A magazine recently asked me for 5 key pieces of triathlon training advice to be used in an article. Here was my response. As my book 10K & 5K Running, Training & Racing: The Running Pyramid contains five training phases, I'd be a bit silly (as we'd understate in England) to change course now.

However, hydration is the absolute most important training tip. Start off well hydrated, or over hydrated if you don't mind potty visits three times in the last hour pre triathlon race or training session. Then, if the triathlon event is less than an hour, you will not need to take in liquids during the event.

As many readers know, my five training phases are:
One: Fun exercise. Most of your triathlon training should be enjoyable. Post triathlon race season and the early build up for next year should be even more fun. Include long gentle sessions, cruising at 70 percent of your maximum heartrate, plus plenty of speedplay or fartlek.

Running element: 200 to 800 meter efforts, on trails, grass or other soft surface. Run 10-20 percent of your mileage as speedplay at about 10K race effort.

Swimming: Switch your environment. Ocean, lake or pool...seek a change. Swim 30-90 second moderate effort surges.

Biking: Go off-road or to the road. Ride hard up the hills or do 2-10 minute surges.

Phase Two: Strength exercise: You still keep your long runs and bike rides, but you're now in full triathlon training. Hill repeats for runners and biking. Use those trusty resistance devices for swimming. In all the triathlon disciplines, keep your cadence and work on form. Do weight training too of course...twice a week until two weeks before your main triathlon races. Keep that relaxing fartlek exercise too.

Phase Three: Improve your oxygen delivery system or anaerobic threshold, while improving exercise efficiency. Triathlon running...practice running at 15K to half-marathon race pace with one to two mile repeats and 4 to 5 mile tempo runs. Run at 80-86 % maximum heartrate for these sessions. Biking at about one hour time trial pace means 5 to 15 minute repeats at that pace. Swimming will require 3 to 5 minute efforts at 90 percent maximum swimming heartrate. Keep some strength and fartlek sessions too. You keep those long runs and bike rides.

Phase Four: Improve oxygen uptake capacity (VO2 Max) and exercise form. Use 5K pace for running, (95 % of max VO2), usually as 1 to 3 minute efforts or 300-600 meters. If very experienced, use 5 minute efforts to perfect relaxed running form. Biking will also need 1 to 5 minute efforts at 15 minute time trial pace, which is closer to 100 % of max VO2 on the bike. One minute efforts are more the norm for swimmers; form is so much more important against the high resistance of water. Retain some anaerobic exercise, strength and fartlek sessions too.

Phase Five: Peaking requires resting by 20-40 percent, but only in the last 2-3 weeks. The type of training most often neglected is long efforts at VO2 Max. Running 1,000 to 1,600 meters at 5K pace, biking 4-6 minute efforts, and swimming 2-3 minutes at high intensity places the muscles, including the heart muscle, in the high training zone for a greater percentage of the exercise session. The well trained runner / triathlete will find 12 x 400 meters at 5K pace easy (after running it a few times). Three times one mile at 5K pace is more demanding, especially if you only take a two minute rest between reps. Match each session of long efforts with a session of short efforts at 5K intensity. Keep some anaerobic threshold exercise, strength and fartlek sessions too. Never ignore a strength while working on your weakness.

Four weeks of relative rest in phase one should be followed by about 8 weeks in each of the other four triathlon training phases.

These 36 weeks leave triathletes a 16 week racing season.