- So you've delved into the world of multisport.
And your first triathlon is just around the corner.
Now you may be wondering where to start.
Well, that's where we come in.
No matter what distance you'll do,
we want to make sure you complete it comfortably
and have a great time.
So this is part one of how to train
for your first triathlon series.
(upbeat music)
Swimming tends to be the discipline that's most daunting
especially if it's new to you
or you haven't swum for a while,
but really, there's nothing to worry about.
- See, swimming is largely about technique.
Which is quite hard to figure out on your own.
Most swimmers and triathletes will tell you
what you think you're doing in the water
isn't necessarily what you're actually doing.
- Yeah, so before you get any terrible habits,
it's probably a good idea to get someone
to have a look at your swimming.
That could be a training partner or a friend.
Or maybe it's worth considering joining a swimming club
or triathlon club where you can get
the advice of a coach.
- So, given the technical aspect of swimming,
we suggest swimming little but often.
This will give you the best chance possible
of learning any new skills.
And providing you have the time to,
I'd suggest starting with two swims per week,
of around 30 to 40 minutes each.
- Obviously it depends on the level you're starting at,
but the aim is to be able to complete the swim distance
of the triathlon that you've entered
within your training sessions comfortably.
And that doesn't mean just swimming
that distance continuously.
Basically you need to break it down into chunks.
- So, an example session at an
easy anaerobic pace would be:
For the warm up two lots of 50 metres front crawl swim.
And then some drills, four lots of 25 metres kick.
And then for the main set, and it's a ladder set,
so we go 50 metres, then into 100 metres,
150 metres, followed by another 150 metres
and then back down to 100 metres,
and finally 50 metres.
All a front crawl swim.
And then for the cool down,
100 metres choice swim of any stroke,
then 50 metres pull with a pool buoy.
Finally 50 metres kick.
In total that's 1000 metres
and just take a comfortable 20 to 40 seconds
recovery between all the reps.
- To begin with, if you're new to cycling,
then all of your training needs
to be focused on building your confidence
and getting your fitness up.
- That's right, cycling is actually
a relatively technical sport.
More so than most people realise.
So even if you are quite an experienced cyclist
it may be worth you spending a little time
honing your skills first.
- So rather than heading out for rides at break neck speed,
keep it to a conversational pace
as this will allow you to build
that face level of aerobic fitness
and muscular strength without over doing it.
- Absolutely.
Don't underestimate how tiring training
for three sports can be.
It is, trust me.
So let's start by building things up gradually.
There's no need for killer sessions at this point.
It's just simply about riding your bike.
But how much should you do?
And how often?
- Well obviously it depends
on your sporting background and your current fitness,
but a good starting point would be to do
two rides a week of about 60 minutes each.
But it's really important not to increase it too quickly.
So, we're gonna use a ten percent rule
where you don't increase your training duration
while you're training distance by more
than ten percent each week.
- Okay, so as an example this would mean
in your first week you'd do two steady rides
around 60 minutes.
And then in your second week
you'd do two more rides
but this time you're gonna progress them slightly.
You're gonna do 65-66 minutes, give or take.
- Actually something I found really useful
when I first started triathlon
was to ride with a more experienced cyclist
providing they're not gonna push you too hard to start with.
- Yeah, that's actually a really good idea
and I did the same thing myself.
I guess it's a bit of a monkey see, monkey do approach
by seeing how they corner, they break,
they descend and just ride technically.
It will eventually brush off on you.
It's actually also just a great way
of mixing things up
and enjoying our training with others.
Now for the running and in a similar way to the cycling
you want to keep it to a steady anaerobic pace
to begin with.
Now, it tends to be the one that everyone
gets a little bit carried away with
try to run too fast too soon
or even too fast too often.
- For others, though, it can feel much harder work.
Now, remember it's a weight baring sport
so it's really important that you build it up gradually.
And, if you're new to running or
if you haven't done any running for a long time
then just start off by doing walk jogs.
And for that you just head out on a walk
and then add in some 30 to 60 second jogging efforts.
- As we move forward,
depending on your current level of fitness
and your sporting background
we suggest starting out with no more than 30 minute runs.
In fact, from my own experience,
the little but often trick work wonders for running.
So, providing time allows,
we'd recommend two easy runs in your first week
of around 20 to 30 minutes each.
And then in your second week
just increase that slightly to 30 to 35 minute runs.
- If you've entered a longer distance triathlon
then it's easy to start worrying
that you need to be doing the full distance
or close to it already in training.
But you don't.
You need to hold back and be patient
because the valuable base that you're building now
will pay off in a few weeks time.
- And finally, some people become concerned
that they haven't done enough of one of the disciplines.
But it's worth noting that,
although they're three different sports,
fitness is fitness.
So, say you are improving your cardiovascular
fitness on the run,
this will translate to some degree
to the cycling and the swimming.
But, of course, the main thing of all of this
is like Heather said,
make sure you enjoy yourself.
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