Test your limits at Aquathon

As the global sporting spotlight will fall on Bahrain again later this year, GulfWeekly has teamed up with one of the world’s top trainers to coach the island’s sports-lovers to prepare to take part.

If you have ever fancied trying a triathlon there will never be a better opportunity. Your community newspaper hopes to inspire you to put your best foot forward and have a go.

Don’t be scared … Andy Price will help you every step of the way!

Here’s your WEEK 11 – 78 Days until Bahrain Challenge.

* Training programme for the week starting Sunday to Saturday, September 26 Week 4 of the second block of training with next week being a recovery / rest week. You will (I hope) have run a 5km time trial at the Bahrain Road Runners Water Run and be prepared to do the Aquathon at Hamala on October 2.

The Aquathon will be a good test of where you are today. Adults will swim 600m starting in the shallow water channel just off the harbour and then down the 350m long canal exiting via the steps and transitioning to a 6km run around the resort and local countryside (desert / Hamala Town).

For youths it’s a 300m swim and 2km run. You can compete as an individual or as a team. The full list of competitions for October are:

• October 2 – Aquathon (Swim followed by a Run) at Hamala Beach Resort.
• October 16 – Olympic Triathlon (Sofitel). This will be a critical indicator of our training Distances – 1,500m swim / 40km bike / 10km run
• October 30 – 5km Grand Prix at Muharraq between the two bridges

Remember don’t rest up for these events but use them as part of your training.

For ease I will include a key to explain abbreviations each week:

• F/S – Freestyle or front crawl
• Alt – Alternative stroke. For most this should be backstroke, but for some breastroke
• PULL – F/S with a pull float between your legs
• KICK – F/S kick using a kick board
• R – Rest (normally in seconds)
• Z – Zones (1 – 4)
• RPM – Revs per Minute
• HRM – Heart Rate Monitor

A common mistake for some of the swimmers just starting out in open water is that they go off too fast. At the moment a number of us are meeting behind the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay on a Saturday morning and using the 500m channel up to the hotel to do open water 500m reps. Most still go off too fast, remember it’s not a sprint and like the bike you have to pace yourself which is why we do so many repetitions at race pace to get used to the feel of going at the right pace for you. The first few 100m should feel steady but they will always be your fastest.

* SESSION 1 – Pool

• Warm up
  3 x 200m F/S R45
• Even 200m F/S
• Odd 200m mix 50m F/S / 50m drills
• Main set
  4 x 50m kick fast / 100m swim at race pace / 50m kick fast R30
  4 x 200m pull R30
  4 x 100m F/S R30
• Warm down
  6 x 50M (Alt F/S and second stroke) R45

Total – 2,900m

* Session 2 – Pool

Warm up
2 x 250 F/S (Steady)
• Main set (R60 after each block of 4 x 100m)
  4 x 100m F/S (Hard / just above race pace) R 15 after each 100m
  4 x 100m F/S (Hard / just above race pace) R 20 after each 100m
  4 x 100m F/S (Hard / just above race pace) R 25 after each 100m
  4 x 100m F/S (Hard / just above race pace) R 30 after each 100m
  4 x 50 F/S (Hard / just above race pace) R 10 after each 50m
  4 x 50 F/S (Hard / just above race pace) R 15 after each 50m
  4 x 50 F/S (Hard / just above race pace) R 20 after each 50m
  
• Warm down
  250m Steady mix F/S / Alt stroke

Total – 2,950m

* Session 3 – Open Water

• 5 x 500m at race pace R120 between

* SESSION 1 – INDOORS / Turbo Trainer

• Warm up – 15 min steady
• Main set
  10 mins in 5th biggest gear
  8 mins in 4th biggest gear
  6 mins in 3rd biggest gear
  4 mins in 2nd biggest gear
  2 mins in biggest gear
• Warm down – 10 mins in an easy gear, bringing your heart rate down

* SESSION 2 – OUTDOORS (remember this is a Bike to Run)

• 100-minute ride followed by a 3-5km run.
  First 20 mins steady / high gear
  60 mins at race pace effort
  20 mins steady and preparing for transition

* SESSION 3 – OUTDOORS LONG RIDE (Distance).

Depending on how your training has gone and your ability todate you should now be able to complete at least 70km in the 2-1/2 hour ride. Now start to change from time to distance and focus on getting up to or near the 91km for race distance. Ensure you hydrate and eat as you go. Get used to eating on the move and plan ahead as it takes time for the food to have an effect.

• 150 minutes ride. Don’t blast this out, if anything, start steady and build. Maintain an even pace and make sure that you are not blown by the end. It will be hard but you must be able to run at the end.

* Session 1 – Endurance Run (as last week but see if you can go slightly further)

• Warm up (before you start the run. Try to avoid going straight off. Always do some form of warm up)
  Mobility stretches
  200m Jogs
  
• Main – 80 minutes. All race pace. Don’t be tempted to try and go faster early on as we build up your speed endurance. The additional 10 minutes may hurt but keep it up.
• Warm down
  4 x 200m strides (just above race pace)
  Dynamic stretches. Don’t push the stretches just hold for 20 seconds each. Work from your feet up stretching each major running group muscle.

* Session 2 – Intervals on a track if possible

• Warm up (get into a routine of doing the same warm up before each training session or race) Mobility stretches
  400m easy
  Mobility stretches
  400m easy
• Main set (At race pace)
  5 x 800m at just above race pace. The first few will be relatively easy but will start to hurt as you progress. Make sure you even pace and don’t drop off your time for the last few.
• Warm down

  Dynamic stretches. Don’t push the stretches just hold for 20 seconds each. Work from your feet up stretching each major running group muscle.

  * Session 3 – Bike to Run

  • Following your bike give yourself 3-5 minutes rest as you stow away the bike then go for a 4-5km run at race pace.

  ***

  Caroline Steffen mounted a successful defence of her title at Ironman 70.3 Sunshine Coast on Sunday. She has gone undefeated at the distance in 2015 with titles in Vietnam, Cairns and the Philippines.

  The Swiss Miss said the back-to-back win in her adopted hometown of six years was important for her. “As the local girl, ambassador, and defending champion, I felt like there was no other option. ”

  Steffen will take this confidence forward to the last few weeks of her Ironman World Championship preparation. She joins fellow Bahrain Endurance teammate Sebastian Kienle in Kona this week.