The Minimalist Approach to Triathlon Training (Or Anything Else for that Matter)

I consider myself a minimalist when it comes to triathlon training.

I know this may sound strange and somewhat contradictory to anyone who knows me personally as my triathlon training volume is up in the 20+ hour range per week during peak weeks in the spring and summer, which, admittedly, is quite a lot of time.

Yet, I still claim that I am a minimalist because I do the absolute minimum of what I have to do in order to meet my goals…and nothing more. If my coach tells me to run for 2 hours and 30 minutes, I run for 2 hours and 30 minutes. If my coach tells me to bike for 90 minutes with 3 x 4 minute efforts at higher intensity and lower cadence that’s what I do. Examples of not being a minimalist would be running an extra mile or two and increasing the biking intensity interval.

My triathlon goals are aggressive and aspirational (a stretch) so I do need the high amount of training volume at times in order to increase my fitness level to a high performance peak. Hitting a high performance peak is a very fine line to walk. Too little training and I fall short of my potential and don’t quite reach the peak. Too much training, and I am either burned out mentally, exhausted physically or injured, and I slip past my potential down the slippery slope on the other side. I want to be at the razor’s edge on race day and the minimalist approach is what I believe what will get me there – I do what I need to do to the minimum to reach the peak and nothing more.

Here’s a recent real-world example of the minimalist approach:

A few Sundays ago I was running with Reston Runners for their 10-mile run. My coach had directed me to run at a Z2 (Zone 2 – aerobic endurance) effort, which for me is a heart rate in the 130′s – 140′s range. I showed up for the workout, didn’t see any of my regular running buddies so I started running and eventually began running and chatting with another runner. We ran together for about six miles until a group of four or five caught up to us. As we approached the last few miles, the group picked up the pace. I had to make to make a choice to either: (1) go with them or (2) maintain my steady Z2 pace and run by myself. I chose the latter. They dropped me, I swallowed my pride, and I ran the rest of the run by myself. I could have run faster and stayed with the group but that would have exceeded the intent of what I needed to accomplish in that workout.

I am extremely lucky in that I have found a triathlon coach (Olaf Sabatschus) in whom I place my trust and confidence. I articulate my goals to Olaf and he prescribes me the workouts that I need to do in order to get me to a peak. Truthfully, following Olaf’s coaching has been a true leap of faith because some of the workouts have gone against what I’ve read from other “experts” and chat-room “tribal knowledge.” However, the “proof is in the pudding,” so to speak: I set PR’s in 2007 at the Quelle Challenge Ironman-distance triathlon and at the Disney Marathon – the day after running the Disney Half-Marathon. On February 3, I will be racing in the Ocala Marathon without having run a half-marathon the day before so I’m excited by the possibility to go even faster.

What’s the takeaway?

It’s easy to get caught up in what others are doing especially in group settings or not want to appear “slow,” but sometimes that’s the optimal path to take.

My advice: Keep your eye on the prize (the race) and do what you need to do to get there. Training is training. Some people train fast. Others race fast. Which do you want to be?

I want to race fast. Training is just the means to the end.

Cheers,

David

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David B. Glover
Experiential Writer, Elite Athlete, Coach and Race Director
Author of Full Time and Sub-Nine
Personal Web: www.davidglover.net
Business Web: www.enduranceworks.net

©2008 David B. Glover