IN THIS EDITION…
- Critical Swim Speed: why it matters to triathletes
- 6 LT workouts for a bulletproof marathon
- How to get the most from your swim paddles
- 3 bike training mistakes that kill your run
- Find your finish line with Mike Reilly
BAD BIKE
For most age groupers, the IRONMAN bike is where races are won or lost. Why? Because bike pacing determines how your run unfolds. Wasted watts compound into a disproportionate time loss on the run.
Fortunately coach Anthony Walsh explains the 3 fixable training mistakes that tank most bike performances.
Follow his run-protective strategy for bike training, and you’ll soon be executing a better-balanced and faster race.
CRITICAL SPEED
The fastest pace you can continuously swim for 1,500m is referred to as “Critical Swim Speed” (CSS). It’s also a fairly good approximation of your lactate threshold in the water.
CSS is commonly calculated by performing 2 intervals: First swim your fastest possible 400m, take 5 minutes to recover, then perform a 200m time trial. Both efforts should be evenly paced. Enter your split times into this handy online calculator to get your current CSS pace.
As your aerobic fitness improves, your CSS will naturally get faster. You should include CSS sets into your training to accelerate your progress. Coach Phil Mosely provides some useful examples of these triathlon-specific CSS workouts here.
FASTER, STRONGER SWIMMING
FINIS knows triathlon swimming. Its Tempo Trainer Pro is the world’s most popular tool for finding your ideal stroke rate.
The paradigm-shifting Slipfin Pro is the world’s first strapless swim fin that provides propulsion and improves ankle mobility.
FINIS invented the swimmers snorkel and offers a dizzying array of innovative paddles that are effective in refining all aspects of your stroke.
TriathlonWire readers get a 20% discount off all FINIS purchases by using the coupon code TRIWIRE at checkout.
MORE HEADROOM
IRONMAN run pace typically sits around 70-85% of LT. If we never reach our lactate threshold during the run, then why do we need LT training?
Because improving lactate threshold raises your physiological ceiling that determines how hard your submaximal race pace feels. Simply put, raise your LT, and your race pace rises with it.
Here are 6 proven workouts that will improve your lactate threshold, which will translate into faster runs.
PADDLE POWER
Most triathletes have a pair of paddles in their swim bag. Used properly, paddles provide a great strength workout and improve your feel for the water.
Get the most from this important swim accessory by watching coach Fares Ksebati’s guide on how to properly use swim paddles for faster freestyle.
QUICK HIITS:
- Crowie in the Hall
Only 4 triathletes in history have won the IRONMAN 70.3 and Hawaii IRONMAN World Championships in the same year. One of those athletes, Craig “Crowie” Alexander, will be inducted into the IRONMAN Hall of Fame this October.
- Nice Weekend
Championship season officially begins this weekend in the south of France, where the best triathletes in our sport will compete for the IRONMAN 70.3 world titles. The pro women will toe the line on Saturday morning, while the men will compete on Sunday.
- Your True Finish Lines
Voice of IRONMAN Mike Reilly just released his second book, Finding Your Finish Line. In it he shares the lessons learned from his decades in endurance sports, exploring inspiring stories of perseverance, resilience, and grit that can be applied to life’s greatest challenges. A must-read for dedicated triathletes.
