The complete book of triathlon training / : Ironman Triathlon Edition

378 Pages·2013·12.457 MB·English

by  Mark Kleanthous

TeSTimonial – mark kleanThoUS
“From swimming 100m to completing
Ironman® races, Mark has done it all
with pride, passion and perseverance.
His knowledge and experience of the
wonderful sport of triathlon is best ®
described as encyclopaedic. From the
latest training advances to the best
way to prevent chafing, Mark is the aBoUT The Book The aUThor
person to ask. Over the past 32 years
TT While his first competitive experience was finishing
he has amassed a wealth of information This book tells you everything you need to know about triathlon, whether you rh last in a school cross-country race, over the past 30
that will help any triathlete, regardless of be a sporting novice or an elite athlete in another sport. It tells you how to get ie years Mark has crossed the finish line in over 1,000
started – what equipment to buy, the diet you will need, how to devise a training a
whether you are a first-time novice or a top C races worldwide. Although he once came second in
T
professional. Indeed, I frequently receive routine and how to arrange your busy life in order to accommodate it – and then ho a marathon, his strength has always been in multi-
explains how to finish a race, as well as how to recover from it. This book will tell m
sport events, where his wins have been numerous.
good-luck messages from Mark that always you how to be the best that you can be in triathlon – not necessarily by training lp He has completed a massive total of 400 triathlons,
o
contain useful pre-race information and harder, but by training smarter. l including 32 Ironman® events. He once won one
n
e
advice. Mark has his finger well and truly triathlon in the morning and then came second in
Training STreSS-level-poinTS SySTem TT another in the afternoon.
on the pulse of triathlon; moreover, he is e
Every aspect of your life has the potential to affect your mental and physical r
Mark has won many national triathlon medals and has represented his country as an
passionate about sharing that information performance, and you need to take this into account when devising your training aB
elite triathlete and now as an age-group competitor. He started coaching in 1998 and has
o
to help all triathletes achieve their personal in order to avoid both over-training and under-training. The author’s system for i
no helped triathletes at every level – from first-timers to age-group competitors to elite
goals in the sport.” monitoring training-stress levels which he has been successfully using for many ik athletes. He is qualified to British triathlon coaching levels one and two.
Catriona Morrison years, is unique to him but is revealed in this book. Use it and you can achieve your n
optimum performance. o
g
f Mark Kleanthous is a qualified triathlon coach. He does Swim Bike Run Coaching &

analysis, Individual Training Programmes & Sports Nutrition advice.
aBoUT CaTriona morriSon
He can be contacted at [email protected] or swimbikeruncoaching@
gmail.com
• Fastest debut Ironman® athlete ever. ® is a registered trademark of World Triathlon Corporation
• Current holder of the seventh-fastest female Ironman® athlete
finishing time in the world – 8h 48min 11sec.
• Ironman® Lanzarote champion. Even though she lost 35min
k
due to a broken chain, out of 1,284 finishers she still came 58th l
overall and won the women’s race. This was widely regarded as “Over the past 32 years Mark has ISBN 978-1-78255-022-8 e
a
being the greatest comeback in 2010. n
• Three-times first female overall in the Ironman® 70.3® St. Croix. amassed a wealth of information that 52495 T
h
• First female overall in the 2011 Memorial Hermann Ironman® Texas. will help any triathlete, regardless of
o
• First female overall in the 2011 Memorial Hermann Ironman® U
whether you are a first-time novice S
70.3® Texas.
• 2010 ITU World Duathlon Champion. or a top professional.“
• First female overall in the 2010 Aberfeldy middle-distance 9 781782 550228
Catriona Morrison
triathlon.
$ 24.95 US/£ 16.95
www.m-m-sports.com
Umschlag-Complete-book-of-triathlon-training_130605.indd 1 14.06.13 15:40
TeSTimonial – mark kleanThoUS
“From swimming 100m to completing
Ironman® races, Mark has done it all
with pride, passion and perseverance.
His knowledge and experience of the
wonderful sport of triathlon is best ®
described as encyclopaedic. From the
latest training advances to the best
way to prevent chafing, Mark is the aBoUT The Book The aUThor
person to ask. Over the past 32 years
TT While his first competitive experience was finishing
he has amassed a wealth of information This book tells you everything you need to know about triathlon, whether you rh last in a school cross-country race, over the past 30
that will help any triathlete, regardless of be a sporting novice or an elite athlete in another sport. It tells you how to get ie years Mark has crossed the finish line in over 1,000
started – what equipment to buy, the diet you will need, how to devise a training a
whether you are a first-time novice or a top C races worldwide. Although he once came second in
T
professional. Indeed, I frequently receive routine and how to arrange your busy life in order to accommodate it – and then ho a marathon, his strength has always been in multi-
explains how to finish a race, as well as how to recover from it. This book will tell m
sport events, where his wins have been numerous.
good-luck messages from Mark that always you how to be the best that you can be in triathlon – not necessarily by training lp He has completed a massive total of 400 triathlons,
o
contain useful pre-race information and harder, but by training smarter. l including 32 Ironman® events. He once won one
n
e
advice. Mark has his finger well and truly triathlon in the morning and then came second in
Training STreSS-level-poinTS SySTem TT another in the afternoon.
on the pulse of triathlon; moreover, he is e
Every aspect of your life has the potential to affect your mental and physical r
Mark has won many national triathlon medals and has represented his country as an
passionate about sharing that information performance, and you need to take this into account when devising your training aB
elite triathlete and now as an age-group competitor. He started coaching in 1998 and has
o
to help all triathletes achieve their personal in order to avoid both over-training and under-training. The author’s system for i
no helped triathletes at every level – from first-timers to age-group competitors to elite
goals in the sport.” monitoring training-stress levels which he has been successfully using for many ik athletes. He is qualified to British triathlon coaching levels one and two.
Catriona Morrison years, is unique to him but is revealed in this book. Use it and you can achieve your n
optimum performance. o
g
f Mark Kleanthous is a qualified triathlon coach. He does Swim Bike Run Coaching &

analysis, Individual Training Programmes & Sports Nutrition advice.
aBoUT CaTriona morriSon
He can be contacted at [email protected] or swimbikeruncoaching@
gmail.com
• Fastest debut Ironman® athlete ever. ® is a registered trademark of World Triathlon Corporation
• Current holder of the seventh-fastest female Ironman® athlete
finishing time in the world – 8h 48min 11sec.
• Ironman® Lanzarote champion. Even though she lost 35min
k
due to a broken chain, out of 1,284 finishers she still came 58th l
overall and won the women’s race. This was widely regarded as “Over the past 32 years Mark has ISBN 978-1-78255-022-8 e
a
being the greatest comeback in 2010. n
• Three-times first female overall in the Ironman® 70.3® St. Croix. amassed a wealth of information that 52495 T
h
• First female overall in the 2011 Memorial Hermann Ironman® Texas. will help any triathlete, regardless of
o
• First female overall in the 2011 Memorial Hermann Ironman® U
whether you are a first-time novice S
70.3® Texas.
• 2010 ITU World Duathlon Champion. or a top professional.“
• First female overall in the 2010 Aberfeldy middle-distance 9 781782 550228
Catriona Morrison
triathlon.
$ 24.95 US/£ 16.95
www.m-m-sports.com
Umschlag-Complete-book-of-triathlon-training_130605.indd 1 14.06.13 15:40
The Complete Book of Triathlon Training
RZ-korr-The Complete Book of Triathlon Training_130618.indd 1 17.07.13 11:58
Dedications
This book is dedicated to my wife, Clare, to thank her for being so tolerant.
I would also like to thank John Quick for his editorial input.
This book has been very carefully prepared, but no responsibility is taken
for the correctness of the information it contains. Neither the author nor the
publisher can assume liability for any damages or injuries resulting from
information contained in this book.
RZ-korr-The Complete Book of Triathlon Training_130618.indd 2 17.07.13 11:58
Ironman® Triathlon Edition
The Complete Book
of Triathlon Training
Mark Kleanthous
er
bl
a
St
d
ar
h
c
Ri
©
Meyer & Meyer Sport
RZ-korr-The Complete Book of Triathlon Training_130618.indd 3 17.07.13 11:58
Ironman®, Ironman® Triathlon, Ironman® 70.3® and M-Dot® are registered trademarks of
World Triathlon Corporation
Official Product of the Ironman® Triathlon
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
The Complete Book of Triathlon Training
2nd Edition 2013
Maidenhead: Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd., 2012
ISBN 978-1-78255-022-8
All rights reserved, especially the right to copy and distribute,
including the translation rights. No part of this work may be reproduced—
including by photocopy, microfilm or any other means—
processed, stored electronically, copied or distributed in any form whatsoever
without the written permission of the publisher.
© 2012 by Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd.
2nd Edition 2013
Auckland, Beirut, Budapest, Cairo, Cape Town, Dubai, Indianapolis,
Kindberg, Maidenhead, Sydney, Olten, Singapore, Tehran, Toronto
Member of the World
Sport Publishers‘ Association (WSPA)
www.w-s-p-a.org
Printed by: B.O.S.S Druck und Medien GmbH, Germany
ISBN 978-1-78255-022-8
E-Mail: [email protected]
www.m-m-sports.com
RZ-korr-The Complete Book of Triathlon Training_130618.indd 4 17.07.13 11:58
n
h
u
s
a
Pr Contents
y
a
© J
Foreword – Catriona Morrison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
section 1 – The first steps into the sport                    12
Chapter 1: Getting started                                          14
• Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
• What type of athlete are you? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
• Fitting a training schedule into a busy week. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
• What is fitness? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
• Overcoming initial problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Chapter 2: Basic diet and nutrition                                  27
• Nutritional requirements for a healthy diet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
• Maintaining a healthy body. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
• Hydration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
• General points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
ConTenTs 5
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Chapter 3: The first competition                                     35
• Nutrition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
• Training for your first triathlon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
• How to determine your training effort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
• 14-week training programme. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
• Race day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
• Self-analysis of your first race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
• The recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
• Preparing a new training programme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
section 2 – serious training                               75
Chapter 4: preparing yourself for training                            76
• Mental preparation and visualisation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
• Time management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
• Hydration and nutrition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
• Sleep. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
• Warming up, stretching and cooling down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
• Setting goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93
• Keeping a diary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94
• Competing for charity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
• Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
Chapter 5: Theory of training                                      101
• The five factors necessary for triathlon fitness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
• Training stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
• How to quantify your training stress level (TSL)
using the Mark Kleanthous Training Points System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
• How to schedule progress. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
• Training stages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Chapter 6: Training regimes                                       117
• Technique training – drills. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
• Other technique sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
• Base-with-appropriate-pace (BAP) sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
• Long, slow, distance (LSD) sessions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
• Other endurance sessions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
• Over-distance training. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
• Strength training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
• Muscular endurance sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
• Brick sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
6 The CompleTe Book of TriaThlon
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• Back-to-back (B2B) sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
• Interval training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
• Negative-split sessions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
• Fartlek sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
• Speed development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
• Threshold sessions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
• High-intensity sessions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
• Race-pace training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
• Anaerobic threshold sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
• Above-anaerobic threshold sessions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Chapter 7: The training programme                                 139
• Training cycles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
• Rolling training routine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
• The six-minute fitness test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
• Stages 1-7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
• Open-water swimming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
• Triathlon wetsuit information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
• Transition training. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
• Race day nutritional requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
• Two sessions on the same day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
• Times when you can’t train. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
• Alternative sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
• Missed sessions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
• Tiredness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
• Overtraining. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
• Gadget-less training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
• Massage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
section 3 – preparing for the race                         173
Chapter 8: The run up to race day                                   174
• Entering the race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
• Home preparation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
• Final week – seven days to go. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
• Arriving at the event – one or two days to go. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
• The evening before – 14 hours to go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Chapter 9: race day                                              180
• Wake up early – 3-4 hours to go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
• Arrival – 90 minutes to go. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
ConTenTs 7
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• 50 minutes to go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
• 30 minutes to go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
• 25-20 minutes to go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
• 20-15 minutes to go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
• 15 minutes to go. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
• 8-4 minutes to go. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
• 30 seconds to go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
• Go! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
• Transition 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
• Cycling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
• 10 minutes to the end of the cycle segment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
• Transition 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
• Running. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
• Feeding stations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
• The final 800 m . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
• The finish. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Chapter 10: post-race period                                        192
• Recovering from the race. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
• Post-race nutrition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
• Delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
• Post-race analysis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
• The post-competition transitional period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
section 4 – Ultra Distance Triathlon                       206
Chapter 11: preparation                                           208
• Training philosophy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
• Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
• Nutrition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Chapter 12: a general training programme                            215
• Ironman® training. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
• A 24-week training plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
• 70.3 Half Ironman® 14 week training plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
• 140.6 miles Ironman 14 week training plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Chapter 13: ironman 703® and ironman® races                       252
• U sing International Standard distance race information
to prepare for an Ironman 70.3® race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
8 The CompleTe Book of TriaThlon TraininG
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