Many people have a big triathlon goal each year. It can be finishing their first Iron distance race or winning the world championships. For many of these people the goal may require not only their best training but also their best effort on race day. There are different “training method” strategies used by coaches to get there. But one thing that many coaches consider is the training load and deciding when to apply the biggest training load on the athlete to achieve their goal.

 My personal belief is that the highest training load prior to a big race should be applied with three to two months prior to the big race day. In addition to that the prior 6 months should also be carefully planned. Those months should not be constant and one should be careful on those months so that the body is ready for those last 3 months prior to the big race.

 Let me give you a couple of scenarios that I see often. These are from athletes that have big triathlon goals late in the year. I will offer some advice for each of them.

 The hour counter – This athlete got the idea that in order to be a great triathlete he needs to always train X amount of hours each week. I am sure many people have had great success doing just that. But training load is a combination of intensity and time. If time is always constant then the only thing that can be changed is intensity. It would be best if the number of hours can vary as well in order to have a more finely tuned load at the right time and not as high when it’s not crucial. Low volume periods can easily be in the winter when snow covers the ground and there are no big races or mid-season between two “A” races for mental and physical recovery.

 The X time Iron distance finisher - A week does not go by when I get an email from an athlete wanting to do 3 or 4 and sometimes more Iron distance races in a year. The thinking that some can be done just as training to gain experience and then really give it a go on the big race at the end. This is a very difficult way to go about it. An Iron distance race even if done easy takes a toll and mental and physical recovery is needed. There is too much wear and tear on the body. It is best to replace some of these with half iron races and work on some speed with shorter races rather than pounding for hours for Iron distance racing and high volume all year.

 The every weekend racer – I get many of these athletes requesting to race every weekend and finally having the best race of their lives in a few months. This athlete often comes from a cycling background where races are used as preparation to peak for a final race later. The problem is that in triathlon we have running a sport that can tear the body down. Running races require much more recovery than swim and bike racing. If you did a triathlon every week you will just basically not be able to train well. Most of the time will be spent on recovery and taper before each race. Otherwise a race is just like a race done at training pace because one is always tired. In order to have great races there should be some blocks of pure training without racing.

 The true multisport athlete – This kind of athlete thinks triathlon is just one of many things that need to be experienced soon. He is going to do a huge championship snowshoe race in Colorado, then do a winter marathon, follow that with a big spring MTB race, a famous adventure race, then take the family to climb Kilimanjaro in the summer. Finally when he gets back he will race that Iron distance race where he is going for the Kona slot. This athlete lives a great life for sure and my guess is he will have a smile on his face all the way through these events. But as a coach I have no idea how his body is going to be able to do all of that then train properly and have enough on the tank to get a Kona qualification. The life of this athlete is full of adrenalin all the way. I find it too difficult to have a great Iron distance race after such a hectic year. I always try to cut some of the events out and save energy.

 Having said all of that I am sure many of you reading all of this can find an athlete that has done some of the things above and has achieved their goals as well. So much for your theory coach! However, one element that cannot be ignored is the athlete himself. Some people are full of talent and have a great ability to train and stay healthy. Many people can overcome bad training and over doing things. But as a triathlon coach I need to give people the best advice possible so that the chips can stack in their favor come race day.