Following a big season of racing always comes a nice season break. Although my season break is only 2 weeks long, it is still something that I can look forward to and really enjoy the days of no-training. Coming out from the break and getting started into training is always tough; the body feels really sluggish and lethargic. But my training schedule is a little lighter during these weeks which makes the progression into normal ‘athlete life’ easier.

During these lighter weeks of training in December I also got myself a job with an engineering firm since I had the time and motivation to do so. I am fortunate enough that the company I am working for allows me to be flexible with my working hours so that I can combine them with my training schedule to work a couple of days a week in the office. I have really been enjoying the work I have done as it is allows me to learn new concepts and sometimes challenge me.

The main focus with training over the past couple of months has been doing longer sessions to get a solid foundation to set myself up for the rest of the year. In previous years I have found this part of the training really beneficial as it has allowed me to string multiple weeks of training together uninterrupted which in turn I have come out from fit and ready to race. Some of the bigger weeks have been harder on the body with exhaustion levels making it tough to back up the sessions.

My racing for 2019 will officially kick-off in mid-April when I race the Oceania Olympic Distance Champs. This will be my first main race and it will be a great opportunity to accumulate some ITU points. There have also been some local races around Melbourne which I have competed in and consider part of my training.

My most recent local triathlon was Race 5 from the 2XU Triathlon Series in Portarlington. The conditions for this race were absolutely ideal: blue skies, no wind and a great course. I had a solid swim coming out from the water at the front of the race. Then on the bike I pushed the pace early to build up a lead coming into T2 which I extended on the run to cross the finish line in first place. It is great to see that my training is heading in the right direction. These races allow me to assess how things have been progressing and also identify areas which I need to refine.

Along with the 2XU Triathlon Series, I have also competed in the Bass Coast Series which are aquathlon (swim-run) races held at the lovely location of Phillip Island. These races have a strong support from the community with many passionate locals flocking to the events. I competed in both the Cowes Classic and San Remo Channel Challenge and I managed to win them both. I really enjoyed these events racing along the beautiful foreshores with the support from the locals. I think they may feature once again next summer!

This weekend I will be competing again in the 2XU Triathlon Series for Race 6, which is held in St Kilda. This is the final race from the series and I hope to close it out with a solid performance. I am really happy with my summer of Melbourne training, I have built up a great foundation which will definitely help with my European races later on in the year.

After my race in Moreton Bay in April I am going to start preparing for some races overseas. At this stage my race schedule isn’t set, however, I plan to do some races in Asia in May before heading to Girona, Spain in mid-May.

Here is a recent article I wrote for the Brooks Running Australia blog which gives an insight into my weekly training. Article taken from Brooks Running Australia.

A week in the training life of a triathlete

By Marcel Walkington, Professional Australian Triathlete, Team Brooks Athlete.

Triathlon has quickly become a key part of my life over the past few years. For me, it requires a lot of dedication with many hours invested into making myself the best athlete I can be. Of course at the end of the day, I enjoy what I do and I am proud with where I am, yet I am always striving to squeeze that bit more out of my body.

So, what does my typical week of training look like? Well here is a sample of a week of training which I recently completed:

Monday:

60 minute jog, 5km swim, gym, massage

One of my favourite things to do is to wake up and go for a jog first thing in the morning. I find it really relaxing and a great way to start the day (and week). Monday also features a hard threshold swim session and strength “pre-hab” gym. I also make sure to have a massage at least once a week.

Tuesday:

4 hour bike with hill efforts, 70 minute run.

A longer ride with the focus on hill efforts to build strength in the legs. A typical session would be 6 x 4 minute hill repeats or 4 x 10 minute repeats, depending on what races I have upcoming. The run is again aerobic.

Wednesday:

60 minute run, 4.5 km swim, gym, 2 hour bike

These days are one of my longest. The run and bike sessions are both aerobic but the swim is hard once again. The main set for hard swims are usually around 2.5-3 km.

Thursday:

60 – 70 minute run including run session, 4.5km swim, 2 hour bike

On the days I have a run session, I like to do them fresh before my other training. A run session usually involves hill efforts or threshold efforts depending on what the focus is. The session can be anywhere between 5km and 12km in distance. The swim is a “strength” swim with a pull buoy/paddles/band set and the bike is aerobic.

Friday:

2 hour bike, gym

One of my favourite days of the week because it is recovery day! Friday is my day to look forward to and recover the body to prepare for the weekend of hard training.

Saturday:

Bike – Run “brick” session, 3 – 3.5 km swim

The focus for Saturday is more race specific work. The bike and run may involve doing ride-run repeats or simply a run off the bike. Usually there will be around 40 – 60 minutes of hard work on the bike and 20 minutes of run efforts. The swim is either an open water swim session or a sprint swim session in the pool.

Sunday:

Long run, anywhere between 1.5 – 2 hours

Another one of my favourite days is the long run. I find them a great way to relax and clear the mind. Depending on how close my next race is would determine how long I run for.

Obviously, training may differ week to week depending on the time of the year and how far out from racing I am. In the lead up to a race, the training will ease off and typically result in shorter sessions. Rest days don’t always particularly mean a complete day off training but usually involve doing a shorter aerobic session.

My main advice that I give people when they ask me “what’s the most important part of triathlon training” is consistency. The biggest improvements I have found from myself come after stringing together multiple weeks of training and not missing sessions. In order to do this involves having trust in your coach and sticking to the training schedule and making sure to do the hard sessions hard and the easy ones easy. This also includes doing the other things outside of training such as recovery; making sure you fuel your body appropriately before and after sessions as well as having regular massages to avoid injury.

Triathlon can be a great sport to be involved with; whether you are doing it to meet new friends, keep fit or chase triathlon glory, there is always a place for everyone. And if you are new to the sport it very easy to get started with many local triathlon clubs and events in Australia.

My trip to Asia was something that I had been really looking forward to a number of weeks before I left. The plan was to race Tongyeong World Cup (South Korea) at the end of October then race Miyazaki World Cup (Japan) 2 weeks later. Between these two races I would be on a training camp in Japan organised by Triathlon Australia.

 Race conditions were close to ideal; sunny skies with a slight breeze and no rain in sight. The swim took place in the flat waters of the Tongyeong port, the bike a 3 lap out and back with undulating hills and the run 2 laps featuring (about) a 45 second steep hill. I had a great start off the pontoon and within a few strokes I found myself in clear water and ahead of my neighbouring competitors. I knew I was in an ideal position as I rounded the first turn buoy in first place. I wasn’t sure whether I had much of a gap to the next athlete but I continued to push on to maintain my lead. I remained at the front and exited the water in first. I was happy with this part of the race, I had executed a swim that reflected how well I can actually swim. As I made my way through transition 1, I could see that there was a long line of athletes behind me. I quickly stripped off my wetsuit and made my way out of transition.

I was really happy with how I performed at the London Mixed Relay Cup racing for Team Australia. I went second for the team and put together a strong swim, bike and run combination which left me feeling like I had done my part to help the team as we finished in 3^rd overall. Triathlon Australia is putting more and more emphasis on the Mixed Relay since it is a new event for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. So any chance I get to race this new format is a great opportunity to practice the small intricacies which make the Mixed Relay such an exciting event.

My next few races that I had lined up were non-ITU races for my French and Italian teams. It is always a pleasure racing for my French GP team, Sainte Genevieve. I have been with them for a number of years and each year I return to meet the same familiar faces. I competed in both the Dunkerque French GP where I finished 9^th, and the Paris French GP where I finished 15^th. Racing in Paris will have to go down as one of my most memorable races with the transition zone and run finish right under the Eiffel Tower. Racing in front of such an iconic monument was amazing and I hope to be able to do it again!