End of the first Base Phase.

Most endurance athletes will be familiar with the principle of periodization. For the uninitiated the idea is that the athlete goes through several different periods of training. You start with general preparation in the base phase, moving onto more specific preparation in the build phase before reaching your peak phase just prior to your key race.

I am in the base or general preparation phase. The base phase makes up the majority of your annual training for example in my training plan in the run up to Lake Placid out of the 36 weeks of training 20 of those weeks are devoted to base training and 14 weeks are for build training.

The base phase revolves around long steady training sessions designed to give you a good base level of fitness long before you get to race season. As I understand it this base is even more important for those racing long distances such as Ironman. Therefore what I do now can make a big difference to how I perform at Lake Placid.

I completed the first base phase a couple of hours ago when I finished a cold 2 hour recovery ride. This 4 week base cycle consisted of 3 weeks of endurance training followed by 1 week recovery. This ratio is different to my first season where I did 3 week base cycles; 2 weeks of endurance training before a recovery week. This new 3:1 ratio is obviously harder work but should allow me to benefit from a stronger base come race season.

A typical weeks training at the moment for me (built around 15 hours of training time):

Mon; 50min run at endurance pace (equates to a perceived effort of 4-5 out of 10).
Tue; AM an endurance swim totaling 2.5 - 3km; PM endurance cycle 1.5 hours.
Wed; 20min recovery run followed by 30mins each of lower and upper body strength training.
Thu; AM 30min recovery run; PM Swim 2-2.5km (more drills and speed work).
Fri; Rest day.
Sat; AM endurance ride 2 hours, PM 30min Yoga (X Train) 20 min abs, Endurance Run 1hour plus.
Sun; Endurance ride 3 hours.

A recovery week has similar workouts but they are much shorter and at a lower intensity.

Having reached the end of the first base phase I am feeling pretty tired. The volume of training has gone up 20-30% from what I am used to. It also doesn't help moving house during your recovery week. I had forgotten how much work is involved in moving and after a couple of days of lifting boxes I felt like I had gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson.

The Base phase can be a bit laborious and as triathlon season in this part of the world starts in spring and finishes in the autumn base building must happen during the coldest part of the year. That being said it can be great going for a long ride on a crisp winter’s day when the roads are quiet and the air is clear as long as you get your dressing right.



I am also benefiting from the 20 min recovery runs after my long rides. I had never done this before but it does really help your legs to recover after a long time in the saddle. I have also tried Palates and Yoga for the first time. So far this has been limited to doing it alone in front of the TV using a DVD but I am hoping to build up the courage to go to the local gym and do a class there. I realize just how inflexible I am at the moment and I am looking forward to getting back some flexibility. By the way if anyone thinks Yoga is easy in my limited experience so far it is not, some of the poses are really hard work.

I miss the thrill of racing and cannot wait for next season to start but in the meantime 1 base phase down 5 to go :-)

P.S. My teammates are beginning to rib me over all the equipment I have been given. This morning before the group ride I had a flat, as I changed my tyre in the cold some bright spark yelled out "don't you have a man to do that for you?"