Base building is the general phase of the annual training plan/progression where an athlete develops the fitness or chronic training load to complete their goal races. Each race has a specific demand in terms of overall training preparedness.
Focus areas:
- Increase overall training duration to target peak training load by end of base period
- Develop pace & power in line with a specific (10) % improvement target
- Improve skills especially in the swim and bike handling
- Address strength imbalances & weaknesses and other performance limiters
The workouts throughout the base should be sufficiently targeted and frequent to elicit a specific training response for each focus area. The way to get better at anything is repetition.
Elite athletes prepare with significantly higher target training loads for their A-races than do age-groupers. The guidelines below are informative. Intermediate athletes should consider the lower end of each range when setting the target training load As you become a more durable athlete over multiple seasons, consider higher training loads in your annual training plan balancing work, home, and rest.
Peter