In the third installment of coach Tom’s blog series on using the FSA Coaching principles to train for the Ironman 70.3 NZ in March, we look at the use of intelligent and targeted training to make the most of the time and the tools available to you.
You’re all busy people, right? You’d love to have 35 hours a week to train, just like the pros do. Heck, you might even be as good as them if you trained that much…
But anyway, in the real world you’ve probably got about half the time that you’d really like to train and even then it’s early in the morning or late at night when all the other priorities are sorted. And that’s OK. I totally get this. There are those who are lucky enough to be in a position to put their training above everything else in there life. For the rest of us, we have to make our training and race work as part of our wider life and responsibilities.
We want to get the most bang for our buck and that’s where intelligent and targeted training comes in. Intelligent and targeted training, in this context, means:
- Training at the right intensities (which means a bit more testing than you might like…)
- Using training time efficiently and effectively
- Tracking progress and using feedback to tweak and refine
- Using (but not being a slave to) gadgets, tech and data
Here at FSA Coaching, we’re big on the use of data, feedback and testing to get the most from our training. We use TrainingPeaks, which is a fantastic tool for planning, monitoring and tracking progress. It allows our athletes to track their training, see what they’ve got coming up, make sure they’re training at the right intensities and, probably most importantly, provide a subjective comment on how a training session felt.
But as with any data-driven method, the outputs are only as good as the data you put in. And that’s where the testing and intensity-setting comes in. As part of any well planned training programme, it’s critical to test regularly to see how things are going and to tweak training intensities. We try to test every 4-6 weeks (maybe a little less frequently for FTP testing – it hurts…) as part of a regular cycle of periodised training. Tweaking intensities makes sure we’re always pushing the ceiling up a little higher.
- We regularly test our athletes for:
- Critical Swim Speed (CSS);
- Functional Threshold Power (FTP); and
- Threshold run pace.
In my build up to Ironman 70.3 NZ in March next year, that’s exactly what I’m doing. I’ve been swimming my 3x300m CSS tests in the pool, suffering through the FTP test on Zwift and running threshold tests at the track.
With each test, I’m using the feedback to amend my training zones (hopefully upwards…!) for swimming, biking and running. I’m using the cold, hard facts of the results from my training and testing to build confidence that the training is working and I’m heading in the right direction.
In the next blog, I’ll update you on some of the early season events I’ve been using to tweak and refine the race plan before the big race goals later in the summer.
that reduces the fear and anxiety of a big race through familiarity and experience will help you stay focused, level-headed and confident when the goal race comes around. For many, this will be getting more open-water swim experience in a crowded, race-like environment. But it could equally be practicing transitions, running off the bike and anything else.
training and how they manifest themselves in the training week. They’re a complementary bunch of principles that fit well together, help me get the most out of my sport.
Of course, there’s a lot more to efficient pedaling than finding the right cadence.
There is one big difference between cadence for triathletes and cyclists. At the end of a bike ride, a cyclist will usually hit the cafe for an espresso. A triathlete has to get off their bike and run anywhere between 5km and 42.2km as fast as they can. Does this make any difference to what sort of cadence a triathlete should be riding?
that allows you to race some pretty strong riders (and let’s face it, a few cheats too…), complete structured workouts, group rides, hill climbs and on and on.
personalised, I use FSA Coaching workouts built in 
schedule a race with an easy day following. You will go deep in a Zwift race…
I often talk about the difference between an outcome focus and enjoying the process. This blog post explains a little about what these terms mean to us; some of the pros and cons of them both; and how I believe the commitment to a positive attitude and mindset in our sport brings huge benefits to both longevity of participation and racing performance.
Don’t get us wrong, at FSA Coaching we strive for peak performance and helping our athletes get the best out of themselves. We’re fully committed to the use of performance measures, training aids and all the functionality of a service like 
An awesome Autumn of training and racing has come to an end. Here’s the recap:
non-wetsuit swim for an Olympic distance triathlon, first time I’ve been accompanied on the swim by rainbow coloured fish (bit different to the carp of the Cotswold Water Park…)! We had an awesome holiday in Rarotonga, staying in Muri Beach and doing heaps of snorkelling, swimming, kayaking, paddleboarding, eating, drinking and generally hanging out on Island Time. The racing was cool too.
the process by straying too close to the reef), and a DNF in the Tour de Raro bike race through a couple of punctures. I was rescued by a good Samaritan who strapped my bike to their soft top convertible with an inner tube and drove waaay out of their way to drop me back. Thanks Trish!
o reclaim my crown from 2015. This is a great little 13km trail race in Whareroa Farm, Paekakariki, with 6.5km of uphill and 6.5km of down… After 2km of sparring with Sean Eaton, I pulled away on the hill, running solo for the rest of the course and winning by about 6 minutes in the end. Pretty happy to have the crown back.
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