My favourite workout: Brennen Smith

Up-and-coming ITU athlete Brennen Smith tells TMC about his training this year with Jono Hall.

Triathlon Magazine March 21, 2017

Name: Brennen Smith

Coach: Jono Hall

Current training location: Scottsdale, Arizona and Victoria, B.C.

I compete in: ITU draft-legal

I typically train: 25 to 30 hours per week

My next race is: Bermuda Continental Cup

My strength in the sport is: Open water swimming and positioning on the bike pack.

My weakness in the sport is: Running in the heat, but since I’ve been in Arizona I’ve been making gains in that way.

My favourite workout is: A race simulation swim session.

400 warm up
400 descend by 100s to fast
4 x 50 as 25 fast, 25 easy

Main set — 3 rounds:

50 max dive start leaving on the nearest 5 or 0
200 tempo 15 seconds rest
4 x 100 fast 15 rest
3 min between sets

For example, I would swim:

26 sec. for the 50, so would leave on :30
206 sec. for the 200 leaving on 2:20
And 58 sec. for the 100s leaving on 1:15

400 pull cool down

My least favourite workout is: This running set — it’s a great way to get some speed into the legs but the effort really starts to creep up by the fourth minute

3 x 6 min, 15 second sprint, 10 second jog
2 min between rounds.

My pro tip: Only focus on what you can control. Worrying about what others do can drive any athlete crazy. If you just focus on yourself, that’s the fastest route to achieving your goals.