Gameplan: How to go longer and faster in triathlon

MANILA, Philippines – As you go for longer distance triathlons,  the challenge in training is to increase your distance while trying to maintain pace. Getting faster means maintaining the right form and increasing intensity of your workouts at your lactate threshold – that’s the point right below when your body starts to produce  so much lactic acid that your muscles begin to feel fatigued and heavy.  You can get lactate testing from a coach, or follow a do-it-yourself test at home.  A good rule of thumb is your lactate threshold pace is the fastest pace you can hold for 30 to 60 minutes running or cycling.

To improve bike fitness and eventually get faster for longer periods, you can do sweet spot intervals. After a warm-up, do 8 minutes at your sweet spot (about 83-97% of lactate threshold) for 3 sets recovering for 4 to 5 minutes in between sets. Gradually build your way to 10 minutes per interval. This gives you a balanced amount of intensity and volume.

For running you can do threshold runs or tempo runs. Get a good warm-up and then run at a comfortably hard pace for 20 to 30 mins and then cool down. This type of workout preferred by long distance runners involves running near your lactate threshold at a speed which your body can still aerobically for a extended period of time. – Rappler.com