Triathlon at BCC

Triathlon is a growing sport in South Africa with more events being scheduled each year in all 4 categories

We cater for all triathletes. Novices training for their first sprint or those training for another season of all events. Training schedules are sent out weekly from September to April.

The attraction of triathlons is the challenge of having to do all three disciplines one after the other. But the real challenge is training for all three.

And the biggest challenge in that is to be disciplined in your training routine. That means having to train more than once on some days and thus having to find what works best for you for mornings and evenings. For example our running section schedules 6 sessions a week but as triathletes we only run 3 times a week. But you will always find at least 1 triathlete on any of the 6 running sessions. Similarly with swimming you can expect to see one of us in the pool on any morning or evening at the gym.

Therefore the schedules sent out are a guideline and are not meant to be rigidly applied by all. Tweak it to fit your personal goals and most importantly your personal lives. Don’t ignore the needs of your family, work and friends.

Finally … the key to enjoyment and success in this sport is simply to Tri, Tri and Tri again.

Swim

Discipline #1

The swim is the shortest event in any triathlon. Both in distance and time. Yet it is often seen as the most challenging. Probably because swimming does not come naturally to most of us and then also on event day the water temperature and conditions can vary especially at the coast. But if you have done the training you set out to do you will find race day can be successfully completed by simply sticking to your own comfortable stroke and pace.

As a club most of us do most of our swim training at Bedfordview Virgin Active.

Training for the swim requires 2 pool sessions during the week plus for ultras and Ironman an open water swim on the weekend.

How much?  For events less than Ironman you ideally need to have completed a few non-stop swims of the event distance. For Ironman you need to have completed a few 3km open water swims.

Bike

Discipline #2

The bike is the longest in a triathlon both in distance and time. But it is not the most physically demanding. However hard you do ride you always need to keep something back for the run. Freewheel down some hills, go one gear easier up the hard hills and finish the ride feeling like you’ve ridden fast but still feel strong.

We ride with the cycling section mostly on Sundays but occasionally join them on Saturdays and /or public holidays to fit Race schedules and other club events. Mid-week rides in summer with the cycling section are scheduled on Wednesday and Friday mornings.

Training for the bike requires the weekend ride and 1 or 2 other sessions during the week at a spinning class, indoor trainer or mid-week ride.

How much?  Our weekend rides are a minimum of 50km which is good for the sprint and standard triathlons. For the ultras you need to do a couple of 90-100km rides and for Ironman a few 120-140km rides.

Run

Discipline #3

The run is the hardest part of the triathlon and where the most time can be lost. But only if you don’t give it the training focus it requires. Your running training and fitness will benefit you on the bike and even in the pool but not vice versa unfortunately. Getting into the run after the bike is always an uncomfortable process but the better prepared you are the quicker your stride becomes comfortable and with it your ability to increase your pace in the last quarter!

We do our runs with the running section. Run with the group that best matches your ability and preference.

Training for the run requires 2 sessions a week plus for ultras and Ironman the Saturday or Sunday club run. An occasional “brick run” of 2 to 5km after a Sunday ride is also a good idea.

How much?  For events less than Ironman you should have run the distance at least once before the event. For Ironman you must be able to run 14km without stopping (easy we do that every Saturday). You also need to have run some 21km to 28km distances.

Bringing it all together

Bringing it all together into a weekly training schedule for the three disciplines.

We typically structure our training week along the principles of:

• Alternating run days and bike days to aid recovery and help avoid injuries.
• Swim training is then done as a second session of the day but ideally not on consecutive days.

Rest.   Monday is a rest day. Do not underestimate the value of this rest day in your overall plans and training schedule.

Run.   Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings are the Run days. Use Saturday as the “long slow run” and the other days as “quality” for one and “easy” for the other.

Bike.   Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings are Bike days. Use Sunday as the “long slow ride” and the other days as “hard” for one and “steady tempo” for the other.

Swim.  Tuesday, Thursday evenings and Saturday afternoon. Use Saturday as the event distance/open water swim and “drill training” on the other days.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_3″ layout=”1_3″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”#eaeaea” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”#cecece” border_style=”solid” padding=”20px” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=”” min_height=””][fusion_text]Signup to the BCC Weekly Newsletter

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