Execute a successful goal race by planning your season now
Jessica Adam shows you how.
The triathlon season is going to be here before you know it. Most races for 2013 are scheduled and it’s time to sign up. Before you do, there are many things to consider when it comes to planning your race season. This article will guide you through the thought process of planning for a long distance triathlon such as Ironman.
- Write down all the races you would like to do for any reason such as it’s your goal event, you like the race, you’ve done it before and want to better your time, or its in a location that works for you. Then prioritize these from most important to least.
- Label them as “A, B, and C” races. An “A” race is your goal event(s) in this case Ironman. For most athletes in a given year an Ironman will be your only “A” race. An example of a “B” race might be a Half Ironman that is scheduled in order to prepare you and track your progress toward Ironman. “C” races might be anything else that you want to do just for fun if it fits in with your plan.
- Count back from your “A” race. You need to give yourself enough time to prepare for and recover from your ½ Ironman. You will also need to consider having enough build weeks after the event to get your volume to a point where you will be properly prepared for Ironman. You need to plan on a good 3 week taper and peak period as well. So, with all this considered, ideally your ½ Ironman will be at least 10 weeks prior to your full Ironman event. Below is a sample plan.
| Week of | Period | Weeks to race | Events | Priority | Comments |
|
Winter
April 1-7 April 8-14 April 15-21 April 22-28 April 29-5 May 6-12 May 13-19 May 20-26 May 27-2 June 3-9 June 10-16 June 17-23 June 24-30 July 1-7 July 8-14 July 15-21 July 22-28 July 29-4 Aug 5-11 Aug 12-18 Aug 19-25 |
Aerobic conditioning/strength
Build Build Race Recovery Build Build/Race Recovery Build Build Taper Peak/Race Recovery Build Build Recovery Build Build Taper begins Taper/Peak Peak/Race Recovery |
21+
20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 |
½ marathon
Short triathlon ½ Ironman Ironman |
B
C B A |
Prep for future demand
Get the bugs out, test nutrition Great for testing and practicing Race specific workouts Prep for IM Focus on building volume Ride/run course if possible Execute race successfully! |
- What if your “A” race is early in the season? Sometimes there are not a lot of races to choose from in order to prep for an early season race or possibly a race you are travelling to with a hot climate early in the year. A great solution to this is to find an early season running event of appropriate distance and simulate a hard bike effort before the race. Try to finish the workout with as little time as you can before the run to get the effect of a race effort brick.
Planning your season of racing is a crucial aspect of executing a successful goal event. Important things to remember in both your training leading up to and within your preparatory events is to practice the things you feel you may be weak on or just want to perfect such as nutrition, transitions, getting up to speed off the bike etc. This will help you to “get the bugs out” and will build your confidence as you near your goal event.
LifeSport triathlon coach Jessica Adam has been a coach in Victoria, Vancouver and now resides in the Toronto area. She loves to share her years of experience with beginner triathletes and also experienced triathletes that are trying new distances like ½ IM or IM for the first time. She coaches athletes online all across the country.
If you are interested in working with Jess, write Jess@LifeSportCoaching.com
