Our Physio / Hydrotherapist Becky Ball, who completed the Ultimate UK Half triathlon on 29 June 2025 with a finish time of 6:18 and 3rd in her age group.
Have you ever started training for a race and rapidly fallen foul to an injury?
Most triathletes are aware of needing to train across all 3 disciplines, along with strength and conditioning but are not aware of to what extent.
Following a specific training program is important for:
- Achieving your goals
- Maximizing your performance and
- Most importantly minimising the risk of injury.
There are many free programs available on the web, or in triathlon specific magazines. Or even better, you could use a qualified triathlon specific coach.
A structured plan should ensure consistent progress and gradual loading in terms of intensity and volume. Usually, they follow the well-known rule of 80:20, where 80% of the week is spent training at low intensity and 20% at high intensity. Most do this through relative perceived effort or heart rate zones. This allows your body time to physiologically adapt to the stresses you are putting on it both cardio vascularly and biomechanically. Most importantly they factor in rest days too. Many people do not feel or understand the need for recovery, but again, it is essential to give your body the opportunity to adapt and rebuild.
However, remember sometimes your training plan may still require modification. If you have long standing injuries or a tendency to overtrain because you struggle with relative perceived effort, your body will need longer to adjust to the load. You may have to maintain where you are for longer, lower the load, or you may require longer recovery time between sessions.
Should you start to feel a persistent ‘niggle’ or pain despite considering all these factors and whilst following your plan, this should not be ignored. It could be a sign that you are still over training and possibly overloading your tendons. The physiological effect of load on tendons needs to be gradual so they can adapt to that load. A sudden increase in load can be either through intensity (the amount of weight, resistance or speed used), volume (the total amount of work performed such as repetitions, sets or duration) or frequency (how often you train). We can help you manage that load and guide you through gradually increasing it again.
Ultimately, following a program will lead to greater accountability, efficient training and motivation – an all-round winner but it is important to remember they are not fool proof. You still need to listen to how your body feels and react accordingly.
Finally, nutrition and hydration are equally important to factor in during training and race day but that’s a story for another day.