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Triathlon Heresies: ironguides in Triathlete Magazine

It’s said that genius speaks its own language but seldom understands it. If you’ve had the opportunity to spend a little time with geniuses in different fields, you’ve probably noticed something else – they share the ability to master complexity to produce simplicity.

Triathlon remains a pretty small field but we can lay claim to a few technological innovations and feats of endurances that can be called inspired genius. But when it comes to the ability to develop winning athletes, the field narrows to the point that only one man merits the label of genius – Brett Sutton.

I had the good fortune to spend a good deal of the last eight years in almost daily contact with Brett. His achievements leave little doubt that he has a unique ability to generate consistent top-level results in a very complicated sport, working with the finicky personalities of professional endurance athletes no less. A quick summary of his coaching pedigree lists eight ITU world champions, over a hundred ITU World Cup wins, wins at every major triathlon held including the Hawaii Ironman, and more podium finishes than the pages of this article could list. Today a second wave of coaches around the world emulates Brett’s methods in the hunt to develop the next generation of champions in the pro ranks.

My discussions with Brett totally transformed my views on human performance, focused perseverance and human psychology. Although my days as a professional triathlete were over by the time he and I started our dialogue, my understanding of endurance and triathlon training was only beginning. Elsewhere our sport was gravitating to the increasingly generic training protocols that I used to rely on, including zone training, power targets and lactate testing, but Brett’s methods were entirely unorthodox and challenged convention at every step. The more I learned, the more I let go of my quantitative ideas and outdated notions on training and embraced the common sense of his approach.

Imagine – little to no periodization throughout the year, but instead a steady diet of skills acquisition and working on one’s weaknesses. No “key” races and generic tapering formula, but rather a flexible approach that takes into account recent training context. Weekly recovery derived from the structure of carefully designed programs that had athletes training every day, often using a strongly repetitive program. No reference to triathlon’s component sports to train, but rather triathlon-specific techniques to develop skills in each component more relevant to triathlon.

Although professional and Age Group triathlon are two very different sports, there are principles and perspective on training that you can learn and apply to your own training to make it more effective, save time, enhance recovery, all in a more enjoyable, qualitative way. No need to sift through the tea leaves of daily heart rate or power downloads, no need to spend money on expensive gadgets, and no need to plan daily training months in advance.

In this series of articles, we’ll take a look at how we’ve applied some of the principles of professional triathlon training to create a counter-intuitive approach to training we call The Method. By the end of this series, hopefully you’ll come to understand triathlon training from an entirely different, simplified and holistic perspective.

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SwimBikeRun

To understand triathlon you need to look at our sport not as the sum of its parts, but as swimbikerun – a single event taking place in changing environments, requiring different skills applied at similar levels of exertion. Training in each component needs to take place in a broader context than single sport training, so when you see someone referring to what swimmers, cyclists or runners do to prepare for a race – tune out! Triathlon takes place under completely different scenarios.

We’ll take a look at specific training for each of triathlon’s components, but here’s a few examples of what I mean. In a triathlon, you’ll rarely ever find calm, flat water. Instead you’re faced with flailing arms, chop and murky water. If you’re a relatively unskilled swimmer, long distance-per-stroke glide phases open you up to “stroke interruption” every time you pause, leading to time-consuming re-acceleration at every stroke. It’s much better to adopt a short, choppy but powerful stroke that minimizes glide and maintains forward momentum with a more rapid arm turnover.

Likewise, contrary to conventional wisdom for cyclists, triathletes benefit from a lower cadence on the bike, not just to preserve fast twitch fibers for the run, but also to make maximum use of training time to generate strength on the relatively limited number of miles we ride. And on the run, it pays to train at a high stride rate (greater than 90 steps per leg per minute) because taking more, smaller steps is a more efficient way to run faster on tired, depleted leg muscles. We’ll take a detailed look at how to we structure training in each component in later articles in the series.

Five Systems

From a general perspective, fitness can be divided into five categories: Aerobic fitness, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition. At ironguides, instead of viewing your training as “Zones”, which take into account only your level of aerobic fitness, we refine the above aspects of fitness further to come up with a more triathlon-specific view on training needs.

We call these categories the Five Systems and use them to classify all our training so that we can achieve a more complete training structure that stimulates multiple components of fitness consistently, shifting emphasis to one or the other depending on the time of year, race calendar, individual needs, life circumstance, and so on. Looking at training this way helps you understand how training can be structured to enhance recovery while continuing to train hard everyday.

The Five Systems we use are Strength, Speed, Neuromuscular (or Skill), Tolerance and Endurance. All of these can be combined to various degrees, but by viewing training with these categories in mind and understanding how they relate to one another, you can create a training structure that helps you become “the complete athlete” without ever having to refer to a training zone or power output. With a properly structured plan you can focus your training more specifically and gain aerobic fitness anyway!

You’re so hormonal!

An obscure study from 1995 entitled Blood hormones as markers of training stress and overtraining. (Urhausen A, Gabriel H, Kindermann W. Sports Med. 1995 Oct;20(4):251-76) showed that an athlete’s testosterone/cortisol ratio indicates the physiological strain of his or her training load. To understand why this matters and how you can use this information to create an optimal training structure without falling into the trap of zone training, you need to have a basic understanding of human endocrinology.

Our hormones govern how our body responds to stimuli, including training stimuli. While all training is by and large a “catabolic” process (it breaks your body down through the action of cortisol), if you incorporate short, intense training such as strength work or very fast, very short intervals (which demand high muscle recruitment), you can promote a higher release of testosterone and human growth hormone and support a more “anabolic” training response (a building up of the body). By incorporating Strength and Speed training in your weekly routine at the right times, you can mitigate the effects of more catabolic Endurance and Tolerance sessions, while still using your training time in a sport-specific way.

By categorizing training into Five Systems and understanding how training in those systems affects your endocrine system, you can structure your training to maximize training effort on a daily basis while still permitting day-to-day recovery. While one System rests, another works! In this very basic way, you can design a training program in which you can always train hard.

For example, we like to assign a set of Power Intervals on the bike (such as 10 x 60sec of very high resistance at very low cadence on a spin bike, with equal rest) the day after an athlete has completed an Endurance effort. The anabolic tendency of the interval set mitigates the catabolic nature of the Endurance effort.

Upgrade your skills!

Much of the credit for the incredible performances by single sport athletes can be attributed to the high volume of work they do performing a single or limited range of motions over and over again, which develops extreme efficiencies of movement. As triathletes we don’t have this luxury, so you need to incorporate into your training some form of skill work to really make each session count. Through the use of the right tools or terrain you can do this without impacting the quality of your training and recovery.

For example, instead of heading out the door for 40 minutes in “Zone 1-2”, take a broader view on your run training and incorporate some leg speed training using a treadmill or light downhill gradients. You’ll teach your muscles to fire more rapidly without compromising the workout because you’ll be running faster than on flat ground at the same aerobic intensity. Using the right tools and approach, you can incorporate skills training into almost any session. Swim paddles and pull buoy permit better body position in the water and help develop strength, while a spin bike can help develop your cycling strength.

Keep in mind that if you’re an older athlete, you’ll struggle to acquire new motor skills but that doesn’t mean give up! Instead, you need to train more frequently in the more technical sports (such as swimming) to maintain current skills.

Common sense recovery

Age Group athletes face particular demands that mean life often interferes with our best-laid plans. Instead of taking days off when the schedule says, why not take them when life demands it due to work, family or other commitments or unforeseen events? Training this way ensures consistency and frees up time when it’s most needed – knowing you have trained your best in recent sessions means you’re less likely to worry about missing the odd session due to other obligations.

Cyclical periodization and repetition

The basis of traditional training periodization was founded decades ago when scientific knowledge was far from complete and athletes’ workloads and demands were much lower than today. More recently, progress in sport science has reinforced the contradictions between traditional periodization and the successful experiences of prominent coaches and athletes using a more cyclical approach. The Method stresses repetition and a cyclic approach to training to concurrently develop motor skills, fitness and mental strength.

A cyclic training approach enables you to continually train all aspects of fitness while emphasizing specific components according to your needs, race calendar and other factors. As the race season draws near, you can begin to emphasize more race-specific factors. For example, our Olympic distance and Ironman athletes train in very similar ways for much of the year, but as Ironman approaches our long course athletes pick up the volume. Rather than having fatigued themselves with high mileage and unspecific training all winter long, they arrive at the final race preparation phase with a strong foundation and arsenal of skills.

And, rather than planning training sessions months in advance, we use a more repetitive training plan based on a weekly routine that you repeat. Not only does this remove the guesswork from setting your weekly routine, it also means you use your training sessions as performance benchmarks. By performing the same training session for several weeks, you can also better develop your intuitive feedback skills and learn to “ride out the rough patches” in your training, coming to better understand the effects of recent changes elsewhere, such as in your sleep, diet or stress patterns. Over time you also learn to better gauge and interpret fatigue levels so that you can better predict when you need time off, and when it’s worthwhile continuing a session.

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Combined with a few simple intensity guidelines no more complicated than “easy”, “moderate”, “hard” and “all out”, you can reach new levels of triathlon performance by training more consistently, with less reliance on gadgets to guide your training, while freeing up time and putting the joy back in training.
Heresy!

Train with ironguides!

Personalized Online Coaching:  Starting at USD190/month

Monthly Training plans (for all levels, or focused on one discipline): Only USD39/months

Event based training plans:

Sprint Distance (USD45 for 8-week plan)

Olympic Distance (USD65 for 12 week plan)

Half Ironman (R$95 for 16-week plan)

Ironman (USD145 for 20-week plan)

X-Terra (USD65 for 12-week plan)

Running Plans (10k, 21k and 42k – starting at USD40)

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12 Weeks to Your First Triathlon

There are many ways to combine three sports and train for a triathlon. Whether this is your first race or you have already a few seasons under your belt, here’s a simple approach that will ensure you’re ship shape in twelve weeks, without resorting to expensive tools and leaving room to mix it up from week to week

Week 1-3: Studies show that it takes 21 days to build a habit, so weeks 1-3 are all about building the routine of your training regime. Don’t think past Day 21 and focus simply on executing each day’s training to your best abilities.

  • 1) Aim for 4 – 5 short, easy training sessions per week.
  • 2) If you’re new to swimming, keep your efforts short, but with many repetitions and lots of rest in between.
  • 3) Establish a routine that ensures you don’t take two days off training in a row.
  • 4) Each week, add a little volume to each session so that by the end of Week 3 you are roughly at the maximum time limit you want to consistently spend in the next 9 weeks for that session on that day.
  • 5) Use the tools available at your gym (treadmill and spin bike) to help ensure consistency if the weather is bad.

Weeks 4 – 6: Now that you’ve established the routine and structure of your workouts, let’s add some triathlon-specific workouts to the mix.

  • 1) On the day you have most time, include a transition workout in your training: Either go for a bike ride and a short jog after to get used to running off the bike (can all be done indoors), or head 2) to the pool and immediately after your swim, do an indoor or outdoor cycle or run. Both sessions will teach your body to make the switch from one sport to the next on race day.
  • 3) Use the tools at your disposal! Hop on a spin bike once a week and crank out a set of very short (one minute) but very hard efforts with low cadence (pedal turnover) and equal rest. This builds 4) your cycling strength quickly.
  • 5) Use a treadmill and focus on running at a high stride rate (steps per minute, per leg). Aim for over 90 steps per leg per minute. This way you teach your triathlon legs, already tired from cycling, to “break up the work” of the run into more but smaller pieces. You can focus on this outdoors, too.
  • 6) In your swim training, start using some very small paddles (size of your palm) to build strength in your swim muscles. And yes – DO use a pull buoy, especially if you are a weak swimmer. Swimming is difficult enough when you are new to it, and a pull buoy helps you position yourself properly in the water, without additional effort, so that you can focus better on your stroke. Finis makes some great “finger paddles” for neophyte swimmers.

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Weeks 7 – 9: Let’s spice it up a bit! You’ve got six weeks of consistent training under your belt, so now it’s time to throw in a little higher effort.

  • 1) Once a week in each sport, add in some hard efforts to your training mix.
  • 2) In the run, aim to complete a set of 60-90 second efforts with equal rest, making each one faster than the last. Stop and cool down when you can no longer hold the pace of the previous effort.
  • 3) On the bike, ride the final third of your transition bike hard – as if you were racing. Then do your run after at a moderate pace. At the end of the three weeks, run the run hard.
  • 4) In your swim training, start adding a set of short, fast efforts with short rest to the mix. Keep each effort only as long as you can hold technique. Rest only long enough to feel recovered to do it again. Try to make the total volume of this set equal to the length of the swim at your goal race.

Weeks 10 – 11: You’re in the home stretch. Let’s make sure you’ve got all your equipment finalized by the time you enter this phase. You don’t want to try anything new on race day.

  • 1) Familiarize yourself with the course and try to simulate in your training rides or on a spin bike or windtrainer what to expect from the hills.
  • 2) You don’t need to “go the distance” at race intensity before race day – that’s what race day is all about after all! But if it helps you build confidence, go for it and simulate a moderate effort triathlon of the same distance 2-3 weeks before race day.
  • 3) Keep up the consistency of your training. Build up the duration of your intense efforts and reduce the duration of your rest. Avoid the temptation of long, all-out efforts in training. Always leave something in the tank.

Week 12: Race Week! This is it, race week! It’s time to rest up and put the finishing touches to your preparations.

  • 1) Contrary to popular belief, don’t over rest! If you have been training on a moderate volume, keep up the frequency of your training but reduce the volume and greatly reduce the intensity.
  • 2) Look back on your training and be honest about how consistent you were. If you were ill or took time off, you need to taper (rest) less for your race than if you trained hard these past 12 weeks.
  • 3) The weekend prior, just train easy – but do train!
  • 4) Three to four days out from the race, take one or two days off, depending on how hard you trained over the past months.
  • 5) On the days prior to the race, train very, very easy in each sport. You only need a total of 30 – 45 minutes total training time each day to keep yourself limber and loose for race day. Hold yourself back and think of just “keeping the engine turning over” to keep your body systems prep’d for race day.

That’s it, you’re all set for race day: Put it all together and enjoy the experience! Nice work!!!

Train with ironguides!

Personalized Online Coaching:  Starting at USD190/month

Monthly Training plans (for all levels, or focused on one discipline): Only USD39/months

Event based training plans:

Sprint Distance (USD45 for 8-week plan)

Olympic Distance (USD65 for 12 week plan)

Half Ironman (R$95 for 16-week plan)

Ironman (USD145 for 20-week plan)

X-Terra (USD65 for 12-week plan)

Running Plans (10k, 21k and 42k – starting at USD40)

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From Runner to Triathlete

ironguides Coach Shem Leong has some great advice on how to get your feet wet in the sport of triathlon. 

Getting Started

Let’s face it, running all the time, especially with the limited choice of routes in Singapore, where I live, can get a little boring. Hands up who knows every crack in the pavement along East Coast Park and every tree root in MacRitchie reservoir?

As a runner armed with a decent level of fitness, you may be feeling curious (and confident) to see what these crazy triathletes are up to. After all, how hard can it be to dive into the sea for a little dip (750m), hop on a bike for a cruisey ride (20km) and finish up with little jog (5km)—just to say you’ve done a triathlon.

The largest barrier to entering a triathlon is swimming ability and fear of open water: these can be overcome by attending a weekly beginners’ swimming class to get your technique right. In Singapore, for example, there are also various open water swimming familiarization courses across the island.

Training

To start, aim for 1 session per week that approximates the race distance in each discipline (assuming your first triathlon is a Sprint or Olympic-distance event).

If you are a beginner swimmer, try to do 2 swims per week because swimming is the most technical (hardest to master) of the three disciplines and getting a firm foundation in good technique early on is time well spent.

Once you get settled into a routine, you can start adding a second session of each discipline into the week, starting with your weakest one first. The most important thing to know at this point is that you should mix it up!

Don’t repeat the same session twice in the week: don’t go for the same 6km run/1km swim/20 km bike twice in a week. I repeat, mix it up!

For example, one of your weekly runs can be longer and done at an easy pace (this builds endurance—the ability to last the distance) while the second run in the week can be shorter but run at a higher intensity or, even better, a short, sharp set of hill sprints or intervals to build raw power and speed. That way you are working both ends of the fitness spectrum, endurance and power, needed for endurance sports.

As another basic rule, don’t repeat the same discipline 2 days in a row. Follow up a bike/run session with a swim. That way you give your legs a rest while you work the upper body. Run the day after you bike as this will start to get your legs used to the demands of triathlon.

Balance

This is often the biggest challenge of our addictive sport. How do you manage training for the three disciplines (often up to 2 times per week per discipline) while juggling family, work and other life commitments?

1. Train smart – follow a generic beginners’ training program that has you on a simple task most days. Triathlon is a sport of consistency and doing a little bit every day is much better than squeezing in all your training over the weekend. By following a program, you will know what each session is supposed to achieve and do not waste time on “junk miles”.

2. Bike at home – using a bike trainer (a device that transforms your everyday bike into a stationary spin bike) is a fantastic way to get stronger on the bike. It is much more convenient and takes less time than suiting up for a ride on the road, and you can do this at home while working up a killer sweat. Again, learning how to maximize the time on the trainer by doing intervals is the way to go.

3. Do short sessions frequently – by increasing the intensity of your sessions, in a controlled fashion, you can get a solid workout in any discipline done in 30 minutes.

4. Squeeze training into your daily routine – I have athletes that do their run training during lunch hour so their evenings are free for the family. Likewise, other athletes get their swim in while their kids are at the pool too for their swim class.

5. Brick sessions – combining two disciplines into one training session is a great stimulus. Run to the pool, get your swim set done, run back (you just completed a mini duathlon), or hop off your bike and head out for a short 15-minute run.

6. Most importantly, communicate with your partner and family – let them understand your motivation for doing triathlon and see the benefits of you leading a healthy and active lifestyle. Be flexible: learn to give back to them as much as your training takes you away from them.

Gear

All you need to get into the sport are a pair of goggles, a working bike in good condition, bike helmet and running shoes. Everything else is extra.

Triathlon can end up being an expensive hobby so, before you splash out on all the latest gear, just borrow a bike or buy one second-hand to begin training for your first race. As your confidence in bike handling grows and you understand more about bike fit you’ll eventually to start looking around for your first “proper” bike. Before that, even a mountain bike is good enough to complete your first race.

If you are new to cycling, a road bike is preferable to a triathlon-specific bike because triathlon bikes are trickier to balance and manoeuvre and they generally require a more precise fit.

The next big step in cycling would be to learn how to use cycling shoes with cleats that clip into your bike pedals. These make your pedal stroke much more efficient as they enable you to apply power throughout the 360 degrees of a pedal stroke instead of just “mashing down” if you were on normal trainers. A few sessions in a car park or on a grassy patch will teach you how to get used to riding clipped in.

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Your first race

Deciding when you are ready to embark on your first race really depends on your current level of fitness. For example,are you a new runner looking to explore the wider multisport playing field, or are you a seasoned marathoner looking for the next big challenge?

It also depends on your swimming ability. You are at a big advantage if you are already able to swim reasonably well. Biking can be picked up quite quickly.

There is no need to jump right into a triathlon in order to experience the multisport lifestyle. If you can already swim and run but don’t own a bike yet, sign up for a biathlon (swim/run) for a taste. If you need half a year to learn how to swim, jump into a duathlon (run/bike/run) in the meantime to pick up valuable race experience.

The Golden Rule for everyone’s first triathlon at any distance (be it a sprint or an Ironman) is to complete it with a smile on your face. As a newcomer to the sport, you will not know what to expect on race day so just relax and enjoy every second. After all, it’s been scientifically proven that you excel the most at what you enjoy doing!

Enjoy your training.

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Train with ironguides!

Download our free e-Book “Triathlon Secrets” – Training methods of olympic medalist, ironman and world champions revealed

Personalized Online Coaching:  Starting at USD190/month

Monthly Training plans (for all levels, or focused on one discipline): Only USD39/months

Event based training plans:

Sprint Distance (USD45 for 8-week plan)

Olympic Distance (USD65 for 12 week plan)

Half Ironman (R$95 for 16-week plan)

Ironman (USD145 for 20-week plan)

X-Terra (USD65 for 12-week plan)

Running Plans (10k, 21k and 42k – starting at USD40)

image-2132.jpgShem Leong is our ironguides coach in Singapore. He has been hooked on triathlon ever since winning his age group in his first Olympic-distance race. Many top performances later, Shem still enjoys the challenges of training and racing at a high level, while balancing this with work and family. He is a firm believer in the benefits of an active lifestyle and loves being able to positively affect his athletes’ lives in this way. In the four years that Shem has worked as an ironguides coach so far, he has helped more than 60 athletes achieve their goals. They range from newbies hoping to complete their first sprint race, to 70.3 podium contenders, to seasoned Sub 10-hour Ironman athletes. Shem’s care for his athletes and his attention to detail set him apart. He completely understands the varied pull factors of life’s demands as well as the fiery motivations that drive everyday age groupers and is able to craft sustainable, effective training plans for their time-crunched schedules. An Honour’s Degree in Health Science has given Shem the knowledge to explain and expertly administer The Method. This, in turn, helps his athletes understand how each session contributes towards their ultimate goal; as a result, countless personal bests have been improved upon as his athletes continually get fitter and faster.

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Long Course Newbie Places 2nd AG at Putrajaya 70.3

Athlete Focus: Sridhar Venkataraman

Sridhar came to me as a brand newbie to Triathlon under a year ago. His faultless work ethic saw him absorbing the training well and picking up new skills quickly.His 2nd place finish in his Age Group at his 70.3 debut in Putrajaya, is a great testament, not only the hard work that he has put in, but also to his youthful curiosity and willingness to explore new challenges both in training and racing.

Q: Tell us a little bit about your journey so far, obstacles overcome and breakthrough performances.

I was a nerd in school with very protective parents who were quite clear that academics was the preferred path – not that I was any good at that either – poor them! But have always been an outdoorsy kind of guy. Mountaineering, rock-climbing, high altitude trekking – I have some awesome mates who have been cheering me from the start. Some of them got into endurance sports and they encouraged me to do the same.

I have been an avid runner for the last four years. A couple of years ago, I had a disastrous start to my tri career when I panicked in my first sprint attempt during the swim and got myself hauled back by boat.

I joined some open water sessions and did my first Olympic Distance swim a few months later. I discovered that my swim technique was all awful and I worked on it with a specialist swim coach for over a year using the TI technique.

SridharQ: What has your experience been of following a written programme- and share with us more specifically about how The Method works. 

Since, I started working with Shem, I have realised what a difference a coach can make; especially if I want to get serious about the sport and more importantly if I want to enjoy my training. The Method basically achieves this goal by easing your body and mind gently yet firmly into the groove of training every day. The sessions are calibrated and tailor made for me with just the right bit of challenge. The workouts are never boring and they teach you to stay focused throughout instead of coasting along aimlessly.  Congratulations Sridhar! And thank you for taking the time to share your journey with us.

 

Q: What role did your squad sessions play a part in your race prep?   

The sessions are just awesome. The atmosphere is electrifying and the camaraderie is uplifting and fun. You need a group to push you and make the training fun. I travel one hour out and one hour back just to attend their sessions. It made a huge difference with Coach Shem giving the right nudges at the right times.

Q: How have you improved & what have you learnt about endurance racing and training under my coaching. 

Shem is a no – nonsense and inspiring coach. Tells you when you are doing well and when you need to buck up and more importantly how to buck up. The core sessions were invaluable. The nutrition and race tips made all the difference. He also has the right touch to motivate and inspire me.

Q: How did you feel crossing the line of your 1st Half Ironman with such an impressive result? 

Honestly, I just wanted to finish.  Impressive result?If you say so, I will take it. But I have larger promises to keep and many miles to go before I sleep!

Q: Briefly talk us through the race.High/ low points during the race.  Standout thoughts at certain points in the race.

I used to be intimidated by the swim. Not anymore. But the run which is my strongest point was what was scary considering the conditions. But I felt good throughout and never had any low points. It was just ‘flow’ all along for six hours plus.

  • Waiting for swim start –

No butterflies, just impatience. I couldn’t wait for it to start!

  • Mid way though the bike-

The push did not come and that was a bit disappointing for me.

  • Starting out on the run –

Thanks to Shem I was used to listening to my body complaining and as advised by him, just kept going and it just fell together. I did not try any theatrics. Just kept going and kept getting hydrated both within and without.

  •  Finishing up on the run-

A great feeling knowing that I had finally done it!

Q: How did your training prepare you to stay strong mentally throughout the race?

If not for the training I would not have completed it for sure. A 70.3 is not to be taken lightly. A mentally and physically strong person without training might still complete it but may not have enjoyed it during and after.

Q: Let’s talk about your training. Can you briefly describe your weekly training schedule? How and why that’s working for you. 

 Two hours a day [one hour in the morning and one in the evening]. I used to do slightly more than my coach asked me to – not necessarily a wise thing. It works for me because I have great support from my family, and not much distractions from them either since both my kids are grown up and away, I have flexible work days as I am an entrepreneur and I set my own pace at work. I am very conscious and concerned about keeping work-life balance and staying disentangled from social encumbrances. Yeah… that’s the mix that has worked for me.

Q: Please share with us the 2 most important ‘take home’ messages that you have learnt about endurance training that everyone needs to hear.

Keep the dialog going between mind and body and be an honest moderator between the two. Let each have its say and get them to get into a working relationship. If you make the mistake of putting any one of them down, you are going to suffer!

Consistency is king.

Q: I always stress the importance of communication in the coach -athlete relationship; your thoughts on this please. 

I could have done better here. The coach’s responses were timelier than mine. But still he knew my body better than me.

Q: Any life lessons have you learnt on this journey so far? 

Comfort zones are traps. You will keep getting ensnared in them and you have to fight yourself out.

Q: What are the benefits of having a coach? What are the characteristics for a good coach to look out for? 

 The view from inside looking out is different from someone from the outside looking in – that’s the coach.  In the Indian Hindu tradition the hierarchy is as follows: the coach(guru), parents and only then, God. The coach has been there before you and can help you get there quicker, faster and safer. A good coach is one who listens, empathises and knows what the pupil is looking for. And above all he is honest.

Q: Think you can go faster?

 I don’t know, you should tell me. As of now I am doing my best, but I need to get stronger!!

 

ironguides is the leading Lifestyle Facilitation company for athletes of all abilities. We provide coaching and training services, plans and programs, as well training education, health and fitness products to help you learn and live a healthy lifestyle. Come get fit with one of our monthly training subscriptions, event-specific training plans, coaching services, or a triathlon training camp in an exotic location! ironguides also provides Corporate Health services including Corporate Triathlons, Healthy Living retreats and speaking engagements. At ironguides, your best is our business!

More info at www.ironguides.net

 

– 

Train with ironguides!

Download our free e-Book “Triathlon Secrets” – Training methods of olympic medalist, ironman and world champions revealed

Personalized Online Coaching:  Starting at USD190/month

Monthly Training plans (for all levels, or focused on one discipline): Only USD39/months

Event based training plans:

Sprint Distance (USD45 for 8-week plan)

Olympic Distance (USD65 for 12 week plan)

Half Ironman (R$95 for 16-week plan)

Ironman (USD145 for 20-week plan)

X-Terra (USD65 for 12-week plan)

Running Plans (10k, 21k and 42k – starting at USD40)

 

image-2132.jpgShem Leong is our ironguides coach in Singapore. He has been hooked on triathlon ever since winning his age group in his first Olympic-distance race. Many top performances later, Shem still enjoys the challenges of training and racing at a high level, while balancing this with work and family. He is a firm believer in the benefits of an active lifestyle and loves being able to positively affect his athletes’ lives in this way. In the four years that Shem has worked as an ironguides coach so far, he has helped more than 60 athletes achieve their goals. They range from newbies hoping to complete their first sprint race, to 70.3 podium contenders, to seasoned Sub 10-hour Ironman athletes. Shem’s care for his athletes and his attention to detail set him apart. He completely understands the varied pull factors of life’s demands as well as the fiery motivations that drive everyday age groupers and is able to craft sustainable, effective training plans for their time-crunched schedules. An Honour’s Degree in Health Science has given Shem the knowledge to explain and expertly administer The Method. This, in turn, helps his athletes understand how each session contributes towards their ultimate goal; as a result, countless personal bests have been improved upon as his athletes continually get fitter and faster.

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