Africa Triathlon

In preparation for the coming Olympic quad, ITU recently met with triathlon experts Rolf Ebeling, Rodrigo Milazzo and Andreu Alfonso to plan development strategies for emerging National Federations. While they were here, we took advantage of their knowledge to answer your training and race questions. Check out their responses to questions submitted via ITU’s facebook and twitter accounts.

@ituonline what is your biggest tip/kit advice for someone doing their first tri this year!?

— Alan Edward Dixon (@alan_dixon) January 22, 2013

“Try to rest at least three to four days before the triathlon. Avoid arriving tired. It is the most important advice. You can train two, three, four weeks before, but not the week before.” - Andreu Alfonso

@ituonline What’s the most productive change [training/psych/other] an enthusiastic amateur can make to improve his/her performance?

— Darryl Allen (@DarrylA11en) January 22, 2013

“First of all, train with a coach if it’s possible. The other most important thing is to enjoy the journey. Try to avoid becoming a “challenge athlete.” There are two types of people who do triathlons – those who really train and those who just do them for a challenge. If you want to become a real triathlete, you need many years of training so you need to enjoy it. But probably the most productive change is to try to start training with a coach and make a real plan for the season.” - Andreu Alfonso

@ituonline thoughts on polarised vs threshold training for working age-groupers training under 15 hours a week

— Tom Hibberd (@BlackDogCoach) January 22, 2013

“I wouldn’t do polarized training with age-groupers. It’s an extreme kind of training. Depending on the athlete, but it is likely age-group athletes have families and jobs and not much time to dedicate for training like a high performance athlete, who trains three or four times a day. It would be better to do threshold training, which is more common. Polarized training is very new and there is still a lot of discussion about what is best. A lot of athletes do polarized training, but as it’s a very thin line, I wouldn’t use it for amateur athletes. It is very good, but only for a certain type of athlete.” – Rodrigo Milazzo

“I have two groups of age-groupers, one of which does polarized training. They have seen very good results, much better than normal training. But the thing is they need to be in a very, very good physical condition before they start polarized training. You need a very good muscular and skeletal condition first. They also need to do strength training. I think it’s maybe the future, especially for age-groupers, but only those are experienced athletes working with experienced coaches. It is not for self-training.” - Andreu Alfonso

@ituonline what are your top 5 training tips ?

— REECE’S LIL ROCK$TAR (@Aimee_4_Reece) January 22, 2013

“At least twice a week, try to swim when you are very well recovered – not at the end of the day when you are tired. Swimming when you are fresh and energized has to be the most important focus twice a week.” - Andreu Alfonso

“Have a balance. Most age-groupers that have to work and they have families. Then when they start triathlons they exceed that, they train more than they should. They forget about work and families and go nuts. Find a balance that lets you do all of it so you can have a normal life.” - Rodrigo Milazzo

Austin O’Brien on facebook: What are some good bike sessions that will help your bike average but not kill your run split?

“I’m thinking about Olympic distance. Try to compete with the maximum cadence possible. Try to improve your aerodynamic position, correct foot intake during your race, and adjust your cadence so that it’s correct for you.” - Andreu Alfonso

“Work with running technique. If you work with good mechanics, then you’ll become more efficient not only on running but on cycling. That way, you’ll reduce the energy you use and can keep running better. It doesn’t feel like a good idea to work a lot on the bike if you’re not working on biomechanics in running.” – Rodrigo Milazzo