Hard work before tapering off

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 19 – 23 Days until IRONMAN 70.3 Middle East Championship Bahrain

* Training programme for the week starting Sunday to Saturday, November 21

Your last hard week before the taper starts for Ironman Bahrain.

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

* SESSION 1 – Pool
• Warm up
300m F/S with every 3rd length backstroke
200m Kick
200m F/S with every 3rd length breaststroke
3 x 100m F/S slow and steady, focus on stroke
• Main set (all at Z3/ race pace)
5 x 200m F/S above race pace R45
5 x 100m F/S as above R30
10 x 50m F/S as above R15
• Warm down
3 x 100m alt each length F/S and second stroke
Total - 3300M

* Session 2 – Pool
• Warm up
5 x 200m F/S (Swim / Kick / Swim / Pull / Swim)
• Main set
4 x 50m F/S Kick Hard R10
4 x 50m F/S Pull Hard R10
4 x 100m F/S Hard R30
2 x 200m F/S Hard R60
1 x 400m F/S Hard R60
2 x 200m F/S Hard R60
4 x 100m F/S Hard R30
• Warm down
200m easy
Total – 3600m

* Session 3 – Open water
• 3 x 1000m steady R90 after each

* SESSION 1 – Indoors / Turbo Trainer
• Warm up – 15 minutes building through the gears to increase your heart rate.
• Main set
10 x 5 minutes
• 1-minute build pace
• 1-minute hard / max effort
• 30 seconds easy recovery
• 30 seconds build pace
• 30 seconds hard / max effort
• 90 seconds easy / recovery
• Warm down – 10 minutes in an easy gear, bringing your heart rate down

* SESSION 2 – Outdoors (remember this is a Bike to Run)
• 100km in Zone 3 / Race pace followed by a 5km or 30-minute steady run (Zone 2)

* SESSION 3 – Outdoors
• 120 minutes steady ride. You should be able to talk to your training partner through the whole ride. DON’T be tempted to push it. This is a recovery ride and the benefit will come from muscle recovery over time.

* Session 1 – Steady run
• Warm up before you start the run. Try to avoid going straight off.
Mobility stretches
200m Jogs
• Main – 20km steady / Just below race pace
• 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 – 60 minutes Fartlec session
• 10 minutes steady
• 40 minutes at run 3 minutes, hard for 2 minutes, jog for 1, repeat.
• 10 minutes steady warm down followed by stretching.

Session 3 – Bike to run
• Following your weekend bike give yourself 3-5 minutes rest as you stow away the bike then go for a 5km or max 30 minutes run at a steady pace (Zone 2) whichever is the shortest.