Mountaineering + Triathlon Training

Hi MZ,

If your true interest is in the mountains, then I would cut out the sports that conflict with that priority. Or accept a lower performance standard in your main pursuit.

I used to bite off more than I can chew, and I was constantly stressed by it. The easiest way to balance my interests was to eliminate lower priority items until I only had one left.

That’s probably not what you wanted to hear, but in the long run, it’ll be the most effective.

Scott

And the good news is that you’re in your mid-thirties! With smart training, you’ve got at least a decade of improvement ahead of you.

To quote Charlie Munger, “I’d trade some big numbers for another decade.”

From triathlon training, running will be the most complementary. But swimming and cycling won’t offer nearly as much benefit. They would be good recovery activities though, especially easy swimming.

Perhaps, but that conversion likely comes from their running fitness.

I’ve been training for skimo for six years, but if I tried to swim across a lake, I would die. It doesn’t matter how big my engine is, skimo training hasn’t helped my swim technique nor reduced its metabolic cost.

I’ve never heard anyone express a swimming or cycling goal and then ask if running will be good training for them. But it’s all too common to hear the opposite.

I think what’s really happening is a substitution bias. We want to know, “what training is the most effective?”, but our subconscious pushes us to answer, “which training is more fun?”

@MZ How good is your swimming technique? If you are capable of doing solid 4-6k sessions in the pool than the fitness gains can be substantial. But then again at that level you wouldn’t worry about swimming more than maybe 1-2x a week the month before the race if you just want to finish. Making technical gains in swimming is very hard (or impossible) to do over just 6 Month with limited time. To get to a decent level I would count on needing to swim consistently 4-6x a week for 2-3 years. But just finishing the swim in a wetsuit doesn’t really need that level of proficiency.
That is probably also where Scott Sempler is coming from by rejection swimming for fitness gains.
And keep in mind that the cross-training effects really only matter once the specific training is close to maxed out. For example, 10h running (with vert) would obviously be better for a mountaineer than 5h running and 5h swimming but if 5h running is all someone can handle then 5+”any amount of swimming” might be better than just 5h running.

Why do you spend time on the trainer? If you just want to get a short session in then a 1h run will help you more than 1h on the trainer (both for the triathlon and for your mountain goals). In your situation, I would focus more on doing somewhat regular long-rides outside once spring comes around (to also learn actual bike handling skills!). Way more fun and I feel longer rides are actually a good stimulus for mountaineering without breaking to body down as much as long trailrunning. You could also combine it with some trailrunning by commuting to/from the trail by bike. Maybe also have a go at the Longs Peak Duathlon.

From personal experience, I can definitely say that I agree with the other people that it is not possible to combine triathlon and mountaineering goals on a high level but it sound like that you also came to that conclusion already.

I’m primarily a fell runner (and sea kayaker) but I do an occasional triathlon for fun and don’t take it too seriously. I find the shift in emphasis keeps my training fresh and provides some good active recovery. As suggested above I’ll combine runs with a bike ride to my starting point or ride to a loch or the sea to swim.
I’m happy to admit I’m not troubling the leaders in any of my activities but if your primary aims are personal enjoyment and satisfaction (while performing to a standard that is acceptable if perhaps challenging to you personally) then just enjoy whatever you want to do.