December Issue 32

RACE LIKE A BROWNLEE

BUILD YOUR OWNRACE TRAINING PLAN

LEARN TO THINK, TRAIN AND RACE LIKE BRITAIN’S OLYMPIC MEDALLISTS

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WelcomeISSUE 32 / DECEMBER 2012

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RACE LIKE A BROWNLEE

BUILD YOUR OWNRACE TRAINING PLAN


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THIS IS YOUR WORLD

THIS IS YOURWORLD

MEET FIVE TOP IRONMAN AGE-GROUPERS WHO ACHIEVED THEIR DREAM AND TURNED PRO

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TIM DEBOOMTIM DEBOOM dabbled in triathlon during his early 20s while swimming competitively, showing his natural talent for the sport by qualifying for Kona in only his second Ironman. As an age-grouper, DeBoom’s accolades included being both the US and World Ironman Champion twice, before he decided to go professional in 1995. Finishing 10th in Kona that year, DeBoom suffered setbacks in the following seasons but came back strong in 1999, winning Ironman New Zealand and coming third in Kona. The year 2000 was another step up the podium for the American, while in 2001 and 2002, DeBoom showed his true potential by taking back-to-back crowns in Hawaii.

PRESENTS

pd 2002,g back-

This Is Your WorldMeet five top Ironman age-groupers

who achieved their dream and

turned pro

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VERY MONTH IN TRIATHLON PLUS we publish race training plans (you can find an archive of these in the Training

Zone section of triradar.com). We know a few athletes who’ve used them to the letter and achieved the results they want. All of our plans are written by qualified and experienced coaches, and as you long as you have the base fitness needed to complete them, they’ll see you right on race day.

But what if you can’t find a training plan to suit you? What if this is your first Ironman and you don’t know where to start? You would be surprised how many athletes train for an Ironman without any professional help at all. That’s fine if you have a long background in triathlon, or even one of its

Whenever your race is, we’re assuming you can already ride your bike for two-and-a-half hours, run for an hour non-stop without pain, and swim 400m non-stop and for up to 1500m in a session.

BREAK IT DOWN Your 12 weeks of Ironman training is split into broadly three periods: base training, speed training, and tapering. If you have longer to train, you can extend the base and speed phases but the taper normally remains at two to four weeks. The phases build into each other, so your speed phase will still include aerobic base training and your base phase includes some faster sessions, too; it’s the intensity, duration and focus of the sessions that changes.

BASE PHASEYou’ll sometimes see this referred to as the ‘build phase’, and the idea is to lay your aerobic base for the harder training to follow. The less experienced

RACE TRAINING PLANconstituent sports, but if you train with no plan at all you risk reaching race day completely ill-prepared, usually with a few bouts of overtraining-induced illness in the race build-up.Over the next few pages we’ll show you how to build up to Ironman in your own way, putting your training into a plan that works with your routine.

BEFORE YOU STARTThis structure works for a 12-week programme. If you have a little more time to play with, you can use the extra weeks for additional base-building or even plan a ‘mini peak’, aiming for an Olympic-distance race coming up before beginning your build-up again.

E

you are as an athlete, the longer you’ll need to spend in this phase, and that means you’ll need more than 12 weeks to train. If you’re new to triathlon but an old hand at another sport, you will also have a better aerobic base, so four weeks should be plenty. For most pro athletes, the off-season is spent almost entirely doing long, slow, aerobic work. It can feel boring and pointless to spend so long trudging along in these slower workouts, but they are preparing your body for harder work by strengthening your heart and lungs, increasing the amount of oxygen your body is able to use while working, burning fat so you’re carrying less ‘baggage’ round, and conditioning your muscles, tendons and joints so that the impact of high intensity training doesn’t do you damage.How hard? Most of your base training sessions are done in what we call zones 1 and 2, from 60% up to 75% of your maximum heart rate; you should be able to chat on the bike or run at this level. Some of the faster base-training sessions will take you up to zone three and you may introduce some short, fun, sprints, but there are no sustained periods at race pace.

SPEED PHASEThis is the part of training that adds your edge for the race. It may seem odd to talk about going fast when you’re thinking about a 12-hour race like Ironman, but your ability to hold race pace on the day is just as important as in a sprint race. What’s more, doing some workouts above Ironman pace makes the speed you need to sustain on the big day feel that much easier.

The speed phase of training can last from four to six weeks; generally speaking, the more experienced you are, the longer you can sustain periods of heavy training, though older athletes may find they need more recovery. During this phase you keep building your longest sessions in each discipline, as you’ll really need that endurance for Ironman, but you might introduce faster periods in each session and you’ll reduce the volume of some of your secondary workouts in favour of adding speedwork. You might also move to training more than once a day during this phase, with an easier session in one discipline followed up by speed work in another. This phase of your training not only prepares your body to hold higher speeds, but prepares your mind by calibrating your pace

judgement – absolutely crucial if you’re to avoid blowing up in your race.How hard? Keep some zone one and two sessions during this phase, but in each discipline you’ll hit zones three and four at least once per week – that means getting out of breath and having to concentrate to keep up the effort. You’ll be training at 75 up to 90% of your maximum heart rate.

TAPER PHASEThere is some debate about how useful a taper is, and some athletes prefer not to do it at all, but unless you’re a very experienced athlete and know you can train hard right up to your race, play it safe and have a good three-week taper. The idea behind this phase is to allow your body the time to recover from your hard speed training without losing fitness. That means you’ll decrease the volume of your training until, in the final week before your race, you’re just doing four or five easy sessions.How hard? Keep some intensity in the taper up to the penultimate week; your speedwork sessions may still take you up to zone four. The difference is in the volume and the length of your hard intervals. Take your recovery and rest sessions seriously.

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IRIRONMAN

LD YOUR OWN

N GUIDE www.ironmanwales.com

DECEMBER 2012 4342 DECEMBER 2012

Build Your OwnRace Training PlanFollow some simple rules and you can write your own tailor-made Ironman training plan

PAGE 42

50 DECEMBER 2012 DECEMBER 2012 51

THE BROWNLEES

DECEMBER 2012 51

THE BROWNLEES


On 7 August, the Triathlon Plus team were up early to grab our spot on the Olympic triathlon course like thousands of other fans. We cheered, we clapped, we took blurry pictures and watched as Alistair and

Jonathan Brownlee fulfilled years of promise to win Olympic medals.

We won’t have been the only people to leave Hyde Park that day determined to emulate Yorkshire’s finest. OK, we’re not on course for any ITU World Championship victories, and we’ll never hang an Olympic medal round our necks, but we can learn from the brothers’ no-nonsense attitude to training and fearless race approach.

So when we were offered the chance to ride with the Brownlees two weeks after the Games as part of the Gatorade Hit Squad, we jumped at the chance to pick their brains. Here’s what we learned.

TRAIN TOGETHER, TRAIN STRONGER TRIATHLON PLUS How important is it to you to train together?

ALISTAIR From motivating each other out the door sometimes to pushing each other in the hard sessions or being able to talk to each other because you’re both going through a similar thing, it’s really, really important.

JONNY It would be difficult for me if Alistair stopped [doing triathlon]. Actually, I’d think ‘Thank God, I can win something now!’

It would be difficult, but I’d definitely cope: I’ve learnt a lot from Alistair now and I could use that, but going out running and cycling for a while I’m sure I’d miss him. Just like when you’re young and your brother moves away from home.

RACE LIKE THE BROWNLEES

Words Elizabeth Hufton and Tom Ballard Photos Simon King

The Brownlees face their toughest challenge: riding slow enough for editor Liz Hufton

Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee take a break on one of their favourite routes, past Bolton Abbey in Yorkshire

Race Like The BrownleesLearn to think, train and race like Britain’sOlympic medallists

PAGE 50

Don’t miss this month

Hey fellow tri junkies, We are into December already, and the summer just

seems to be whizzing by! The Summer Christmas Gear Guide is chock full of great products that would make ideal gifts over the coming festive season. If you have any spare money to burn, this is the issue to page through to get some great ideas on buying some tri goodies. Triathlon can certainly provide some magical eye candy, enough to make us all drool at times. The December period also offers time for some much needed extra training, especially for those racing the 70.3 in January. It requires quite a bit of commitment and careful planning on the athlete’s part, trying to train and increase their mileage while spending time with family over the holiday period at the same time. If possible, try and keep the training consistent over this period. Some athletes seem to think that by packing their training distances into the first 2 weeks of December, they can then take the rest of the month off without feeling the effects of fitness loss. While in theory this does appear to make sense, the practical issues are somewhat different. Far too often, athletes pick up injury or illness because of the sudden increase in workload and end up missing a few races because of it. The better option is to try and spread the training volumes and keep them consistent. An injured or sick triathlete is no good to any of us, right? I must just thank all the readers, my advertisers and the team at Triathlon Plus SA for a very successful year. We are aiming to bring you even bigger and better things in 2013.

Yours in tri,

Glen Gore editor

glen@triathlonplussa co.za

Get in touch...twitter.com/TriathlonPlusSA orfacebook.com/TriathlonPlusSA

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8 DECEMBER 2012

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Contributors Rich Allen, Eva Caiden, Dr Kevin Currell,

Eamonn Deane, Fiona Duffy, Txema Garcia,

Glen Gore, Phil Graves, Peter Greenwood, Guy

Kesteven, Nigel Leighton, Dr Ian Rollo, Spencer

Smith, Mark Threlfall, Steve Trew, Jamie

Wilkins

Photography

Timothy Carlson, Paul Phillips/

Competitive Image, James Lampard,

Allen Krughoff, EnduraPix , David

Thomas, Neil Godwin, Michael

Dannenberg www.foodimaging.co.uk,

Ironman, Bob Foy, Simon King, Trisport,

ITU.org, Chris Hitchcock, 11Global.com,

Slanghoek, British Triathlon /Jero

Honda, Arnold Lim / ITU, Anne

Cakebread, Nigel Farrow.

Cover Photo ITU.org

Meet the South African team: Creative Director Bianca Schmitz

Art Editor Shane Hardie

Copy Editor Alexandra Massey

Social Media Jonathan Trenor

Subscriptions Geraldine Stone

AdvertisingGlen Gore +27 74 187 7140

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Subscribe online at

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TriPlus Voice Blogsite www.triplus.co.za

Printed in SA by The Fire Tree Design

Company under license with

Futurenet Publishers.

Distribution through RNA distributors

and First Freight. GLEN GORE Glen is the editor of Triathlon

Plus in South Africa, and

coaches triathletes. He’s been

a pro ITU World Cup racer and

multiple top-five Ironman

finisher.

We’ve assembled the biggest and best team of triathlon experts around to bring you unrivalled coverage of your sport

Meet your teamof experts

ISSUE 32 / DECEMBER 2012

JEZ COX Jez Cox is a former elite cyclist

and duathlete who has more

duathlon wins to his name

than any other British athlete.

He also runs duathlon/cycling

coaching company

howgoodcouldibe.com

GARTH FOX Garth is a sports scientist

(MSc) and coach (garthfox.

com). He works with

world-class and age-group

athletes, transferring the

latest techniques across

endurance sport disciplines

STEVE TREW Leading triathlon coach and

commentator Steve has been

in the game forever. You can

reach him for coaching advice

and details on his training

camps on trew@personalbest.

demon.co.uk

RICH ALLEN Rich has won nine national

elite British championships

and qualified for the Olympics

in 2000. He still races

professionally, and runs his

own coaching business

richallenfitness.com

PHIL MOSLEY Our coaching editor Phil is an

elite triathlete and coach with a

degree in sports science. He is

also the reigning British

age-group duathlon champion

and an authority on every

aspect of the multi-sport world

TOM BALLARD Our staff writer Tom has a love

of all things triathlon. This

year he completed Ironman

UK 70.3 and he’ll also be

competing in the London

Triathlon with Team Triathlon

Plus-Boardman

PHIL GRAVES Phil is a pro Ironman triathlete

renowned for his cycling

prowess. He won the Ironman

UK and 70.3 UK double in 2009

took the 70.3 UK title again

this year and has recently won

TriStar111 Milton Keynes

PAUL NEWSOME A dedicated triathlete and

life-long swimmer, Paul is

founder and head coach of

Swim Smooth. He has an

Olympic distance PB of 1:49:52

and recently completed a

cross-Channel swim

STEVLeadin

comme

in the

rea

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L GRAVEis a pro Ironman triathlete

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Meet the Southfrican team:

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DECEMBER 2012 9

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Garmin’s range of advanced GPS enabled training devices offer you the ultimate tool in training and racing. Designed for athletes where every second counts. Track your progress by transferring your workout data to Garmin Connect (connect.garmin.com). FR 910XTFR 610

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10 DECEMBER 2012

ContentsISSUE 32 / DECEMBER 2012

INSPIRED BY18-YEAR-OLD MARCO ROUX’S FIRST IRONMAN

RACE REPORTSINCLUDING THE HY-VEE TRIATHLON

39

54

82EVERY MONTH

54 RACE REPORTS Including the 2012 ITU World Championships

82 BRAND NEW KIT Check out all the latest gear on the

market

98 RACE LISTINGS Plan the end of your year with our guide to what’s on

99 SUBSCRIBE AND LOOK COOL Never miss an issue, save money and get yourself some free gear

101 COMEBACK TALES Richard Allen talks about how drafting changed his beloved sport forever

102 TREW STORIES Steve Trew has many memories of London 2012. Here are a few of his favourites

ON THE COVER

12 THIS IS YOUR WORLD Meet five top Ironman age-groupers who achieved their dream and turned pro

26 UP TO SPEED Read up on the latest tri news

32 FUEL / REFUEL A quick and easy meal to ensure you’re fully fuelled up with everything you need the night before your race

39 WE’RE INSPIRED BY 18-year-old Marco Roux’s first Ironman and J-bay boy Rowan Boettger’s Ultraman adventure

42 BUILD YOUR OWN Follow some simple rules and you can write your own tailor-made Ironman training plan

50 RACE LIKE THE BROWNLEES Learn to think, train and race like Britain’s Olympic medallists

68 SWIM Practising group swims in open water will build confidence and race techniques

71 BIKE Will sitting or standing generate the most power when cycling a hill? We investigate

75 RUN Shin splints are one of the most common running injuries. Here’s how to diagnose which type you’ve got and put a stop to them

76 PLAN Smashing your PB or just surviving your first half-IM – follow our perfect plans

BUYER’S GUIDEYEERR’’SS GGUUIIDDEEECHRISTMAS

YEER S GUUIDDER STHE BEST OF THE BEST

top to

or just surviving y

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REW STORIESrew has many memori

n 2012. Here are a fewurites

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DECEMBER 2012 11

UP TO SPEEDTROUBLED START FOR ICONIC IRONMAN NEW YORK

BUILD YOUR OWNFOLLOW SOME SIMPLE RULES AND YOU CAN WRITE YOUR OWN TRAINING PLAN

26 42

50

Subscribeand get free

goodiesSEE PAGE 99

RACE LIKE THE BROWNLEES LEARN TO THINK, TRAIN AND RACE LIKE BRITAIN’S OLYMPIC MEDALLISTS

EOR ICONI

6

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Subscriband gegoodieSEE PAGE

RAIN AND RACE LIK

12 DECEMBER 201212 DECEMBER 2012

THIS IS YOUR WORLD

THIS IS YOURWORLD

MEET FIVE TOP IRONMAN AGE-GROUPERS WHO ACHIEVED THEIR DREAM AND TURNED PRO

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TIM DEBOOMTIM DEBOOM dabbled in triathlon during his early 20s while swimming competitively, showing his natural talent for the sport by qualifying for Kona in only his second Ironman. As an age-grouper, DeBoom’s accolades included being both the US and World Ironman Champion twice, before he decided to go professional in 1995. Finishing 10th in Kona that year, DeBoom suffered setbacks in the following seasons but came back strong in 1999, winning Ironman New Zealand and coming third in Kona. The year 2000 was another step up the podium for the American, while in 2001 and 2002, DeBoom showed his true potential by taking back-to-back crowns in Hawaii.

PRESENTS

pd 2002, g back-

MEET FIVE TOIEVED T

DECEMBER 2012 13

AGE-GROUPERSGO PRO

DECEMBER 2012 13

14 DECEMBER 2012

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PETE JACOBSPETE JACOBS took up the sport as a teenager after following his mum to events in his native Australia. He completed his first long-distance race, the 2002 Ironman Australia, when he was only 19 years old. Jacobs turned pro in 2004 and has built up a strong racing curriculum vitae and a reputation as one of the top swimmers in Ironman competition. Finishing eighth at Kona in both 2009 and 2010, Jacobs led from start to finish in Ironman Australia last year to take his first professional Ironman victory. He followed this up with a superb second place in Kona, making him one of the big names to look out for to make this year’s podium.

14 DECEMBER 2012

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AGE-GROUPERSGO PRO

LUCY GOSSAGELUCY GOSSAGE’S first foray into triathlon was at the 2005 London Triathlon while working as a junior doctor. Signing up for Ironman UK as a dare, Gossage topped her age group at the 2006 race, but didn’t know she would have qualified for Kona until the next day. In 2007, Gossage came second in her category at Ironman 70.3 UK and went to the 70.3 World Championships, coming seventh in her age group. In 2008, Gossage was Kona-bound at last, finishing as first British female age-grouper, a performance she repeated in 2010 before deciding to go pro in 2011, winning Ironman 70.3 Ireland a few days later. Still working for Cancer Research part-time, Gossage has won this year’s European Long-Distance Duathlon Championships and the UK’s inaugural TriStar 111 race in Milton Keynes.

DECEMBER 2012 17

ay. In 2y at Ironm

Championships, 2008, Gossage was

shing as first British female agmance she repeated in 2010 be

pro in 2011, winning Ironman 7days later. Still working

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CHRISSIE WELLINGTONAS FAR as age-grouper to pro success stories go, Chrissie Wellington’s is probably the most high-profile – and fastest – ascension to greatness in the sport’s history. Wellington took up triathlon in 2004 but didn’t start competing in earnest until 2006 after living in Nepal, where she got in some serious high-altitude mountain biking. A 2006 Shropshire Triathlon win ensured age-group world championship qualification. In September that year, Wellington blasted her way around the course in Lausanne, Switzerland – she was the first female to finish overall. The next year, 2007, saw both Wellington’s first season as a pro and her first of four Ironman World Championship victories.

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RACHEL JOYCEANOTHER MEMBER of Britain’s cohort of top Iron women, Rachel Joyce studied law at university and balanced her legal and triathlon careers before going pro. Qualifying for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in 2006 – then held in Clearwater, Florida – Joyce came first in her age group and was second Brit overall behind Leanda Cave. Since resigning from her job as a lawyer in 2008, Joyce has dedicated herself to the life of a professional triathlete. She finished sixth at Kona in 2009, fifth in 2010 and fourth in 2011 along with a host of international wins and podium spots, including winning this year’s Challenge Roth.

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December Issue 32

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Transcript of December Issue 32