Try & tri-again
Trainer advises easing off as race nears

Editor's note: Writers Vicki Viotti, a novice athlete, and Katherine Nichols, an experienced competitor, are training together for the Sept. 9 Niketown Na Wahine Sprint Triathlon. In this weekly Thursday column, they share insights from experts, other athletes and their own training regimen, aimed at helping readers push their own boundaries — physically and mentally.

By Katherine Nichols
Advertiser Staff Writer

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Because every athlete's background and abilities are different, experts can't offer training advice for everyone at once. They also know that individuals must adjust for their own work/sleep/childcare demands.

However, Brian Clarke offered a few general, never-fail rules for anyone wanting to arrive at the starting line ready to go.

• "It's better to be well-rested than over-trained," said Clarke, director of triathlon and marathon clinics for over 20 years. When you're fatigued, opt for a shorter run, a walk instead of a run, or take the day off. "Most people learn that the hard way."
• If people train for 10 weeks, said Clarke, they often make the mistake of training lightly at first, then moderately, and strenuously right before the race. "This forces the body to adapt to progressively harder efforts," he said. "But the body can't handle it. This lowers your resistance and makes you susceptible to illness."

Instead, your most difficult training should occur three to four weeks before the race, and end about two weeks before the event. "Training is all about breakdown," said Clarke. "You want the body to restructure itself physiologically, and the only way is to rest it." Peter Hursty, triathlon coach and three-time Tinman triathlon champion (and record holder), said he tires himself out until two weeks before the race. "Then I cut my mileage in everything by at least 50 percent on the second week out and 80 percent the last week."

Your fitness will not disappear during this time. "The assumption is that if you don't train, then you lose it," said Clarke. "But your body doesn't de-train overnight."

Hard training in the last two weeks before the race can be detrimental. "People try to get in last-minute training because they never feel they can accept their ability," said Clarke. "But if you're not trained at that point, it's too late."

• Be aware of factors that can drain your energy in those last two weeks. "Your mind starts to point toward the race and unconsciously withholds psychic and hormonal energy from training," said Clarke. As a result, "whatever training you do is going to take more time to recover from, so don't increase your effort to mirror the race."
• Do most of your visualizing and thinking about the event 10 days or a week before. The last days of training should be as easy and stress-free as possible.
• Clarke recommends doing about 25 percent (Hursty does 20 percent) of your usual training in the final week — all of it easy.
• It's not necessary to do much of anything during the last two or three days. If you feel like it, you can jog enough to work up a sweat (10-15 minutes), then stretch.
• Take care of yourself in all areas of your life. "Rest, eat well, drink fluids, don't cut down a hedge," said Clarke. He also cautioned against eating anything new — something to "clean you out," for instance — as the result might be digestive upset.