Alistair Brownlee and Ashleigh Soft on stepping up to the PTO 100km from immediate route triathlon

For pro athletes, the PTO 2024 chase series appears place to be greater and more aggressive than ever earlier than. And the Educated Triathletes Organisation plans to introduce the 100km chase format to the age-crew ranks alongside those pro races.

With age-crew open races already announced in Singapore and Ibiza, a lot of age-crew triathletes will most likely be having a leer to step up from chase and Olympic distance triathlon.

But when your entire swim-bike-traipse abilities to this point has been briefly route racing, which you might even simply be questioning adapt your practicing and racing for center distance triathlon, and beyond. We spoke to two educated triathletes, successfully-versed in stepping up from immediate route racing, to win their insights.

Australian pro triathlete Ashleigh Soft has become is named the Queen of the PTO 100km, efficiently stepping up in distance after her immediate route occupation. Olympic story and double gold medallist Alistair Brownlee, Founding father of Brownlee Smartly being, has become a dominant force on the pointy stop of lengthy distance racing. Be taught Ashleigh and Alistair’s prime pointers for age-crew triathletes having a leer to up their distance.  

Don’t be intimidated by the gap – ‘It goes by a lot faster than which you might mediate’

Racing for 100km might perhaps well appear treasure a daunting prospect for age-crew triathletes who are accustomed to racing over the chase or Olympic distance.

But Ashleigh doesn’t look the increased time spent out on the chase route as something to be too terrorized about. “I’d disclose are trying to now not be intimidated by the gap. While you happen to’ve easiest done a chase or an Olympic, it’s more true a sense of pacing your self.”

“You’ll rapidly win a address on the gap. While you happen to’re ready to register to a pair of [100km] match, then which you might ease into it. Hasten your self in point of fact successfully and ogle the contrivance it feels on the predominant one. While you happen to are feeling pretty delighted and mediate that you just held relief more than you’d treasure, that’s while which you might originate pushing the boundaries to ogle how fleet which you might breeze.”

“Racing on these multi-lap courses, the gap goes by a lot faster than you mediate.”

Amplify your practicing volume in a capability that’s sustainable

Something that can build a entire lot of age-crew triathletes off going up to center distance races treasure the PTO 100km is considerations around the time dedication, and injure misfortune, that includes practicing for a longer distance chase.

But the make greater in practicing volume doesn’t wish to be as drastic as which you might mediate, says Brownlee. “It is likely to put together for many triathlon distances on decrease hours, even at the same time as you’ve easiest purchased 10 hours in per week to put together.” How many hours you’ll wish to exercise practicing in point of fact relies upon for your targets. Of route, in narrate so that you just can be on the appealing stop of the racing – which you might wish to commit a minute bit more time. “While you happen to can commit more hours, you’re true going with a purpose to put together to entire whatever distance you’re racing faster.”

But whether or now not you’re having a leer to entire, or compete over the 100km distance, the precedence might perhaps well beget to aloof ceaselessly be on the usage of your practicing time successfully. “I mediate for many folks, it’s now not necessarily about upping your volume to enact more lengthy distance,” says Alistair. “It’s in regards to the usage of the time that you just beget gotten as successfully as which you might for your week, so as which which you might constantly put together for several months at a time.”

How to preserve faraway from injure when rising your practicing volume

While you happen to enact beget more time to determine to your triathlon practicing, and likewise you’re having a leer to up your weekly practicing volume to optimise your efficiency over the 100km chase distance – what’s the recipe for fending off injure?

Alistair’s insight is that sustainability is an necessary thing. “While you happen to are rising your practicing volume, enact it slowly and originate up over weeks and months to preserve faraway from getting injured. Other folks will speak you different formulation for doing that, but I mediate it’s very individual. It’s essential to head at your beget tempo.”

“Avoiding injure as you step up in distance is in point of fact all about brooding about sustainably what which you might enact for your week.”

Retain the cardio sessions steady: How to befriend velocity while building persistence

Every other affirm for immediate route age-groupers is that by going up a distance, they’ll lose some of their velocity. But you easiest wish to investigate cross-test the likes of Anne Haug – who can dominate over each and every the stout IRONMAN distance and the fleet and angry PTO 100km races. Or Taylor Knibb – who became as soon as ready to raise the grasp on the PTO US Start, bring together her qualification for the Paris Olympics and become IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion within the house of one month – to ogle that it’s likely to combine velocity and persistence.

Increasing your practicing volume isn’t an computerized avenue to losing velocity, says Alistair. “I don’t in point of fact mediate you lose velocity by doing more volume of practicing. The misfortune of losing velocity comes at the same time as you enact an excessive amount of of your practicing volume on the ‘unsuitable’ intensities.”

While you originate practicing for lengthy distance triathlons, it’s necessary that your easy cardio sessions are in point of fact easy. “Those center intensities don’t enact a in point of fact perfect job at practicing your cardio intention. Plus, they fatigue you an excessive amount of to in point of fact be ready to enact your velocity sessions neatly.”

The secret is going easy on the cardio efforts, so which which you might breeze onerous on the standard, velocity sessions and in point of fact win the most out of your practicing. “As lengthy as you preserve the cardio sessions steady sufficient, and likewise you aloof enact traditional velocity work – you’ll be ready to befriend accumulate of your velocity over the three triathlon disciplines.”

Food regimen and hydration are key for performing successfully over 100km

Fuelling at some point of a chase is something that immediate route age-groupers – in particular those racing the chase triathlon distance – might perhaps well also simply now not beget had to position an excessive amount of notion into. But “fuelling is a monumental part” at the same time as you’re stepping up to the longer chase distances, says Ashleigh Soft.

“I infrequently notion about diet in Olympic distance and that’s potentially now not a first price thing. I’ve realized a lot over the old couple of years that might perhaps’ve helped me if I could perhaps well also turn relief time!”

Enlighten those longer, cardio practicing sessions to adjust to fuelling – in particular on the bike. The diet which you might belly, and the portions, is extremely individual, and something that you just’ll easiest honest tune via adjust to.

“Searching out for to adjust to the hydration and fuelling that you just’ll utilize within the chase at some point of practicing is key,” says Ashleigh. “I’m magnificent lucky that I’ve been ready to belly the diet magnificent much. The predominant few races, I became as soon as potentially aloof underneath fuelling a chunk bit. But then I in actuality tried to push those boundaries to ogle what my belly might perhaps well also address.”

Having a fuelling approach in location at some point of your chase – and sticking to it – is furthermore necessary. When the heat is on, it can also be easy to neglect to raise on fluids and diet. Even pros with as much abilities as Soft can win it unsuitable on occasion: “In Milwaukee [the 2023 PTO US Open], I don’t mediate I hit my diet targets in any admire. I became as soon as true within the wound locker, and I didn’t ever win my rhythm. When that happens it’s easy, irrespective of how much abilities you beget gotten, to neglect that beget the gel or the sip of drink.”

Follow makes perfect when it comes to dialling for your diet and hydration. But the more notion you place into it at some point of practicing – the upper likelihood you beget gotten of being ready to offer at your easiest out on the chase route.

For temporary route age-groupers, stepping up from chase or Olympic distance triathlon to center distance and beyond might perhaps well also simply now not be as tremendous of a jump as you mediate. Focal point on building up the volume at a gradual price, practicing on the true intensities and practicing your diet and likewise you’ll place your self up for success over the PTO’s 100km age crew races.

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