Welcome back. Before I dive into the week that was, I've got a little announcement to make.
A Quick Announcement
I received an email during the week, and I'm very pleased to say that for the 2026/27 series, I'll be joining the SCODY team as an ambassador.
For those who aren't familiar with SCODY, they're a Brisbane-based clothing manufacturer producing very high-quality triathlon and performance clothing. In fact, they make the apparel for the Australian triathlon team — whether you're racing Olympic distance or any of the other distances, you'll see their gear on show.
I've also got a bit of history with SCODY. When I first came back to training almost three seasons ago, weighing around 100-odd kilograms, the SCODY tri suit was my suit of choice — based on the quality and the fact that it's a local Brisbane company.
For those of you who are new, welcome. For those who've been here before, welcome back. I'm Des Trindall, a 57-year-old (soon to be 58 in 10 days) triathlete based in Brisbane, Australia.
Right — let's dive straight into the week that was.
Where This Week Sits: Build 2, Week 3
The way I structure my training is around a build phase.
That build phase is generally weeks one, two and three, where I do one of two things: increase the volume or increase the intensity each week. Then week four of the build phase becomes a recovery and adaptation week, where I reduce both volume and intensity by anywhere from 15 to 25%.
So this week — Week 3 — is literally the heavy week of this Build 2 block.
And the reason I call it Build 2 is because it's coming off the back of that Grade 2 calf tear I sustained back in June at Ironman Cairns, in the transition from swim to bike. That resulted in my first DNF in a very, very long time.
So let's dive into the week.
Monday: A Day Off
Those of you who've watched before know I generally like to have a day off each week — especially as I'm getting older, I find it really helps with recovery. That's usually the Monday.
The reason I use Monday is that there's generally a bit more volume thrown in on the Saturday and Sunday, so Monday is a good day to back off and give myself some recovery and adaptation time.
That said, I'll generally do some stretching, at least a walk with the dog and some active mobility — without putting any further load on the body.
Swimming: Three Sessions
I swam three times this week — Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
Tuesday — Interval Swim
- 500m freestyle warm-up
- 10 × 50m concentrating on core and form. These aren't flat-out — they're a very firm but controlled 50, with a good 30 seconds rest.
- One minute recovery, then the main set: 8 × 100m with 30 seconds rest, using pull buoy and paddles.
- 4 × 50m light swim-down to finish.
Thursday — Interval Swim
Same warm-up (500m freestyle plus 10 × 50m), but the main set becomes:
- 4 × 200m with pull buoy and paddles, then the same warm-down.
Saturday — Endurance Swim
Each week I like to put in a straight endurance swim. My first race of the season is 27 September, so it's not far away, and it's more than likely going to be a wetsuit swim.
So at the moment I'm doing this endurance swim in a wetsuit, even though it's in the pool. This coming week I'll actually head out to the open water, but so far I've kept these in the pool so I can stay very controlled and very mindful of staying in Zone 2.
It's purely a 2,000m swim, concentrating on form, staying relaxed, and letting the wetsuit do the job. Wetsuit swimming is a little different — you can hold the stroke a little longer and get a bit more glide than you do without one.
Cycling: Three Rides
On the bike this week I rode Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
Wednesday — 90 Minutes on the Road
This was really an endurance ride, but I added two tempo efforts within it — simple 5-minute blocks holding around 40km time-trial tempo pace, without going over the top.
Friday — Indoor Intervals
I headed indoors on the Wahoo Kickr smart trainer using the MyWhoosh platform. This was an hour-and-three-minute session in ERG mode, based on my FTP power:
- A nice progressive warm-up
- 4 blocks of 30 seconds higher power followed by 3½ minutes of tempo power, repeated four times, with a 3-minute recovery between each block
- A nice warm-down at the end
Sunday — Endurance Ride
My third ride is very much an endurance ride — Zone 2, getting out in the sun and on the road. It helps with bike handling and lets you get into the aero position and hold it a little longer.
This week it was a three-hour ride, concentrating on nutrition, aero position, heart rate and power.
Running: Four Runs
I ran four times this week — Tuesday, an easy run off the bike on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
Tuesday — 60-Minute Zone 2 Endurance Run
A pure Zone 2 endurance run — 60 minutes, which is where I'm at in this build phase.
What I'm finding now, seven weeks into this training (four weeks of the first build and three of this one), is that my pace per kilometre is increasing without pushing it, while staying in that Zone 2 heart rate. That's roughly a 15–25 second per kilometre improvement.
That just shows how much sticking to the 80/20 training rule can make a difference — without smashing yourself every session.
Wednesday — 1km Off the Bike
A simple 1km run off the bike after the 90-minute road ride, at a tempo pace — not pushing it at all. Just reminding the body of that bike-to-run transition.
Thursday — Intervals
- 10-minute warm-up
- 6 × 2 minutes at a pace quicker than I'm running off the bike for my 5k. At the moment I'm running around 4:25–4:30/km off the bike for a solid 5k, so these are around 4:10–4:15/km pace.
- Concentrating on cadence, form and breathing, with a 90-second walk between each rep to let the heart rate drop.
- A nice warm-down run and walk to finish.
Saturday — Tempo Run (With a Niggle)
Saturday was a tempo run. I jog down to our local parkrun but I don't race it — I run it as a tempo, trying to hold around 4:45/km.
This one had an issue. About a kilometre and a bit into the parkrun, I tightened up in the hamstring. So I backed it right down to 5:00/km pace and ran through, which felt comfortable — but I did pull up with the right hamstring a little tight.
I'm being wary of that this week as I move forward. I don't want to create any more injuries, and I'd say it's probably come off the back of the Grade 2 calf tear, because it's the same leg. Coming into this second phase of building volume is exactly where these sorts of things start to show, and you have to take that remedial action.
After the 5k, it was a 1km jog-down, a 1km walk-down warm-down, then stretching and cool-down at home.
How I'm Feeling With 3 Weeks to Go
And that's pretty much how the week went. I'm very happy with the way I'm building into the season.
I'm not going to be absolutely peak for that first race on 27 September, but I feel I'm in slightly better fitness than I was last season — and I'm hoping to build on that heading into the Gold Coast T100 in March, which is my main goal for the season.
The hamstring is the one thing to keep an eye on. When you're building volume back after an injury, the body will tell you where the weak links still are. The smart move isn't to push through and hope — it's to back off, manage it, and protect the bigger goal.
Free Triathlon Training Resources
I've got a heap of free resources on the Trindall Tri Fit website that you're welcome to browse, along with the blogs I publish each week. Visit the Trindall Tri Fit Resources page for free guides, training tools and calculators.
Train smart. Race confident. Enjoy the journey.