Focusing on Technique and Core Work

Browsing the interwebs on a study break, I came across the website of Kiwi pro-triathlete Terenzo Bozzone. A 5x World Champion, Bozzone just recently finished 2nd at Ironman New Zealand and is set to defend his title at the Half-Iron US PRO Championship in Galveston, TX.

There is a tremendous amount of knowledge that age-group triathletes can gleam from the professionals of our sport, and the well-spoken Bozzone is no exception. Here is a quote from the first page of his site, terenzo.com , where he preaches the importance of hard work as focused by the use of proper technique, with the combination serving as the foundation for proper training:

    ".... there is nothing wrong with training hard, and yes you will have to give up certain things to get to the top, but there is more than just training hard to achieve in your sport.

There is another aspect that many people say they know about, understand, and work on, but do they really? I am talking about technique.

Lets get more specific. In Ironman, you have the swim, bike and run. Each of which is sport in itself. If you can master the technique of these different sports, so that you swim like a swimmer, ride like a cyclist, and run like a runner, and put it together, then surely your room to improve with hard work is greater. You become more efficient, and faster." 

  Bozzone continues writing on his site (which I encourage you to check out), but this entry got me thinking. I've recently been priding myself on the religious execution of a difficult core/strength workout within my training program. Abs, upper body, and important secondary muscles (such as hip abductors) are all stressed by the routine. But just as core strength is a vital addition to any triathlon training plan, so too should time be dedicated to technique work. I've always included a thorough session in swim workouts and I have been doing Single-Led Drills on just about every bike training session. But I've now resolved myself to add a session of technique drills to each run workout. Just a few minutes before a threshold run could reap incredible dividends further along the trail. 

   Given the inherent time constraints of multi-sport training, I'll begin by adding a few drills to the beginning of tonight's run, and then have a focus element that I will emphasize throughout each workout for the next 3 weeks (a carryover from technique work I've used in swimming). For example, after  a quick warm-up, I will do short sets of high-knee skipping (effeminate? maybe. Effective? Definitely), butt-kicks, and strides. Then, during the workout, I will focus on leaning forward into my stride and trying to land properly on my midfoot. 

   With my first running race of the season set to take place at a half-marathon in June, I'll look to be out on the course running like a runner, with an efficient, and faster, stride.