Is it as simple as just adding volume?

Training
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Hi Guys,

Just after some thoughts from a triathlon (70.3) perspective please.

I am currently undertaking Sweetspot build low volume. I am also swimming twice a week and running twice a week and the low volume plan makes this achieveable from a time/fatigue perspective.

I also try to get a longer steady ride in at the weekend out with friends/club etc.

Does it make sense to add another longer, steady endurance effort during the week? Is it as simple as volume = results? Or do you think it makes sense to keep things in balance as they are currently? Or any other suggestions?

Any thoughts or opinions welcome

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When it comes to long-distance Tri training, more volume is almost always a good thing.

But based on your schedule, you need to add more running, not more time on the bike. 2 days / week running is gonna make for a long 70.3, IMO, unless you come from a high-performance running background.

You should be running at least 5 days a week…although some of those runs should be very short and very easy.

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I know very little about triathlon training. That said, the received wisdom about training for almost all extended aerobic sports is this: if you’re doing less than 14-15 hours a week, the single best thing you can do to improve is… do 14-15 hours a week. Whether that is practical/possible for any individual’s life/work circumstances is another question.

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Thanks for the replies.

I should have said that my focus is on the bike at the moment so the running is just to keep things ticking over although I do intend on increasing this with some brick runs.

Whilst I will be winning no medals for any of the three disciplines, running is my strongest. But why be good at one when you can be mediocre at 3, right?!

I think I will try to add some Z2 rides in to eek out some endurance gains amongst the more intense sweetspot build sessions.

That sounds sensible to me but always good to check my thinking :+1:

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Even if the goal is to just “keep thing ticking over”, running twice a week is really sub-optimal.

Look into the BarryP Running Plan or 3:2:1 running. It is abut running consistency, running six days a week, but the majority of the runs are relatively short and nearly all of them are at an easy pace.

By following a plan like that you will increase your training volume by adding more Z2 work but also increasing your run mileage. Take your existing weekly mileage and divide it up according to the 3:2:1 plan (3 short recovery runs, 2 intermediate runs, 1 long run). So if you are running 12 miles / week now, you would do 3 runs of 1.2 miles, 2 runs of 2.4 miles and 1 run of 3.6 miles. It is quick and easy to tack on a 1.2 mile run after a bike workout (especially if you have a treadmill next to your trainer). You end up running the same mileage, but getting a run in almost every day. Consistency beats doing longer, more infrequent runs…as the TR guys continually say the key to any training plan is consistency.

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