There\u2019s a reason why the BBC wheels out triathlon for every Children in Need challenge, right? And yet, these unlikely bedfellows don\u2019t have to exist in mutually exclusive realms. I, for one, classify myself as both slacker and triathlete, and I know plenty of other triathletes whose primary goals when \u2018racing\u2019 include getting to the burger tent \u2013 sorry, finishing line \u2013 before it\u2019s dismantled.<\/p>\n
Completing over competing has largely been the mantra of my triathlon career, and yet it\u2019s one that\u2019s taken me from sprint-distance races at Dorney Lake to the Snowdonian mountain climbs of the Slateman<\/a><\/strong> and off-road adventures in the Cairngorms via the world of Ironman-distance events. And all on a handful of hours of training per week.<\/p>\n I still play Lego with my kids and spend evenings with my longterm loves \u2013 the sofa, a bag of lime Doritos and my Nicolas Cage DVDs. Charles Darwin reportedly only worked three hours per day, and it\u2019s a productive approach you can take with triathlon.<\/p>\n Maximise the hours you have, establishing clear goals and enjoying every minute. Here\u2019s what I\u2019ve learnt \u2013 and what you can too \u2013 from my 15 years of triathlons, while remaining a Big Lebowski<\/em> fan\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cThe dictionary defines slackers as people who evade responsibilities. A more modern notion would be people who are ultimately being responsible to themselves and not wasting their time.\u201d The words of Richard Linklater, the godfather of slackerdom and director of such classics as Dazed and Confused<\/em> and Slacker<\/em>.<\/p>\n The point is to maximise the hours you have to train. Enter the lunch break and the commute. Tired of Wilko Wednesdays? Then set aside four lunchtimes a week to train (with one day reserved for curry club), utilising the 30-45mins for speedwork sessions or recovery runs.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also an ideal time to get in a swim, especially if you regularly work from home (the ultimate goal of any slacker) and live near a pool. Also think about extending your commute on the bike or run, or running to pick up the kids (a true school run).<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> And unlock the door to the ultimate triathlon session: the brick<\/a><\/strong>. For multisport, this can be any of the disciplines put together in training. \u201cThese sessions can be done outdoors around a measured run and bike circuit; using a run route then biking on a turbo at home; or even at a gym, jumping between a treadmill and stationary bike,\u201d says multiple duathlon world champ Cat Morrison.<\/p>\n It can just be a 5min run after a 30min ride. The point is to get your body used to the fatigue and multi-faceted demands of racing, especially countering the \u2018jelly legs\u2019 syndrome of trying to run post-bike. Remember, even if you\u2019re time-short, every session doesn\u2019t need to be frenetic and high intensity.<\/p>\n The tendency is to go hard for every workout (often leading to injury), but a rough gauge is to train hard for approximately 20% of your sessions, leaving the other 80% for lower intensity and recovery sets, which has been scientifically proven by Dr Stephen Seiler. Train slow to race fast? It\u2019s a slacker dream.<\/p>\n Repetition, chlorine and lane politics. The pool once crossed that line for me when exercise became a chore. That is, until I bought a waterproof MP3 player. Yes, the sound may be muffled, but losing yourself in Aphex Twin when semi-submerged under the water can be a pretty far-out experience.<\/p>\n A one-paced swimmer will only learn to swim one-paced, so mix up the tempo of your lengths as well as the distance. The next step is to bring in the pyramid sets (below) to build both endurance and speed.<\/p>\n Front crawl or a mix of this and breaststroke is ideal for these:<\/p>\n Warm-up:<\/strong> Swim 100m<\/p>\n Main set:<\/strong> Swim the following slightly faster than the warm-up<\/p>\n Cool-down:<\/strong> Swim 100m Go a little further each week (add in 200\/250m reps) and think about your technique.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> The greatest tri swimmers I\u2019ve seen barely make a splash. The best advice I\u2019ve received is to grip the water with your entire forearm and hand on the pull of your stroke, don\u2019t breathe behind you, and keep your fingers slightly splayed like a paddle.<\/p>\n Without looking too much like a weirdo, also watch the fast lane swimmers above the surface and from underwater to see their technique in real life. And don\u2019t let anyone tell you that breaststroke is wrong.<\/p>\n If you feel comfortable doing it to relax your breathing or heart rate, help with sighting in open water or just for efficiency, then do it. Completing the full swim distance without stopping \u2013 either in the pool or open water \u2013 ahead of the big day will give you a further boost.<\/p>\n The advent of the \u2018smart\u2019 and quiet turbo trainer has heightened the slacker appeal (see our reviews of the best turbo trainers<\/a><\/strong>). It\u2019s a chance to watch Arrested Development<\/em> boxsets and do exercise.<\/p>\n Interval training<\/a><\/strong> is a great (and fast) way to build fitness. After a 5min warm-up of easy spinning, alternate 2mins of hard activity with 2mins easy for 20mins before a 5min warm-down. You can increase this number of sets each week.<\/p>\n An indoor cycling app like Zwift<\/a><\/strong> will also add a gamification element, while the convenience of having a turbo ready to go in the garage or bathroom will add motivation during the winter months. And yet, for all the ease of indoor cycling, getting outdoors is where you\u2019ll gain bike handling skills, more enjoyment and a vitamin D hit.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve only room for one bike, make it gravel and explore the off-road network of trails. As well as the pure enjoyment factor, riding off-road will increase your bike- handling skills and build stamina swiftly due to the tougher under-wheel terrain.<\/p>\n Like breaststroke on the swim, don\u2019t let anyone tell you it\u2019s wrong to wear running shoes<\/a><\/strong> on the bike. If you don\u2019t feel confident wearing clipped-in bike shoes, don\u2019t bother.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll lose some efficiency but save yourself time in the bike-to-run transition (T2) by being ready for the run. (If you do want to use clipless pedals<\/a><\/strong>, practise unclipping on grass or the turbo, and remember that SPD-style mountain bike shoes are easier to unclip from).<\/p>\n If transition is the fourth tri discipline, nutrition the fifth, then strength and conditioning (S&C) is definitely the sixth. My previous S&C regime consisted mainly of mashing potatoes. But squeezing in some strength, mobility or flexibility exercises<\/a><\/strong> (while you\u2019re waiting for the Super Noodles to boil or watching the adverts during Bill and Ted<\/em> on 5Star) are easy \u2013 and free \u2013 wins for every multisport athlete.<\/p>\n No pool fees, no punctures, minimal kit and a chance to get lost in the woods with only the music of Dinosaur Jr for company. The simplicity and purity of running is something to be cherished.<\/p>\n Add fun into the mix with fartlek<\/a><\/strong>. Not a Scandi slacker band, but the Swedish word for \u2018speed play\u2019 and a form of interval training (where you fluctuate between high and low intensity) to boost running or cycling speed.<\/p>\n Warm-up for 5mins and then alternate periods of hard and easy \u2013 usually around 30secs to 4mins \u2013 or use geographical features as markers, such as a postbox or top of a hill. (Hill reps are also a hugely efficient way of boosting fitness gains).<\/p>\n Helping my dodgy post-football knees has been a move to trail running for that key long run, with the softer off-road surfaces reducing my injuries and improving my run technique.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> That variation in surfaces also activates a greater number of muscles, ensuring your core receives a workout, too, as does the climbing and descending that trail running often brings.<\/p>\n Every slacker loves a Sunday, but before the Neil Young vinyl and roast potatoes come out, I ensure Sunday is my day for a long (90min-2hr) run (or ride) largely at a lower intensity.<\/p>\n Take a handful of sweets and hit the trails at dawn after a bowl of porridge, a perfect time for a podcast, playlist or just listening to nature. The early exertion will also make you enjoy that Yorkshire pudding even more\u2026<\/p>\n From DIY tricks to aero cheats, here are five easy ways to get to that finish line on a budget\u2026<\/p>\n Tri can be as expensive or as cheap as you make it. Top-end kit will cut your hydro and aerodynamic drag, often while increasing comfort. And yet wisely-chosen budget kit should provide the comfort part of the equation.<\/p>\n Slackers might like loose clothing but that shouldn\u2019t apply to the swim and bike. A decent fit will wick sweat away better, chafe less and won\u2019t hinder you aerodynamically.<\/p>\n While it goes against the slacker ethos, go mainstream with budget tri kit: Decathlon offers some decent tri-suits and helmets for \u00a330; dhb has some fine wetsuits for \u00a3100; and Aldi do passable eyewear for \u00a32.99.<\/p>\n You can pick up some decent circa-\u00a3500 bikes from Halfords and Decathlon. So screw brand snobbery and buy what suits your tri needs and budget. Just make sure it fits you and you\u2019re not buying it just because it\u2019s on offer.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> My \u00a3220 Carrera road bike from 2008 is still going strong today, with wheels, saddle and especially bike tyre upgrades worth saving up for.<\/p>\n \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t fit budget rubber on a Ferrari, so don\u2019t skimp on your bike tyres,\u201d says BikeRadar\u2019s senior tech editor Warren Rossiter.<\/p>\n I once prided myself on training \u2018by feel\u2019 and not using tech (largely because I couldn\u2019t work the tech), but a relatively cheap Coros watch purchase was revelatory. It offered a range of long-term fitness tracking measures, allows me to compare session data and set daily targets (an even cheaper fitness band can also set calorie counts and more).<\/p>\n If that sounds too techy, keep a training diary and record every session, noting your times, how you felt and where you went.<\/p>\n And don\u2019t neglect music. Plenty of studies have shown that it boosts concentration, provides ongoing stimulus and produces a positive influence. Just go for something up-tempo (LCD Soundsystem\u2019s 45:33 is a wonderful track) over that Leonard Cohen album\u2026.<\/p>\n Maltodextrin solutions! 2:1 formulations! Creatine and glutamine! The sports nutrition market is big business. Some of it is very good, some dubious, and most of it is far more expensive than making your own.<\/p>\n One of the most proven (and frugal) ways of pre-exertion fuelling is caffeine<\/a><\/strong>, which boosts cognitive and physical function by a significant amount by stimulating the central nervous system.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve previously made the mistake of replicating a manufacturer\u2019s claim that triathletes should consume an energy gel every 15mins, costing me a fortune and some mid-run visits to the bushes. And this was on training runs.<\/p>\n The key is working out how much carbohydrate you need to ingest per hour when racing, and incrementally teaching your body to consume that in training at least five weeks ahead of the race.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> Around 60g of carbs per hour is common (Precision Hydration has a useful carb calculator<\/a><\/strong>), and not all of these carbs need to come from just gels.<\/p>\n Jelly babies and beans, jam and peanut butter sandwiches on white bread, and Soreen bars are all affordable ways to receive carbs and energy during training and racing. The latter are the go-to option for cyclists for on-the-bike fuelling.<\/p>\nTrain slow<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Build pyramids\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The bike<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The run<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The kit<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Tri tech<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Nutrition<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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