IN THIS EDITION…

  • How long should your long run be?
  • 4 myths of strength training
  • How to calculate your best bike pace
  • Integrate your swim kick for more speed
  • Joe Friel’s guide to a marathon PR

FASTER MARATHONS

Master coach Joe Friel delivers the goods as he describes how triathletes can post a marathon personal best.

Increasing weekly volume is not the key.  Instead, he wants you to get more efficient by focusing on these 6 fundamental workouts. 

Then he explains how to organize these sessions into a 12-week schedule, which accommodates your swimming and cycling.

Finally he reveals how to put it all together on race day with a clever 3-phase marathon pacing plan.

POWER PACING

Pacing the bike leg of a triathlon is tricky business.  It’s all too easy to over-bike in the heat of competition, only to pay dearly for your overzealousness with a poor run.

Coach Russell Cox offers a simple, flexible and easy-to-follow bike pacing strategy that utilizes your power meter.

It’s based on identifying two upper limits – or caps – of your targeted power output, then trying to stay beneath them during the race.  The first cap dictates the effort of your steady-state riding, and the second governs your effort during surges and climbs.

Learn how to calculate your power caps, then practice them in training.  They will help you race with more speed and confidence.

WHAT A KICK

Don’t allow your freestyle kick to be an afterthought.  Use Brenton Ford’s 5 tips for improving your kick and make it an integral part of your stroke.

We especially like Ford’s concept of “Ballerina in a Bucket” to help visualize an efficient flutter kick with minimal drag.   His tip on how to properly time your kick with your catch will allow you to generate maximum power from proper body rotation.

Ford is an expert in helping triathletes become better swimmers, and this video explains how to make your freestyle kick work for you.

DRESSED FOR SUCCESS

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HOW LONG AGAIN?

The long run is one of the cornerstones of IRONMAN training.

Coach Whitney Heins explains everything you wanted to know about the long run, but were afraid to ask.  Included is a foolproof method to determine just how long your long run should be.

To cap off a successful race, you must get your long run right.  This article will help you do it.

MYTHS OF STRENGTH

You’ve heard it before: “Weight training will bulk me up.”

That’s nonsense and, if it’s preventing you from integrating strength work into your triathlon training, then you’re making a critical mistake.

Strength training builds lean muscle mass, prevents injury and improves movement patterns (especially when fatigued).

Read about the 4 myths of strength training popular among endurance athletes, then get in the gym!

QUICK HIITS:

  • Back in Action
    Fast performances are built on core stability and a strong lower back. Check out Dan Go’s Twitter thread on the 4 pillars for building a stronger lower back.  He demonstrates 7 proven exercises that improve your speed and durability..
  • Odds in Ibiza
    The PTO European Open comes to Ibiza, Spain this Saturday.  Its star-studded men’s and women’s fields – energized by $600,000 in prize money — are guaranteed to serve up exciting competition.  Get a handle on who has the best odds of a winning performance with this analysis by TriRating.com.
  • Flora
    Enjoy Jack Kelly’s conversation with Commonwealth Games and Olympic champion Flora Duffy in this episode of the How They Train podcast.  Listen to her straightforward – but challenging – approach to training.  Learn why she avoids brick workouts.  Is this the greatest female triathlete of all time?  You decide.