Which is your strongest sport in tri?

VTd -

Here's the scoop - as OC said, you need to get fit to train properly.

There are differing schools of thoughts on periodisation and the likes but here's the real deal - you periodise over 3 days!

Today's training is determined by what you did yesterday and what you want to do tomorrow - simple as that.

You build your fitness to the volume you can sustain in your life, be it 9 hours or 20 hours per week and you hold that volume throughout the year. Then you build you fitness within these hours and add in the more of the harder stuff as you can tolerate it. Although the more hours you're able to do, the more easy to moderate work you do - it's not all balls to the wall.

Also better to double run than run 2 days consecutively (although a 20 min OTB run is fine as you're warmed up)

Just as an aside, I've never had a 6 hour cycle in my programme yet, although I've done over 6 when doing mini camps.

IronCat5 in the Hat wrote (see)

Though to get on BTF's the TriGold scheme you need to be able to knock out a super quick 10km, and be a county level swimmer. The bike is something they expect you to learn as you go along.

And you have to be really young.

Yeah... cos that's all that's stopping you... age

Banter! Banter!

Resists usual GB focused joke....this time.

OC and Gary, thanks for taking the time to answer.  I guess I need to sustain my current progress and just continue to build the volume onto the current intensity. 

I'd estimate that my achilles injury put me back a few months, so I'll not be pushing hard until I know that I'm happy with it, an ideal time to work on background fitness (that probably doesn't mean a damned thing ).

In a nutshell, what weekly volume would you suggest that I restart at and build to in order to build strength and fitness throughout the rest of the year.  Just either end ball park numbers would be appreciated.  My current paces and targets are given below:

Aug 19, Half IM, Current 6:25, This years target 6:00ish.
Oct 29 Dublin Mara, Current 4:10, This years target 4:00ish
Spring Mara, Current 4:10, target 3:55 ish
Spring half Mara, Current 1:49, target sub 1:45
Early summer half IM target anything sub 6
Summer IM, Current 13:42 (swim 1:12, Bike 6:49, Run 5:39), Target 12:30 (mostly off bike and run).

Aplogies if I haven't a clue what I'm doing or even asking, just scribbling down my thoughts.

Only you can decide what a sustainable weekly volume is - it really depends upon what's going on in your life.

If you can manage 22 hours, then that's better than 12 but you'll be doing a lot more recovery in those 22.

Build to volume first, then hold volume and add intensity.

So your aim is to get to the 16 hours or whatever then build within each sport, you may be a great swimmer so you can get stuck straight in with hard sets, a moderate bike so you'll build the volume then add more big gear, hill reps, intervals and the same with the running.

(you could get a coach and let them do it for you - that's what I did)