Training and Competition Readiness in Triathlon

Abstract

Triathlon is characterized by the multidisciplinary nature of the sport where swimming, cycling, and running are completed sequentially in different events, such as the sprint, Olympic, long-distance, and Ironman formats. The large number of training sessions and overall volume undertaken by triathletes to improve fitness and performance can also increase the risk of injury, illness, or excessive fatigue. Short- and medium-term individualized training plans, periodization strategies, and work/rest balance are necessary to minimize interruptions to training due to injury, illness, or maladaptation. Even in the absence of health and wellbeing concerns, it is unclear whether cellular signals triggered by multiple training stimuli that drive training adaptations each day interfere with each other. Distribution of training intensity within and between different sessions is an important aspect of training. Both internal (perceived stress) and external loads (objective metrics) should be considered when monitoring training load. Incorporating strength training to complement the large body of endurance work in triathlon can help avoid overuse injuries. We explore emerging trends and strategies from the latest literature and evidence-based knowledge for improving training readiness and performance during competition in triathlon.

What Is the Best Discipline to Predict Overall Triathlon Performance? An Analysis of Sprint, Olympic, Ironman® 70.3, and Ironman® 140.6

“…However, that study only included the very best male performances (under 8 h), which represented only a small portion of elite athletes (<100). Other important aspects to be accounted regarding the amount of time in each discipline in different triathlon distances included hydration, nutrition, and training ( Jeukendrup et al, 2005 ; Etxebarria et al, 2019 ; Sousa et al, 2019a ). The cycling portion represents not only the highest amount of time spent in a triathlon, but it is also very strategic to eat and hydrate after the swimming portion in which athletes usually do not eat or drink.…”

Attitudes about cannabis mediate the relationship between cannabis knowledge and use in active adult athletes

“…Even though the call-to-action was placed on multiple sport sites, triathletes, cyclists, and runners were the most highly represented athlete groups. Athletes from these sports tend to be early adopters of novel modalities and are very active on message boards, Facebook pages, and forums (Etxebarria et al 2019 ; MultiSport Research 2018 ). All the 1161 subjects in the study analyses completely filled out the questionnaire (Table 1 ).…”

Cut-Off Values in the Prediction of Success in Olympic Distance Triathlon

“…Despite the importance of good performance in all three disciplines (i.e., swimming, cycling, and running, separately) for success in a triathlon race, it has been reported that the cycling split is the discipline that has the most significant influence on overall race time in an Ironman triathlon (3.8 km/2.4 mile swim; 180 km/111.9 mile cycle; 42 km/26.1 mile run) [ 2 , 4 ], however, this may not be the case in an Olympic distance triathlon—previous reports have shown that cycling is the discipline which possibly has the lowest influence on overall race time [ 2 , 4 ]. Thus, for both training schedules and competitions, the strategies for each triathlon distance should be vastly different from each other [ 5 ]. For example, the draft-allowed cycle split leads to the formation of cycling pelotons, so a faster swim may allow the athlete to cycle in the leading (and often faster) pack [ 6 ].…”