Usually you hear this in a team dynamic, but in the sport of Triathlon it also applies. Working on your weakness is not something that comes naturally. People like doing what they are good at. If you are a great swimmer, then it is far more fun and enjoyable to go to the pool than it is to go for a 10km run. However, you can get sucked into the trap of doing too much of what you're good at, and in the end it will cost you.
Triathlon requires you to be a balanced athlete. If you are a great swimmer but can't bike, you will have no fun getting passed by all those people you were ahead of in the water. The off season (winter) is a great time of year to work on your weakness. First, have an honest look at your race results (if you've got them) and see where you are ranking the lowest. If you haven't raced yet, you likely know what it is you don't like or are weak at. Before I ever raced a triathlon I started doing running events, because I knew it was my weakness. While it is not necessary to do running events first, that was just the way I went. The important thing though was that I spent time doing what was the hardest for me, so that I could improve on what was a weakness.
Next comes the hard part. Spend more time doing what you stink at! :-) For the strong swimmer, instead of doing 3-5 swims a week, do 1 a week or even more, take 2-3 months and do no swimming! Take those extra sessions and spend them on your weakness. This method of training is referred to as 'periodization' -taking a block of time and working on an aspect of your fitness or skill set. I would suggest that 3 months is a minimal period needed to see real improvement on your weakness. Some athletes have been known to spend a whole year working on the weak link, in hopes of getting to the next level.
Balancing it all out, can be a tricky thing at times, but it comes with practice and experience. Don't be afraid to try this out. For a while, your strength may loose some "top end", but the final result will mean that you are a more balanced athlete and will be better prepared for the sport. As an example, this is what the "strong swimmer" who wants to improve biking may do to adapt this.
Before their week may have been - 4 swims, 2 runs, 1-2 bikes
Now - 4-5 bikes, 2 runs, 1-2 swims.
If you are new to the sport, or thinking about doing your first race next year, I will add a few more things for you to consider in my next post, that will help you determine how to spend your time training.
Swim, Bike, Run, Race, Recover, Repeat.
Jon
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