By Simon Lessing
Questions submitted by Brad Culp
Sept. 7, 2007 -- This is the first installment of a new series on Triathletemag.com, in which readers will have a chance to send their triathlon training questions to former World Champ Simon Lessing. Twice each month, Simon will select a few questions, personally answer them and the response will be posted here.
Simon is the perfect athlete to tackle your training inquiries, as he has had success at every distance in the sport. This season, Simon has decided to focus on the growing Ironman 70.3 series and he is considered by many to be the favorite heading into November's World Championship in Clewarwater, Florida.
This week, Simon shares his knowledge on how to excel at different distances, how to stay strong through a long season and why he's not a fan of "training races".
If you'd like to see your questions answered by Simon in the future, please send them to Brad Culp, at brad@triathletemag.com
It seems some athletes are more specialized at a certain distance, while others (such as yourself) like to try their hand at everything from sprint to Ironman. You were a short-course world champ, then an Ironman champ and now you're a contender for the 70.3 World Championship. What training advice can you offer up for athletes attempting to excel at different distance each year, or within the same season (ie, An early summer Ironman and a fall Olympic)?
During the early to mid 90's, most of the top pro triathletes raced all distances. In 1989, Mark Allen won the first Olympic Distance World Champs, Nice and Hawaii. In 1995, I raced Nice and the Olympic distance World Champs. We all became accustomed to seeing the same top competitors at every major race.
I do feel now that as our sport has evolved and the number of competitors have increased, it is impossible to be competitive at all distances and formats. The primary reason for this is that triathlon is a very diverse sport attracting specialist with very different strengths and weaknesses, the key is to identify where you may excel, and the give it a 100% commitment in order to exploit your ability.
I do feel because of the popularity of IM, especially here in North America, triathletes have a tendency to treat IM events like short course races. Some athletes use on Ironman race as a “training race” for another Ironman!
Key TipsIdentify your key goals for the season and structure your plan accordingly to meet your goals.
Be realistic with goal setting and race planning, it will take you at least a month to feel normal again after a big Ironman effort.
Avoid the trap of mega volume and concentrate more on consistency in all three disciplines.
They key to consistency is recovery.
Do not neglect your weaker discipline.
Structure your training according to the race distance and perceived effort. For example, there is no need to be doing 5 hour bike rides if you are training for an OD race.
Give yourself a 12 to 14 week cycle to prepare for an Ironman goal
Give yourself a 8 to 10 week cycle to prepare for a 70.3 goal
Give yourself a 6 to 8 week cycle to prepare for an OD goal
Listen to your body, if you feel tired, then you are tired and you need to take the day off!
Training is training, racing is racing, do not race to train!
For those competing in late-season championship events (Kona, Clearwater, Dallas, Maui), it can be an extremely long-season. I know many athletes like to back off in the middle of the summer, to squeeze in a little recovery. Are you a proponent of taking a big step back in the summer, or do you feel it's more important to work in smaller bout of rest each week?
As Pros, we used to have a definite off-season where we could take 4 to 6 weeks off, do nothing, have fun and recover. As the sport has grown in global popularity, we are now able to race 12 months a year in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres.
I feel many pro's are falling into this trap. It may be ok on a short-term basis, but I am convinced it catches up to you in the long run.
I have always had a definite off-season and structure my training accordingly, so no I do not take time off during the season.
Rather, after any race it is always good to take a break, this gives you the ability to recover from effort that can leave both you and your family physically and emotionally drained.
Here is an example of what I tend to do:
Olympic-distance race - one day off followed by a few days of light training.
70.3 race - a few days off followed by a week of very light training. I will not run for at least 4 days after a 70.3 race.
IM race - 7 -10 days off followed by two weeks of light training.
Among the top pros, there's quite a discrepancy in race frequency. Some like to race almost every weekend (Craig Alexander, Emma Snowsill), while others only like to key-in on a few races ( Michellie Jones, Tim DeBoom). What's your take on optimal race frequency and what would your race schedule look like in the two months before a 70.3 or Ironman?
I have found that the problem with racing to often is that it does not give you the opportunity to put in the necessary ground-work between races. If you are not careful, you end up in a vicious cycle of racing, recovering, resting and then racing again. In 2003, I raced six Olympic-distance races in a row, and by the end, I had definitely lost cardiovascular fitness and strength. This is what works for me by covering all bases of the race cycle.
Olympic distance Twice a month (June through to October)
70.3Once a month, given that it takes me at least 7 to 8 days to recover from a 70.3
Ironman One a year, if possible, two, as long as they are at least 3 to 4 months apart.
I am a firm believer that as a pro, you should only race when you are able to give 100% of yourself. If you are going to spend the time, effort and energy preparing for a race, give yourself every opportunity to perform at the best of you ability. Nothing irritates me more than when I hear someone say, “Oh, this is just a training race.”