- This is it, the final couple of weeks until the big day,
your first triathlon.
You've done all the hard work
and now it's time to put those finishing touches
on your training and start recovering
and ready for the event.
- So today we're going to be covering
weeks 11 to 12 in part five
of our how to train for your first triathlon series.
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- With it being just one or two weeks away from your event
you don't need to continue to crank up your training.
In fact, you can actually start to consider your taper
and your preparation for the event.
So hopefully by now you'll have covered
the swim race distance continuously in your training.
But if you haven't, don't panic,
it's amazing what a little bit of adrenaline
can do on race day.
- In terms of the taper, it essentially allows your body
to absorb all the hard training that you've been doing
and prime you for race day.
This doesn't mean kicking back and relaxing,
it still requires a little bit of intensity
to remind your body of what it's supposed to be doing.
But you should drop the training volume a little
so this means slightly shorter swim sessions
and you can break those sessions into smaller chunks
so you focus more on the quality.
And this is the fun bit now so enjoy it.
And then when it comes around to the event
you can follow a session something along the lines of:
a warm up of 100 metres front crawl swim,
100 metres kick.
And then two 50 metres as 15 metres maximal effort
followed by 35 metres easy.
And then into the main set
do 200 metres build to a good pace,
or your race pace, followed by 100 metres nice and easy
and three lots of 100 metres descending one to three,
so you're getting faster on each 100.
And then warm down with 100 metres kick
and 100 metres choice swim.
That's a total of 1,100 metres
and with some good quality swimming mixed in.
And just take 20 to 40 seconds recovery
between all the reps.
It's really important that you check over your bike
before race day to make sure
that it's in good working order.
The last thing you want is for your race
to come to an early end due to a mechanical,
especially after all the hard work you've put in.
Now bikes are quite complicated machines
so don't worry if you're not sure how to
or what to check.
Simply drop your bike into a local bike shop
a couple of weeks before the event
and they'll be more than happy to give it a good once over.
- A particularly important area to check
is your tyres and especially if you've been using them
for a long time you'll want to check
that they're not excessively worn
and there's no obvious cuts.
The same goes for if you've been doing a lot of hours
on an on wheel turbo trainer with the same tyre and wheel
that you intend to use.
You'll probably want to think about changing that tyre.
- Whilst we really hope you don't get a puncture,
it is worth being prepared for the possibility.
That way, it won't result in the end of your race.
Now there are a number of methods,
a simple one for a clincher tyre
is to carry a spare inner tube,
along with a set of tyre levers,
a pump, or a CO2 cartridge.
But if you are one of those lucky people
and you've never had a puncture
or have had to repair one
then you can obviously follow one of our videos
to make sure that you practise
and you've comfortable with it
or just ask a friend to show you.
- Now with regards to training
you should aim to maintain two rides per week.
But as with swimming you should start
to reduce the distance and the duration slightly.
So focus on rides of around 60 minutes.
And if you are planning on increasing your pace
on the race day and you've been practising already
in training, then continue to do this
but just keep it to shorter blocks with plenty of recovery.
So something along the lines of this:
10 minutes warm up and then four lots of four minutes
at your race pace with six minutes recovery
and then finish off with 10 minutes warm down.
Now we're going to do the same for the running to
so reduce the distance and the duration
of your two runs per week to around 30 to 40 minutes.
And now is a great opportunity to focus on quality.
And if you do want to put in some race pace efforts
you can include them into a session like this:
Start with a 10 minute warm up
and then five lots of 90 seconds,
or one minute 30 at race pace,
followed by 90 seconds recovery jog
and then finish it with a 10 minute warm down.
- Brick sessions are still really important
at this point so try to make one
of your two weekly runs off the bike.
And if you're planning to pick the pace up on race day
and you're feeling really confident
then you can combine the previous run session
into these brick sessions.
- This is also the ideal opportunity
to practise your nutrition.
Both for the bike and the run
to make sure that your stomach is happy with it.
A lot of people struggle coming on to the run
with certain nutrition.
So make sure that you've practised it before
and you've found what works for you.
Now energy gels are one of the most popular choices
due to their simplicity plus the fact
that your body can absorb them pretty easily.
But having said that just make sure you stick
with what you're most comfortable with.
- You've trained so hard for this event
so when it comes to race day
make sure you have all your gear ready in plenty of time.
Hopefully by now you've got all the kit
that you need for race day
and you've practised with it.
And if you don't, you should get it sooner rather than later
so there's no last minute panics.
- Now we'd recommend packing all of your gear
a day or two before your event
and then you can do any final checks.
That way it's done and it's off your mind.
And as the race day approaches also try
and stay off your feet whenever you can.
Avoid any long walks and don't get lured
into wandering around the race expo for hours.
- Get yourself a good meal the night before the race
and an early night if possible.
But don't worry if you can't sleep
that is perfectly normal.
On the morning of the race, get up with plenty of time
to have breakfast.
We normally suggest around two to three hours
before the event,
just allows your body time to digest the food.
And then arrive at the transition area with plenty of time
to set your gear up.
Well I guess that's all from us.
And we wish you the best of luck for your first triathlon.
- Well hopefully after you've completed it
you'll have the triathlon bug
and you'll be back to GTN for more videos.
So to make sure that you don't miss any
just hit the globe to subscribe.
And if you did miss any of the earlier videos
from this series, you can catch up on those just here.
- And to find out how to repair a clincher tyre
when you get a puncture during race day
just click down here.