When planning athletes’ seasons or even multi-seasons I liken it to painting a picture. The picture won’t be complete until you complete your ‘A’ race. So, where do we start?
With a blank canvas of course…
The base period is the foundation of a triathlon training program, when you build the fitness, strength and skill to reach the finish line of your race. During the base phase you build the most important skills for triathlon: cardiovascular endurance, strength, technique and fuel economy. Training intensity is predominantly (but absolutely not entirely) low in the base training phase so you can safely build your overall training volume without injury.
Variety is a hallmark principle to this training and is far more stimulating physically and mentally than the low intensity monotone approach. One might also have a general sense that more interesting training is likely to be more effective as well.
Barring an Ironman event in March or April, I see no sense in riding more than 2 hours indoors. It is far better to build the strength and threshold progressions in concise 50-80 minute sessions than to log long boring training hours indoors.
Athletes will have plenty of time to hit the roads when good weather arrives in April and May.
Physiology of Base Training
There are two basic energy systems you use when training: anaerobic and aerobic. Unfortunately, you cannot simultaneously maximize both your aerobic and anaerobic systems. The idea behind base training is to train your aerobic energy system specifically. Why is this important? The more work you perform aerobically the more efficient this system will become.
Prolonged aerobic training produces muscular adaptations that improve oxygen transport to the muscles, reduces the rate of lactate formation, improves the rate of lactate removal, and increases energy production and utilization.
Base training is an excellent time to work on form and economy as well, since, as intensities increase later in the season, it becomes harder for an athlete to concentrate on form. Toward the end of the base phase we begin power work but use brief durations and full recovery between efforts.
You will lose some of your anaerobic endurance, so expect to surrender some top-end speed coming out of your base phase, but take comfort in knowing this is what you are going to spend the rest of your season working on.
Base training is traditionally developed using two steps forward one step back approach through a four week cycle: Using the ultra simplistic idea of number of hours, training for an Olympic triathlon might look like this: Week 1: 10 hours; Week 2: 11.5 hours; Week 3: 13 hours; Week 4: 6 hours; Week 5: 11.5 hours; Week 6: 13 hours; Week 7: 15 hours; Week 8: 6 hours.
However, every athlete is different. And a good coach will take other factors into consideration, such as: age, work, family, life etc. At F4L Coaching we believe that the secret to a successful season is sustainable & consistent training, recovery and (life) balance.
Developing Skills
Develop good technique during the base phase to maximize your speed and efficiency for the race season. Do lots of technique drills in the pool to improve your stroke efficiency and “feel” for the water.
On the bike, practice high-cadence spinning to develop your pedalling technique. Run on hilly courses to develop strength and power in your legs. Do running drills during the base period to improve your running economy.
Strength Training
As triathletes we like to think of ourselves as very fit individuals. We run, we bike, we swim, we do it all. Yet we find ourselves getting sore if we go play tennis or from doing yard work. This is even more so as we get older.
Strength training will help us strengthen those muscles that we generally do not use in triathlon. I recommend strength training year round. However, I know that many athletes cannot seem to find the time to do all three disciplines and also work through a S&C program. The off-season is a great time to get back on a strengthening program. It will improve your power, and help with injury prevention. As a level 3 British Triathlon Coach I recommend working mostly with body weight and a gym ball – ALL of my athletes go through a S&C program through the off season.
Finally…
It often takes several seasons to see the results of sound base training if you are a novice athlete. Be patient; it is a slow process that cannot be rushed, but the sooner you get started the faster you will be.