January-----3 inches of fresh snow outside has me chompin at the bit to go for a crunchy run, which I will get after in about 15 min.

As I coach FAST Triathletes and speak to other triathletes it is my impression that there seem to be 2 camps.

The first camp is the: " Ironman WI in September is a long ways off man and I'm chillin"- group. "Gonna show up at the pool every couple weeks, take a trainer class and run as I feel- but nothing to long."

The second group is the: " Ironman WI or my A race is just ___ weeks away"- group. "I'm doing 4 runs a week- 2 of which involve speed. I'm also doing 3 computrainer classes a week and I averaged 320 watts in my last 20 min TT at a 156 LT HR. Oh- and I'm swimmin 3 Masters workouts a week. "

Who is right? Depends: What is your age? What is your training age? What are your goals- compete or complete?

A few thoughts based on a lot of personal and professional experience.
1. January is the time to bullet proof yourself. Train the strength of your hips, shoulders and general core muscles. If these are strong then common Triathlete injuries like patellar tendonitis, puriformis and Illiotibial Band syndrome and rotator cuff impingement are less likely to occur.
2. Maintain your bone and tendon strength. Run outside as able vs. the treadmill and if your planning a 1/2 or full IM distance maintain a weekly run of at least 8 miles. No need to go much further unless your doing a very early event.
3. Limit high intensity work to one session a week for biking and swimming and 2 in the pool. Doing 3 hard bike classes a week now? It's likely we might be having one of those pep talk sessions in early August. It is however important to do some speed work. This does not need to be crushing long intervals. ( eg. 16 x 400 at LT pace) Last week I was talking to the U of WI Head Cross Country Coach. He used this term " stay in touch with your speed." So end runs with 2-4 x 200 meters or 4 x 30 sec. that feel fast. Do some short sprints on the trainer and also in the pool. Allow long rest intervals between these to allow you to go really fast. These are Fun!

Plan it, commit and act on it. I'll be here to help you sort out knowledge from information.

Coach Dwight

Fitness and Sports Training - F.A.S.T!

January Triathlon Training

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