I’m a relaxed person and this was to be a relaxed camp. I had no intention of burying myself in January and wasn’t planning to take anyone else down that route. While Dave was closing in on the peak weeks of his Ironman South Africa build, Neil and Rich had plenty of time before Roth and Germany arrived. Swim, bike and run lots. I started camp big: three kilometres in the pool, circumnavigate the island on our bike, then run; hopefully sufficiently tiring to put pay to silly games. I wasn’t surprised that the first few hours were high pace, nor shocked to shoot out the back, as I dropped through my limited gears at any hint of ascent. If it didn’t kill me, I was sure this would make me stronger. My legs might have been suffering, but illness struck the camp early, forcing Neil to retreat home; shortly after Dave wisely called it a day, leaving a small group to ride El Golfo. We sped down the highway assisted by a firm tailwind only to meet road closures and no access to the scenic circuit, instead we were left with a monotonous drag, back into the headwind, before climbing Fire Mountain back to La Santa. Not to plan, but a big day none-the-less.

Each day followed a similar pattern: attempt, in a mildly disorganised fashion, to complete – or for some compete at – all three sports. There was an element of trial and error to determine optimum – meaning warmest – times for swimming and running; Lanzarote may be hotter than the UK, but early morning and late evening swimming was a cool affair. Runs on the hills and trails posed less of a problem,you easily kept warm, the question was whether you wanted to be running after the bike? A rough routine was established and health allowing we all managed to complete a very full weekend of training.

Not unique in our desire to abandon the cold homeland, Lanzarote was packed with British triathletes. It was particularly pleasing to be able to catch-up with Steven Lord; always good company for a long ride and with plenty of experience, I was sure the others would be happy to have him along, if nothing else he could drag us round the island. It was an opportunity to educate them in proper long riding, complete with coffee stops. A slight confusion on my part ensured our first ride together was ‘proper’ – climbing over Haria, descending to Orzola, back up to Mirador del Rio, back over Haria from the other side, and then – down the centre of the island, over Fire Mountain once more and roll downhill to La Santa. Perhaps a little much when we planned a hard blast up Tabayesco the next day? My legs felt that 42.

Tabayesco was my peak, not in performance – I summited in a time I can’t be bothered to check – but from that point on I descended into illness. It was a general camp high point with some great climbing from everyone, pleasing to see a hard effort after three solid days of riding, particularly Rich pulling off an impressive 26:30 to the cafe. We’d worked enough, that time trial took us into an easy day, camp easy, three hours choice training. Despite a cold I struggled through 2.5 hours of lighter intensity sessions before admitting defeat, in hindsight I should have rested, because I woke on wednesday dead to the world.

I’d spent a restless night, struggling to breathe and concerned at the prospect of the final long day. Having set the target of a second round-the-island trip I didn’t want to let the group down, but it was clearly a bad idea; reluctantly I sent them on their way and returned to bed for the morning. By all accounts while I dozed in a darkened room they had a decent finale to the camp, hooking up with Steven and covering a large part of the island. It was disappointing not to be there, but realistically I’d have been a liability. My goal was to return from camp able to build on the training I’d achieved, twenty-five hours was plenty after a winter barely touching double figures.

A day lost to illness, a day lost to travel, to cap my frustration off more sickness on my return; moving from head to stomach I seem to have picked up another of the bugs that plagued our sick camp. Out with a splutter not a bang, I would like to train now, and all the rest leaves me able to train, but I’m forced to wait another day. Broadly camp was a success – I believe I got the kickstart I needed and recovery allowing I’ll be out training tomorrow. First steps on an uphill road to race fitness.

Under prepared might be the way to go, I have a history of thoroughly preparing for training camps, arriving in great shape only to burn myself out within the week; my quiet, competitive streak demanding I hold on until there’s nothing left. So having a camp early in the season, when winter has stripped fitness to the bone, might just prevent me from reaching my destructive limits, and without the ability to demonstrate my strengths, I’ll be left proving I’ve the work ethic to regain them. I can simply train, without ego, gathering mileage and instigating the start of a program that will see me back on form when it matters – for a summer of racing. No more abusing camps, the term may come loaded with preconceptions, but Lanzarote in January is about base mileage.

Base, build, peak, whatever period or categorisation a training camp falls under, they are about athletic development not athletic prowess; they are an exercise in over reaching, removing distractions, progressing an athlete beyond the confines of their regular routine and approaching their limits. In the early season the limits sit nearer than we’d like – power is lacking, endurance falls short – it doesn’t take significant increase in volume or intensity to achieve an overload. A camp necessarily takes on a different form to those later in the season, less focussed perhaps, just consistent days of suitably testing miles. Which isn’t to say easy, there’s plenty of room for hard sessions, it’s the daily race to be alpha athlete that’s avoided.

So what can my athletes expect from their informal training camp at La Santa? Consistency across the board – the rough plan is to swim, bike and run every day. The tried and tested Lanzarote routine starts with a swim, pivots around a long bike and finishes with a run, I don’t feel any need to deviate from this. A little variation in distances and priorities, but at this point in time I’m reticent to throw in double days, not least because I suspect I’m not up to it! Despite what I’ve written they’ll be competition, it’s inevitable, but we will keep that limited to friendly motivation and perhaps the odd time trial. And in case we can’t control ourselves, day one will be big, in Epic Camp tradition I want to tire everyone out before we get started. The overall aim is to walk the line between fitness and fatigue so we return to the UK ready and able to take things further; nobody is going to lose February to recovery.

A positive lesson from reviewing 2011 is the importance of a week long bike camp in late February, it took me from relatively poor fitness to competent training on a platform of steady and tempo riding. This is the role I want Lanzarote to fill, bringing about the mental and physical readiness to train, its success will be measured by my return and not my speed up the mountains.

I had that sense that swim fitness was improving. Undoubtably it was, I’ve actually been consistently swimming, after a year effectively off anything will increase my fitness. The real question, the one I didn’t want answered, was how much had I lost in the last year? So I jumped into Bath University pool with mixed feelings, pleased to be swimming long course and less than enthusiastic about the sharp reminder of lost form I would receive.

Four hundred metres warming up, loosening muscles, priming myself for the test, hoping I might discover some extra purchase on the water and save myself from embarrassment. Lanes were quiet and my ego was massaged by the fact I was the fastest there – at least if I ignored the swim squads to my right – still, it said more about those using the public lanes than my current ability. Rest, then part one – a 400m time trial. It’s a curious sensation as you swim to feel that while you’re pushing yourself, you’re probably not doing a very good job at it. I hit the wall breathing hard, but hard enough? More rest. I pushed more for the second 200m test, but did comfortably surging to pass a slower swimmer mean I still fell short of the intent? Hit the wall, relax, swim down. Job done. Times logged in my Finis Swimsense for later analysis.

Much as I dislike testing myself and find the process hard I can’t deny the value. Without benchmarking we’re left with a vague sense of improvement, and it’s easy to mislead ourselves as to how our fitness is changing. Without testing, there is always the potential to be working too easily or perhaps too hard. Everyone hates the tests, a fear of failure and the suspicion you could have achieved more is commonplace. I don’t think the concerns are entirely misplaced, and a race, where it’s an option, is better at eliciting results – a good dose of adrenaline goes a long way to delivering performance. In winter we’re stuck, struggling alone, one eye on the clock as we produce numbers with the potential to disappoint in light of season goals. It can be demotivating, but the numbers are what they are. The only acceptable response is to train well.

Before I ran my times through a CSS calculator I already had an idea of the result – threshold was certainly the wrong side of 1:30 and by quite a margin. I knew when I had last been swimming those times and how much I had progressed since. I’ve never been a fast swimmer, but I’d made steps towards it through improved technique and high mileage; my peak swim performances following periods consistently swimming six or seven days a week. I’m currently nowhere near and not sure how close I could come while balancing the desire to rebuild my run and not completely lose my bike fitness. A poor, but expected result could have been demotivating, instead I’m looking at how I can better manage my swim time. I want to recapture some of my previous form.

It’s early days, fitness is a long way from where I want it to be, but it feels like it’s improving and that’s exactly the time to test. It is a necessary evil. Swim down, I need new batteries back in my Powertap and a 10K run to complete the set.

I’ve occasionally flirted with the issue of cadence. Far in the past, as I trained to be a better runner, I worked to achieve that golden ninety footfalls; once there I never gave it another thought. New to cycling, I routinely encountered advice to spin, 90 rpm, it was what Lance Armstrong would do; I followed, I tried and eventually I stopped worrying. In the water the advice was about distance per stroke, not strokes per minute; the idea of controlling the rate never entered my head. Cadence was never a major concern, I adopted what was comfortable and fast.

You can be too comfortable. Swim Smooth introduced me to the Wetronome, a waterproof, bleeping box that could set a tempo for your stroke. Stroke length was important, but so was stroke rate; if two swimmers move a metre every stroke then the one who does seventy per minute covers ten metres more than the one who does sixty. Testing showed I gravitated towards sixty, but could maintain form at seventy – I was missing speed. I incorporated a Wetronome and started training stroke rate to gain those extra seconds; inevitably use of the Wetronome faded with time, but the important of stroke rate didn’t. At my fittest I easily controlled my pace through my stroke rate, able to raise it without significant impact on distance per stroke. In my current condition I struggle to combine good technique with high turn over, so I concentrate on developing the fitness that will enable me to work on stroke rate once more. I am cadence aware, but not obsessed.

As I rode longer, hillier and harder I headed in the opposite direction, my natural cadence dropped. Power output remained unaffected, but on longer rides I naturally preferred a lower cadence, ninety felt uncomfortable, tiring. Cadence was always an option on my bike computer, but I chose to ignore it, instead concentrating on wattage and heart rate. I played, a winter spent only in the little ring was interesting, but had little influence on the year ahead (positive or negative); adjusting gears on steady state rides showed the right cadence simply felt better. I didn’t aim for a golden rule, instead I strived to learn the turnover my body preferred. I remain largely ignorant of my cycling cadence, I’m aware of power, heart rate and how my legs feel. It seems to work.

After a few months of training ninety felt natural when running, so I paid little attention to cadence. Six years later, when I acquired a Garmin Footpod, it confirmed I still tended towards ninety strides per minute, give or take. If James hadn’t suggested it during my last Kinetic Revolution track session I wouldn’t have considered running with a metronome, after all, I was already in the right region, but there are dips – fatigue takes it’s toll and momentary lapses in concentration see the cadence drop – if nothing else it would ensure consistency. What was surprising was the change it brought to my entire run; concentrating on the bleep pulled each aspect of my technique in line – I felt I was running better.

Feelings and a sample size of one – not ideal. I ran the same thirty minute route on Tuesday and Thursday this week, the first unaccompanied and the second with metronome. As the graph shows they both occupy a narrow cadence range, but the difference is consistency – with the metronome everything is a little more crisp and controlled; the beat guides me. To further this anecdotal evidence I will note that while I was fresher on Tuesday it was then my cadence fell towards the end of the run. Fatigue would predict Thursday to be the day I struggled, but the bleeps kept me honest.

So my flirtation with cadence continues, perhaps a little more seriously than before. I remain ambivalent in cycling, there is sufficient discussion to leave me unconcerned at my lower cadence while I can comfortably produce the power. I know I will need a higher arm turnover in the pool and await the full development of my fitness to enable it. And I continue to run around ninety, just a little more consistently with the aid of the metronome.

The apparent delay to the cold and ice is obviously an advantage for training, with the right clothing there is nothing to stop a determined athlete going outside. This time last year I focussed on what could be managed indoors, how training could be adapted and how to get the most out of limited facilities. This year the question of winter training can focus on how the period is most appropriately used. I wrote about my own winter plans last week – swimming and running are my limiters and cycling can quickly be rebuilt in spring – an easy choice, but not one that will work for everyone.

Before you decide on how to divide your time there’s the traditional base mileage to consider; winter months spent training long and often slow to build an aerobic base on which we then build speed. I have no issue with developing aerobic capacity, but the approach doesn’t seem to suit many of the athletes I coach whose training is limited by free time. Before I even consider the impact of weather conditions, work, family and socialising all make their demands. My ‘average’ age grouper can manage around 12 hours training each week, rarely more and sometimes less; if they’ve already filled that time with training, they can’t increase volume. Big mileage isn’t an option.

Winter needs simple goals. There are two factors to consider – what training can be done and what training needs to be done. Specifically are there areas of weakness that can be focussed on even if conditions limit options. The weather can restrict cycling, at least forcing training indoors, but swim and run are more flexible, conditions need to be severe to stop them. Obvious choices for winter training, yet I rarely make them the goal. Despite its convenience most of my Ironman athletes are more limited by bike fitness than run fitness – the former affects their marathon performance more than the latter. They can gain from building run fitness, but they benefit more by becoming stronger cyclists.

Cycling may be the training they need to do, it’s not always the training they can do. When Winter conditions prevent cycling outside the prospect of five hours on a turbo doesn’t bear thinking about. Fortunately there’s more to cycle training than endurance; rather than focus on riding long an athlete can work on developing threshold power. Short, hard sessions several times a week, training indoors, but only for an hour at a time. With dedication and focus the winter months can be very productive and they enter spring with a new FTP to build their endurance from. Less hours spent training on the bike means more time elsewhere, usually resulting in increased run volume. The main winter goal remains developing threshold power, but run endurance can be attacked simultaneously.

The winter training plan for many of my athletes takes this form. Swim sessions are spread throughout the week similarly to the rest of the season (it’s unfortunately rare that athletes will invest the time to improve their swimming); bike sessions are short and to the point, should conditions allow there might be an occasional longer ride, but the plan focusses on intensity; the remaining hours are dedicated to running, with less intensity and more volume to target endurance. As the year progresses the balance between the two can shift to keep the athlete developing regardless of the time available.

Winter is perfect for focussing on specific aspects of your training. I don’t see the need for the already aerobically fit and time limited to plan a period training long and slow. We certainly shouldn’t feel particularly tied to training traditions if they don’t work for the lifestyle we lead.

A vague interest in data visualisation and infographics, along with Excel and a graphics package are a dangerous combination. I should have been writing about how to target training during the off season, but instead attempted to produce charts that demonstrate the distribution of training throughout the season. There were two issues: the topic of periodisation was scheduled for next week and my limited design skills. Despite this, I persisted…

Perhaps with good reason radar charts have never made it to these pages, but I’ve been looking for an excuse. My intention was to show the relative contribution that volume, intensity and frequency of training make at different points in the year. Depending on the phase I expect an athlete’s training to fall within certain ranges (represented by the coloured areas) for each of those parameters. A build is dominated by volume, while a peak places more emphasises on intensity. The terms are broad and units arbitrary, in some way I wanted to visualise the changing patterns.

It isn’t Information is Beautiful. And reducing training across three sports into three parameters doesn’t say much. But it’s all I have to show for the last forty-eight hours! After Christmas I will finish those thoughts on winter training, then attempt to do this topic more justice.

I hate being cold, but at least with the right clothing I can handle it; the bigger issue in winter is ice and I’m not willing to take the risk. Unfortunately I don’t like to train indoors, confinement removes the pleasure and no DVD can replace it. I’m reluctant to spend more than a few minutes on a treadmill or turbo trainer and have to become more creative in how I keep myself fit. I’ve added more off road options to my arsenal – a mountain bike and good trail running shoes will help me through the worst. Anything to avoid turning pedals while I stare at a screen for hours on end.

Mercifully I don’t feel a need to develop endurance at this time of year. It’s miserable out there, I’m not looking to extend my rides as conditions deteriorate; if it’s a nice day, I’ll ride long, otherwise I want to be off the bike as quickly as possible. There’s time to work on endurance next year, I can throw in the odd session should weather allow, but there’s as much to gain by focussing on other areas of my fitness. I may have a huge base of endurance built over a number of years, but I believe this principle applies to the majority of athletes.

Reflecting on this season, it’s quite apparent how significant my run is to my results. All the improvements I’ve made on the bike count for nothing without the run to back them up. I am carefully charting my way through an injury-free return to running; progress goes well and it’s something I can continue throughout winter. It’s rare that local roads ice-up to the point of danger and if they should it’s not far to the trails. If I can sufficiently rebuild run fitness by the spring I’m willing to accept a loss in bike fitness from neglected training.

Starting swimming again has proven surprisingly easy, seemingly insurmountable inertia crumbled in the face of two weeks consistent training. I’ve rediscovered the pleasure of working against the water, pulling myself over it and developing my feel for it. A remarkable turn around after a year of indifference, a shame the same can’t be said for my times – it will take a while to be back on form. I’m optimistic that with winter focussed on both swim and run they can return to 2010 standards and progress beyond.

A bad winter’s training taught me two things: that I can survive a bad winter of training and that surviving isn’t the same as benefiting. I built good bike fitness this year despite the absence of winter training; I know I can recover from a layoff. However I can’t afford to be completely negligent and while I may accept lost bike fitness, I must make gains elsewhere. 2012 needs it for a return to performance across the board.

Each week the aim is for the athlete to execute their key workouts as prescribed – hitting targets where it matters. I place sessions to allow sufficient recovery, but what seems reasonable on paper won’t always work; recovery and life don’t go well together. I’ve already adjusted one athlete’s mix of intensity and volume this week to see if it makes their sessions more manageable. There are compromises with my template – it tries to make the best use of available time assuming that time is limited. For those fortunate enough to be less restricted more options are open, while for others I place the emphasis on a few key weekly sessions.

Once logistical requirements are met, a plan normally needs adapting for the time of year. Periodisation is a topic for another time, with most athletes I focus more on the training they need than sticking to a prescribed order. The macro is as individual as the micro. A traditional high volume, low intensity base for an experienced Ironman athlete seems redundant; besides, for those of us in winter, volume is a challenge. I shift the balance of intensity and volume towards bike or run (and very occasionally swim) depending on an athlete’s strengths and their season goals. When recovery is often influenced by work and life, it’s hard to progress well across all disciplines at once.

Sufficient recovery is the biggest issue within a plan. I don’t want to give too much, I want to adjust recovery to fit an athlete’s needs. Two easier days within each week may be more than enough when overall load is low, but fatigue can still accumulate block after block. Experience shows that given an optional workout my athletes usually do them regardless, they don’t choose more rest. It’s understandable, I’m a terrible judge of my own condition and have pushed myself too far on a few occasions. Training is a compulsion. Allowing an athlete flexibility in their recovery is unreliable, it’s better to schedule recovery blocks and lighter days to ensure it happens. Motivated athletes have a habit of wearing themselves down until they come to a halt.

Over multiple weeks certain blocks are lightened to allow more recovery. The largest cut backs are at weekends – it works well for working athletes and I prefer to maintain the intensive sessions. Replacing a midweek block with pure recovery would effectively gives a full recovery week, excessive in view of the overall schedule. Instead I regularly scale back an intensity block and potentially use the period for test sessions; testing early in the block, then a few moderate sessions to keep the block useful while the overall load is reduced. Managed correctly it should produce a stepped progression in fitness similar to the chart below.

Fabricated data in Excel is much smoother than real world results, but a good number of my athletes follow this trend. Life tends to get in the way of the perfect progression – illness being a prime example – a few unplanned rest days affect fitness like a scheduled recovery block. Ideally the schedule should be adjusted with an easier block to return to training, then continue as normal. Subsequent recovery blocks can be delayed to allow fitness growth, there needs to be fatigue to recover from. At this point feedback is a vital part of the coaching process.

One weekly template can cover a lot of bases. Finding a routine that fits with life so you steadily progress your fitness is the starting point, being able to adapt that routine throughout the season and maintain your progression finishes the process off. Reviewing my own training diary it’s clear this year that routine was often lacking; when I strayed from steady progress long-term goals suffered.

Athletes rarely complain that I’ve given them too much. Most of those who seek out a coach are highly motivated and want more, it’s not often I am asked to schedule less. A clear example came while advising an athlete struggling with his performance – he pushed to increase his training load, but results were declining not improving. Life stress was high, training stress was high, breaks were minimal. Sounding a little like over-training the first step was obvious – stop. A period of light training started the turn-around, the more difficult step was developing a plan that worked. The athlete needed to feel he was working hard and progressing, but also needed protecting from simply doing too much.

The week needed very defined blocks that he would work through with very defined periods of recovery. The training had to be challenging enough that the rest was required and appreciated. And life stress played a role, like most age groupers he had limited training time midweek, the plan had to be achievable. So a block of intensity during the week and a block focussed more towards volume at the weekend with easier days between them. Three intensive days might be pushing it, but with a clear recovery day following I felt he would push through. Feedback was good, performance started to improve and the schedule was positively received. There was enough work to satisfy that need to push and enough recovery to keep it under control.

Two blocks, three days midweek and two at the weekend, the longer block focusing on intensity, the shorter generally for volume work. This structure and focus is partly a matter of convenience, most age group athletes need consistency and a schedule that fits their life. Otherwise duration and focus of blocks can be changed to suit an individual, the important element is the easier day between each block of work. Some athletes aren’t ready for as much intensity in a single block, some don’t need the volume work; the plan is adaptable.

My previous training templates offered two variations, either packing the weekend with training or allowing for some free time. The first could contain three easier days per week while the second potentially allowed only one. The newer template provides for two, the exact timings in the week don’t matter as long as they break up the blocks of work. The distinction between an easy day and a hard day is more defined; get it right and the easy day is needed when it comes. It can be motivating, work through the block and you know you get a break.

It isn’t for everyone. Some schedules will not match, some athletes find it too intensive and a few don’t need to ease up as much (though I encourage them to work harder within each block). Blocks and easy days vary in focus and intensity between individuals; an easy day doesn’t have to mean doing nothing, I often use them for quality swim work. While it won’t work for everyone it’s become a starting point, a template I’m confident can successfully progress most athletes.

It has it’s problems. Every key workout in the week should be performed well, this template stacks them against each other – a long run the day after a long bike or a threshold bike session the day after a hard run session. If recovery between sessions isn’t adequate adjustments have to be made. Newer athletes, those recovering from injuries or adapting to new techniques tend to be poor fits, often they need more recovery between sessions. Thoughtlessly and rigidly applied it may not get the best out of an athlete. The intention is to keep taking small steps forward, frequently easing up to ensure a smooth progression.

As promised – nothing radical, no short cuts, just refinements following another year. It’s interesting to see how experience adapts my approach, I learn from my athletes and how they respond to their plans. A year from now I may be writing about another new and improved training week.

After four days glued to my computer I’m finally taking a moment to breathe (by writing this, at my computer). Eating, sleeping and occasionally coaching club sessions were the only times I stepped away from my desk; not quite the flexibility I planned. It isn’t another example of poor time management, but November was a packed month with racing in Vegas, BTF courses and their course work and athletes needing plenty of attention. I thought the off season was supposed to be laid back? Not that I’m complaining, it’s hard to complain when your first two paragraphs refer to a two year sabbatical and a week in Vegas.

A few days entirely focussed on my athletes’ plans was an opportunity to reflect on how things have changed. Besides the busyness, updated processes and improvements to efficiency, the details of my plans have subtly altered over eighteen months. Principles remain the same, my approach is still built around a set of key workouts over weeks and months, but I am better at balancing workload and rest within a week. Challenging athletes – over-trained or under performing – forced me to experiment, to adapt ideas and produce schedules that pulled them out of downward spirals.

Triathlon media seems to be placing greater emphasis on recovery lately. Recovery is important, but then so is training, you don’t get fitter without doing the work. The difficulty isn’t giving an athlete less, it’s giving them just enough. Often that comes down to finding the right timing. My original simple Ironman training weeks worked, those templates got me through my first races, but there is always room for refinements. A year of balancing schedules for a wide variety of athletes and my plans have a different rhythm with stronger distinction between easy and hard. For the majority of my athletes it seems to be working well.

Unfortunately building all those training schedules hasn’t left me any time to produce updated training week templates for the blog this week. But the pressure is off, so next time…