Train faster to race faster. Here's how to make the most of your base-building and peak training phases.
Have your eye on a fall triathlon? Then you've probably built your base but are still a couple of months from your taper. This is the "build phase," the critical time for optimal race performance and the point where you should start incorporating higher speed, higher intensity workouts, or upping their frequency if you're doing some already.

Many triathletes love these demanding workouts, but if you're having trouble staying focused or motivated to push yourself during this phase, read on. By training at the pace you want to compete at, you'll prepare your body and your mind for competition.

The need for (more) speed
The length of time you spend training for an event and the amount of training you do overall depend on a host of factors, including your fitness level, your prior training background and the length of the event you're training for. Obviously an Ironman requires more time to prepare for than a sprint distance event.

Most beginning triathletes or those with less athletic experience use the base phase to gradually build general endurance and overall aerobic capacity by performing greater amounts of low- to moderate-intensity training. If you've competed before, however, you can include some faster-pace workouts even during base, says triathlete Adam Zucco, the founder and head coach at Training Bible ( www.trainingbiblemw.com).

If you're new to triathlons, you'll spend more time building your base than if you're an experienced competitor. "The more seasoned you are as a triathlete, the less amount of time you need to be working on base training," says triathlete and coach David Fix, owner/founder of Endure It Sports ( www.endureitsports.com).

Buildin' on up
It's the build phase, after your base is established, where you really increasse your overall training pace and intensity. "A lot of times we're going to do speeds that they're going to be replicating in the race," says Zucco. The point of the build phase is to "to try and get your muscle memory and energy systems really dialed into the race that you're training for," he adds. During the build phase, Zucco likes to have athletes use two key workouts: one bike-focused and one run-focused. This lets them practice their race pace and simulate racing conditions- for example, he has athletes do a brief bike ride before a running workout.

Like Zucco, Fix has experienced triathletes do a few high-intensity workouts during the base phase; during the build phase, they focus on intervals of shorter length but higher intensity. "You have to get your body to be able to race," says Fix. "Most people will train too much far below race pace." Long slow workouts are great for your endurance, but it's the higher-intensity, more demanding workouts during base that teach your body how to swim, bike, and run at a faster pace-and to be able to hold that pace during the event.

Balancing act
Lindsay Zucco, 39, has competed in about 100 triathlons since 1991. She starts her build phase about two months before an event doing a lot of race-specific training. For an Olympic distance event, she does 800s on the track, 4-minute hard intervals on the bike and several sets of 4 x 100s (hard effort) in the pool.

Zucco says that the workouts are tough, but worth it. "It hurts more, that's for sure. You need a little bit of both-you need to build up your endurance earlier on to build base," says the Elburn resident. "I would advocate doing speed work when you're closer to the race [two to three months out]. If you're running slow and easy all the time, you won't be able to up your speed. It increases your efficiency too-when you're going fast, you have to do it with better form and technique."

Three training mistakes
Still, it's easy to make mistakes in training that can impact your performance on race day. "I think that 90 percent of the problem with the athletes I coach is that they let their friends dictate their workout efforts," says Zucco. "If you get nothing else right in training, you have to get intensity right."

While race-pace (and faster) training is essential, another common mistake is doing too many hard workouts without adequate recovery. Pay attention to your body to make sure you're not over-training and that your schedule includes easy days as well as occasional days of complete rest. In other words, "make sure you're training to race, not racing to train," says Zucco.

Another factor for athletes serious about competing to consider is the importance of staying fit even in the off-season. "In regards to athletic lifespan...if you don't keep your peak numbers within a 10 to 15 percent range all year round, it's more than likely you won't get it back," says Fix. "Working in some easier workouts in the off-season is important but I think you should always be doing some high-end, some top end intervals."

The bottom line? If you want to race at your best, you've got to do put the time in with the challenging workouts that will get you in peak form, physiologically and psychologically. "If you have prepared properly and you execute properly, you'll have a great race," says Fix.

Kelly James-Enger is an ACE-certified personal trainer and the coauthor of Small Changes, Big Results: A 12-Week Action Plan to a Better Life. She lives in Downers Grove.