Richard Allens Tips - February - Race Season Planning
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RACE SEASON PLANNINGBy the time February comes around you should have your race season planned out in full. Until this is in place it is difficult to map out your training for the season. You need to decide what distances you will do and have a good look at the race calendar to find good races that you are motivated to do throughout the year. Try to have 2 or 3 events that you will consider level A races and will aim to perform at your very best and peak for. These are your main goals for the year. Level A races should ideally be between July and September as it is difficult to peak early in the year in the UK because of the weather. Spread these races out over the summer months allowing you plenty of time to rest, train and perhaps do a few smaller races in between. Once you have these races in place you then should build your complete season around them with smaller development races leading up to the big ones. What races these are will largely depend on what distance your level A races are. Assuming the level A races are Olympic distance perhaps start in April with a duathlon or pool swim aquathon. May and June could see you doing a few triathlons as build up for your main level A races. The first triathlon could be a sprint distance in May and then a full Olympic distance in June. You will then find yourself race fit for July and your main events.
TRAINING TIPSBetween February and March you should be looking to start your races preparation training. This means introducing race pace training sessions, above race pace speed work and possible brick (back to back) sessions. Prior to starting this more intensive training you need to make sure you are conditioned to cope with the intensity. Now is a good time to focus on tempo workouts. This means sessions at a pace just under race pace where you are exercising quite hard and fairly fast but are in control of your breathing. You should still be aerobic. Here is a good run session for you to try- Warm up- 10mins @ easy pace. Main set- 3mins @ tempo pace/ 1min @ very easy pace/ 7mins @ tempo pace/ 2mins @ very easy pace/ 10mins @ tempo pace. Cool down- 10mins @ very easy pace. Try to do this session on a grass playing field. |
4 Responses to “Richard Allens Tips - February - Race Season Planning”
March 8th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Dear Rich. Which was your favourite race around the World? Is it worth an age group athlete travelling to it?
April 1st, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Dear Richard. What were you favourite training sessions?
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:39 am
Hi. I used to love running on the track as you get a real sense of speed. Doing a main set of 10 x 400m with a long recovery so they were all hard was a great session. I also used to enjoy the long run as I would get right out in the country side during the summer and just get lost.
March 12th, 2008 at 5:13 am
Hi. I would have to say Ironman 70.3 St Croix in the British Virgin Islands. The scenery is just amazing and the local people so friendly. I would definitely recommend it to all age group athletes and it would be a trip of a life time! It’s a tough race though!