 200m strides (just above race pace)

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 – 60 minutes Fartlec (Jog, run at pace, walk, jog repeat)

• Start with 10 minutes steady running then 44 mins Fartlec of 1 min run (steady), 2 mins at pace 1 min walk recovery then repeat 10 times
• 6 minutes warm down jog

* Session 3 – Bike to Run

• Following your weekend bike give yourself 3-5 minutes rest as you stow away the bike then go for a 3km or max 18 minutes run at a steady pace (Zone 2) whichever is the shortest.