Embrace the local races because this might be where you may achieve your best performances. You’ll be able to focus your energy on the race, rather than the logistical stress of travel. In addition, the boost from being cheered on by family and friends and the local tri community is huge. Plus, there’s no motivation to dig deep like earning local bragging rights.

Work with the seasons, not against them. Plan your races so that you don’t have to worry about training during the holidays. If you live in a place that is frozen in winter, use these months for maintenance training or skill building. It’s the perfect time to get hungry to train when the weather becomes nice. The goal is be fresh and ready to go when the weather is more inviting.

Go short, even if you are going long. Not all races have to be long triathlons. Mix things with sprint distance tris, 5k road races, bike time trials, etc. These races allow you to experience pure racing and to replace holding watts or paces with the pure grit of fighting to the finish line. Short races hurt, but are fun and create an opportunity to practice racing skills without putting the stress on your body.

Make your coaching work for you. Find a coach who understands your lifestyle outside of triathlon and who is willing to build a training program around it. Training programs should not be a cause for stress! Build a training program that embraces what you are easily able to do while minimizing the things that cause stress. For example, if you live really close to a pool, build your aerobic base by swimming more. If getting to a pool is hard for you, swim less and build dry land swim training into your program. There isn’t one set training program that works for everyone, so be willing to embrace something that is built specifically for you.

By Scott DeFillipis Pro Triathlete and Coach

April has come and gone and many triathletes based in North America have already begun their seasons. Some are feeling encouraged with their early season result while others who may not have fared as well have themselves feeling down in the dumps. Well, I am here to tell you that it’s ok to not be super fit in May and it’s ok to not have a personal best in your first race out of the gates.

I see more often than not athletes trying to rush into the season, forcing the training, when their mind and body are simply not ready. This can result in an injury leading into the race or sometimes happening during the first race of the year. Sometimes, unrealistic expectations can result in a bad race leaving them feeling down in the dumps come May-June which can send a season spiraling downward.

We need not look any further then the most talked about triathlete in the world, Lionel Sanders. Mr Sanders had a sub-par year in 2018, which started to go downward after the disappointment of losing to the greatest triathlete we’ve ever seen, in Jan Frodeno.  He let his own expectations affect the rest of the year. Post Kona rather than let his body recover from yet another long year of training and racing at an extreme level of intensity.  He jumped back into training and won Palm Spring 70.3 but then immediately looked towards nailing Oceanside 70.3 in early April with the goal of qualifying for Kona a few weeks later at Ironman TX. Well, he pushed and pushed and didn’t make it to the start line in Oceanside and is now forced to rest for 3 months as he is sidelined with a pretty bad stress fracture.  

This is not completely Lionel’s fault as the way the calendar is set up, WTC has jammed some of the most important races of the year all within the first 8 weeks of the season (With the year starting early April) with 3 of the biggest races in the USA all being run between April 7th and May 5th. But looking back now I am wondering if Lionel is thinking perhaps he should have shut things down after Kona last year and taken his 3 months for his body to recover, then built slowly into the year, perhaps skipping the April and May races???? He should now look to what Mr. Frodeno is doing at this very moment. Jan nailed his season opener in 2018 beating Lional and then went onto win Ironman Frankfurt and the 70.3 World Championships…But the same stress fracture that Lionel now has, Jan also had back in September.  Rather than force the early races, the greatest of all time is taking his time. He passed on a rematch with Lionel in Oceanside and still has nothing lined up as we exit the month of April.  He will race when he is ready to race and not before. 

As a coach I am constantly trying to pull back athletes’ ambition and expectations until we can get in at least 6 weeks of outdoor riding (for those that live in colder climates). We have a strong group of athletes that live in the Tri State are of NYC and every year many want to travel to Puerto Rico in March to start their year. I get it, they have been cooped up all year and want to be warm. But I tell them, “I’m happy for you to go there and race, it’s seems like a lovely place, it’s any easy flight from NYC. But, you have to have zero expectations!” If Puerto Rico 70.3 was held in August or Sept, after weeks of hot humid weather and a full spring and summer of training under their belts, they would nail it!  But, realistically, it’s not going to happen in March or April and sometimes not even in May….

So my advice to many and especially those that live in cold climates…Ease into the year! It’s ok to be carrying a few extra pounds on you in April. Don’t force anything! Use early season races to shake the cob webs, try new equipment, and practice your nutrition strategy! If you are new to using XRCEL as your fuel source, early season races are the perfect opportunity to experience just how effective it’s extended release formula will keep you moving forward all the way to the finish line! Build your confidence with each passing month and race so that come early-November you are really peaking into the offseason, not limping into the offseason!  By season-end you want to still be just as in love with your bike as you were after that first ride, rather than having the urge to stick it in the closet to collect dust until Valentine’s day.

Training for a long distance Triathlon (half ironman to ironman) can be exhausting at times and requires a reasonable level of commitment to make the event an enjoyable experience. Looking back over years of racing and training, and also now coaching athletes who are training for multiple distances, I believe there are 3 main areas where you can hone your skills which will help you in your quest for success at your next event.

1. Time

Be realistic with how much time you have to train, and then base your goals off that. Consider all things outside of training (work, family, friends, regular commitments etc) that will impact your schedule and then be honest with yourself with how much you are able to train outside of that, including some time in there for recovery. Then set yourself a timeline (a coach can help you with this), and start training with purpose. You can do any distance you set your mind to – but always remember the best way to get fitter and stronger faster is to be consistent. A training schedule that is manageable with life balance will be your key to success and in remaining injury free.Nutrition

2. Nutrition

Learn to eat for better training and recovery. The best times to fuel your workouts are before, during, and immediately after. For workouts 1hr or less, if we have properly managed our glycogen reserve, we don’t need to consume many (if any) calories, but over that we need to start to pay attention. And, if we fuel ourselves correctly during the workout, we tend to eat less later which helps when trying to maintain a leaner body weight. Anywhere from 30-60g carb/hr is a good guideline for longer workouts (over 2hrs) in combination with your choice of electrolyte. I choose 1-2 XRCEL per hour plus water or electrolyte for longer sessions. Promote recovery after key sessions by eating a carbohydrate and protein mix as soon as possible. If you don’t have your next meal waiting for you soon after you finish your workout, have an XRCEL.  Because it’s made with glucose, it is super-efficient at replenishing depleted glycogen for faster recovery.

 Drink or snack within 15-30 mins of exercise, and then continue on with your nutrition plan. 

3. Training

Make your easy days EASY! Stringing together moderate/high intensity sessions without low intensity, aerobic, strength building days will only end in burnout, injury, fatigue and a performance plateau (which are all part of burnout) because you will never give your body and mind a rest in order to push to new limits. All of the best athletes follow the stress and rest principle. They alternate between cycles of stress and rest. Rest days don’t have to mean a complete day off. They can be easy training and active recovery, so long as whatever workout you do is EASY. Spinning on your bike, shuffle during your run and even walk the hills, use pull gear while swimming. Whatever you have to do to keep your heart rate as low as possible.

After almost 15 years of Triathlon training and racing I will be honest and say I still make mistakes in these areas, but being aware has definitely improved my overall health and longevity in the sport. Being smart while you are putting in the training day after day will result in a consistent training program and from that I guarantee you will see the results in your progress and racing performance.