Sun Tzu and the Art of Triathlon
Karen Parnell BEng (Hons) CEng MBA CPT
Helping Triathletes & Swimmers meet or exceed their Training & Race Goals | 121 Coaching | Training Plans | TrainingPeaks | Final Surge | Clinics & Camps Spain | Sports Tech & Blog Writer
Win without Fighting
Sun Tzu?孙子 was a Chinese military general, strategist, philosopher, and writer who lived in 2500 years ago. He wrote the book?The Art of War, an influential work of military strategy which has influenced both?Western?and?East Asian philosophy?and military thinking. It focuses much more on alternatives to battle and even to war than on war itself, such as?stratagem, delay, the use of spies, the making and keeping of alliances, the uses of deceit, and a willingness to submit, at least temporarily, to more powerful foes.
I’m not saying that triathlon is a war or battle that needs to be won but more that with the right strategy your can win without fighting.
I thought it would be fun to look at some of his teachings and how it can be applied to your training and racing.
“If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle”
This is a great Sun Tzu teaching to start with and profoundly affects both training and racing. When I start training with an athlete, we start will an extensive questionnaire and a call so I can understand deeply how they like to train, what they enjoy, what ways they don’t like to train, time to train, motivators, home life, work life, goals and more. If we both don’t know the answers to these questions and appreciate motivators, limiters, mindset, nutrition needs and home life then we won’t be an effective partnership.
We need to know the “enemy” or barriers to training and this can range from lack of sleep, poor diet, lack of good timely hydration, work pressures, stress, motivation to lack of time to train and technique limiters. Once we both understand the “enemy”, we can build an effective and sensible training plan that can be adhered to and create consistent training and great behaviours.
Once an A race is identified we need to understand the course profile, typical race conditions, race rules and who is going to be there racing (this is key if it is a qualification race) so a plan of attack can be formulated. For example, if the bike leg is extremely hilly then we need to build hilly training into the plan. If the race has a sea swim, then we need to build sea swims into the plan. If it’s a qualification race, then we need to understand the times needed qualify.
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Brazilian soccer coach Luiz Felipe Scolari used the Art of War to win the 2002 world cup
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"If the mind is willing, the flesh could go on and on without many things.”
Winning the mental battle is key for any triathlon or race. To help with this planning and preparation is key. If you plan for every eventuality, you should feel calmer and less stressed so able to perform better. During training develop some key mantras that will lift your spirits during your race. Some examples are “Progress not perfection”, “Pain is temporary. Pride is forever.” and “Light, fast, strong.” These mantra′s can be repeated to yourself during your race to motivate you and remind you why you are doing it.
You can find more in my Blog about race and?training Mantras and Quotes.
Simple tactics like writing your name on your shirt or race number so you hear the crowds shout your name all the way around your course will lift your spirits.
You may find meditation helps which you can practice during training and do before your race.
Reward yourself when you have achieved a milestone. I used to have a handful of Dextrose energy tablets and reward myself with one after each kilometre on the run leg. This ticked off another km done and also gave me a quick hit of energy!
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"Great results can be achieved with small forces.”
More often than not the smallest changes can have the biggest results. For example, cracking your breathing whilst swimming can knock seconds off each 100 and make you feel less exhausted.
On the bike learning how to descend and corner well can knock minutes of your bike leg – there’s nothing more soul destroying than overtaking many athletes on the uphill’s only to be overtaken on the downhills because they can descend and corner better than you.
On the run if your core strength is lacking you may find your running technique decays quickly and you start to slouch and when you running forms goes your times suffer. Adding in some strength and core work regularly into your training plan will pay dividends race day when your running power and form are sustainable throughout the whole race.
For all of the disciplines completing drills before every session is a small thing but over time they are designed to help with your form and technique – don’t miss them out and make time for them. Sometimes the most important part of a workout can be the drills.
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“Opportunities multiply as they are seized.”
When in a race where you can overtake another athlete, this will lift your spirits and you will feel mentally buoyed. This may open the opportunity to overtake another competitor thus lifting your spirits even more and in turn may make you go that little bit faster. Over time you may get more and more opportunities to overtake and your ability to win your mental game.
You may find yourself in a position where you can force your opponent to exert themselves but where you can preserve your energy. A good example is in draft legal bike leg where others may take the lead and you can draft and save energy. You may also be able to seize opportunities by speeding up and slowing down near the end of the race on the run to get them to expend more energy leaving you to beat them on a sprint finish!
“If you do not seek out allies and helpers, you will be isolated and weak.”?– this sums up drafting in the swim and on the bike to me.
领英推荐
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"Wheels of justice grind slow but grind fine.”
If someone breaks the rules during your race and appears to not have gotten a penalty try not to dwell on it or get angry. If you do get angry channel that energy into to your race effort and forget what has happened. They will probably get reported and get a penalty or DQ’d but even if they don’t focus on your race, your race strategy, and your race result.
?"Be where your enemy is not.”
In the swim leg, especially a mass start, there can be many flailing arms and legs. The majority are just swimmers swimming their own race using their normal swim stroke and not deliberately trying to hit you. If you are finding yourself in a washing machine of arms, legs and bodies and it is slowing you down then try to break away from the group. If this does not work, then swim to the outside of the pack and find some clear water to swim in without getting hit or jostled. Regroup and get back to your race plan and try to find a suitable swimmer to draft to conserve energy for the bike leg. Remember “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.”
“If words of command are not clear and distinct, if orders are not thoroughly understood, then the general is to blame. But, if orders are clear and the soldiers nevertheless disobey, then it is the fault of their officers.”
If you are following a training plan or working with a coach and don’t understand the sessions or the plan, then ask your coach to explain it. Your training journey should be a partnership with your coach. If you don’t trust the plan, then you are more likely to divert from the plan and do you own thing and may head down the path of inconsistency. Consistency is key with any training plan so if anything gets in the way of this you may need to modify your plan and good communication is key – head off any issues early and talk to your coach.
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“Those who are able to adapt and change in accord with the enemy and achieve victory are called divine.”
Things can change on race day due to weather conditions, course changes and even situations like the swim leg getting cancelled or wetsuits being banned. We can look back on the past events and see what has changed historically and plan for changes. If you race has been a non-wetsuit swim, then make sure you practice open water swims without your wetsuit during training. If there is a chance the swim will be cancelled and be replaced with a duathlon (run-bike-run) then maybe schedule a duathlon into your training plan? Failure to prepare is to prepare for failure!
?“The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.”
If you have planned your training well and made sure you have thought of everything, then come race day if your race goes according to plan it will feel easy with no need to battle or fight just enjoy and fly.
?Conclusion
Races are not wars but will require planning, dedication, consistent training, and mental toughness to win or get the result you are aiming for. By taking note of some of the teachings of Sun Tzu you can learn to improve your training and race preparation and make it as easy as possible to perform at your best on race day.
Focus on training and racing well wait for the other athletes to make mistakes and exploit it.
“Sweat more during peace (training) : bleed less during war (race day).”
?Check out my FREE plans here for some off-season training ideas.
Karen Parnell?is a Level 3 British Triathlon and IRONMAN Certified Coach, NASM Personal Trainer and Sports Technology Writer.
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References
Sun Tzu | The Art of War
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