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
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.
