Clydesdale Triathlon Training

Triathlon Racing for Clydesdales

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  Triathlons are actually two races in one. In the first, male and female triathletes are competing for overall placement. In the second, they're competing for honors within their division. For example, a Clydesdale may finish 60th out of 200 competitors, overall. However, he might have finished first in his own division and taken home a trophy for his efforts. Divisional honors and healthy competition are two reasons why Clydesdales will want to train smartly.

Considerations

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  Because of their weight, Clydesdales face a few issues when it comes to triathlon. Some of them have to do with triathlon gear itself. For example, most competitive-type triathlon or road bicycles are built to a maximum weight standard of 185 to 200 lbs. More than that, and the bike usually requires additional strengthening and reinforcement. As well, the physical stresses of endurance training are sometimes greater when it comes to Clydesdales.

Goals

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  There are two ultimate goals when it comes to Clydesdale triathlon training. First, get to the point where a triathlon can be finished without undue discomfort. Second, eventually be able to go faster while doing the race. Structured and gradual increases in swim, bike and run training loads help a Clydesdale meet the first goal. For the second, most triathletes start adding in harder-effort training sessions at some point during training.

Benefits

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  All Clydesdale triathletes can benefit first of all by building a solid fitness foundation. This usually means gradually increasing the frequency and the length of swim, bike and run sessions over time. Soon after, it isn't unusual for a Clydesdale's body to begin making improvements in fitness. At that point, a very small amount of speed work can be added. For Clydesdales, such work normally doesn't exceed more than 5 percent of total training.

Typical Training Loads

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  Clydesdales have successfully completed, and vigorously competed in, all of the recognized triathlon distances. A typical training week for them may involve 3,000 to 10,000 yards of swimming, 50 to 150 miles of biking and 10 to 30 miles of running to train for a short- to mid-distance race. The Ironman (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, 26.2-mile run), though, generally requires a greater amount of weekly swimming, biking and running.