New members are encouraged to come along and see what its all about. Winter training is a great opportunity to lay the foundations for an enjoyable triathlon season in the coming year. New members are allowed to join three training sessions before joining to see if triathlon is really for them.
If you’re new to Triathlon and want more information on when and where sessions are, please contact us HERE.
Our pool swimming sessions are held in the Longford Sports and Leisure Centre "The Mall". and start in November each year. Swimming is Monday evenings 21:00 - 22:00 in blocks of 6 weeks. The current cost per block of 7 nights of coached swimming is €60 (subsidised) which is paid on the first night of the block.
- Our structured pool-based swim sessions cater for 3 levels of Beginner, Improver, Advanced.
- If you are unsure about which level you are then attend a Beginner session first and speak to a member of the coaching team when you arrive. After watching you swim for a session our coaches will be able to guide you as to your current level.
- If you cannot swim more than 100m of continuous front crawl then we recommend that you start with the Beginner level.
- We keep our training calendar upto date with the latest information about session including cancellations or changes to start times via the SPOND app. Please check it frequently!
- 2 Swim Ireland certified coaches working across 6 Swim Lanes for the 3 levels.
- Lifeguard cover.
- A structured session plan.
- Pace clock: The venue has a large pool side clock to time work/rest intervals.
- Changing Rooms.
- Lockers.
- Showers.
- Swim trunks / costume
- Goggles
- Towel
- Flip Flops / Sandals
- Swim cap
- Nose Clip (If Required)
- Ear Plugs (If Required)
- Sports watch: For timing on longer sets if you can’t use the pace clock
- Training aids: Pull buoy and hand paddles.
- 1 x 750ml drink (as a minimum)
- Ideal: Knowledge of your current swimming ability. E.g. 400m time, 750m time, etc.
Our open water swim sessions run from April/May until September and take place in three locations around Longford.
- Tarmonbarry Harbour.
- Lansboro.
- Fitzpatrick's Shore.
These are the only open water swim location sanctioned for club organised events and these are the only locations that have been risk assessed.
These sessions are open to all who wish to enjoy the open water in a safe environment. We run this session on a Monday evening, with open water trained coaches / lifeguards with safety canoeists on the water.
These sessions are strictly adult only.
The open water training sessions focus on the following:
- Drafting
- Sighting
- Safety
- Buoyancy
- Race practice
Things you need to know
- You must be able to swim 200 metres (8 lengths or a 25m pool) comfortably and unaided.
- You will need to wear a brightly coloured hat - NO BLACK, as these are hard to see in the water.
- MANDITORY: Swimmers must swim with a buoyancy aid (Safety tow float)!.
- All swimmers must check in and out of the water on the slipway.
- Swimmers need to follow the instruction of the coaches.
These sessions are only available to club members for safety and insurance reasons.
- Swim Ireland certified coaches.
- Lifeguard cover.
- Kayak Cover for Safety.
- A structured session plan.
- Wetsuit.
- Swim Cap.
- Goggles.
- Nose Clip (If Required).
- Ear Plugs (If Required).
- Buoyancy Aid - Safety Tow Float.
- Flip Flops / Sandals.
- Sports watch.
- Towel.
- 1 x 750ml drink (as a minimum).
- Ideal: Knowledge of your current swimming ability. E.g. 400m time, 750m time, etc.
Although it would be great to be able to train outdoors on your bike all year round, living in Ireland makes this difficult. Some session are also easier to do on a turbo trainer or spin bike, where you don’t need to worry about cars, traffic lights, pot-holes, roundabouts!. We provide a number of indoor sessions.
We use interval training based on perceived effort (how hard it feels), heart rate, cadence (how fast you are turning the pedals), resistance/gear ratios or power to create a wide variety of sessions so there’s no chance of getting bored. Training in the company of others also makes it easier to motivate yourself to work hard. Having a coach / leader around to observe during the session means that any obvious issues with bike set-up and cycling position, pedalling technique or choice of cadence can be quickly and easily identified.
Turbo Training sessions are held on Wednesday evening with setup at 18:45 - 19:00 with turbo starting at 19.00 sharp. These sessions are held in the Longford Athletics Club Indoor Training Centre. Turbo is FREE for Members.
The turbo session is designed to improve cycling performance by increasing force production and developing aerobic power throughout the winter. The program of training is methodical and progressive and sessions will be repetitive and hard. This session will maximise training time and will greatly benefit anyone who regularly attends them.
This session is split into two categories:
- Strength Endurance
- VO2 Max
The Strength Endurance efforts increase in duration throughout each cycle and resistance increases in each subsequent cycle. The sessions increase sustainable force production and trains the body to race more effectively at a lower cadence. Heart rate and lactate levels are consequently lower so the body is less fatigued for the run when racing. Main sets are 40 min.
VO2 Max sessions develop maximal aerobic power which increases potential speed at sub-maximal aerobic effort when racing. The efforts are short with equal recovery and cadence is whatever it needs to be to achieve the highest sustainable power throughout the session. Main sets are 40 min.
- Coach
- Session Plan and Instruction
- Music (where available)
- Fans (where available)
- Cycling / Tri-Short (lycra with a degree of padding)
- Cycling top, running vest or t-shirt – you will sweat a lot!
- Bike
- Turbo Trainer
- A Towel to mop up sweat from you and bike/floor!
- 1 x 750ml drink (as a minimum)
- Optional: Heart rate monitor
- Ideal: Knowledge of your maximum heart rate achieve whilst cycling, maximum power achieve during final minute of a ramp test, CP5/20/30, etc
Indoor Bike sessions are held on Tuesday evening with setup at 20:00 with a start at 8.15pm sharp. These sessions are held in the Longford Sports and Leisure Centre "The Mall". This session is FREE for Members of our Club and who are also Members of the Leisure Centre OR subsidised per training block.
Indoor Bike is a great workout for your legs and really pushes your limits!.
We have a separate Indoor Bike studio, with flashing lights and pumping music. Our energetic instructors makes every class feels like a night club!.
These classes are suitable for all levels of fitness.
Indoor Bike is a great way to improve your cardiovascular health. It provides the same benefits as other forms of cardio, such as running, swimming, and elliptical training. It’s perfect for those who want a cardio workout without putting too much pressure or stress on their joints.
Indoor Bike is a total-body workout and works all of the major muscle groups. Here are seven areas you work and how you use them while you’re cycling:
- Core
- Upper Body
- Back
- Glutes
- Quadriceps
- Hamstrings
- Lower Legs
- Bike
- Coach
- Session Plan and Instruction
- Spin bikes (we have over 30+)
- Music
- Fans (where available)
- Cycling / Tri-Short (lycra with a degree of padding) or Good Shorts
- Running vest or t-shirt – you will sweat a lot!
- A Towel to mop up sweat from you and bike/floor!
- 1 x 750ml drink (as a minimum)
Turbo and Indoor Bike sessions typically finish in early spring and then we start our Club road cycles. We usually depart from Longford Sports and Leisure Centre "The Mall" at 18:45.
Full details will be provided closer to the time with the various routes etc. on the SPOND app and the WhatsApp group
Club weekend cycles run Saturday mornings from early spring usually starting after the Long Slow Run session with Brendan Doyle's Running Group.
Full details will be provided closer to the time with the various routes etc. on the SPOND app and the WhatsApp group
The club offers a number of coached running sessions. Their are two options Brendan Doyle Running Group and Longford AC.
Brendan Doyle Running Group sessions are on Tuesdays at 19:00 for Int/Adv levels and Wednesdays at 19:00 for all levels.
Longford AC sessions are on Tuesdays at 18:30 and Thursdays at 18:30 for Int/Adv levels.
Members are also welcome to join Brendan Doyle Running Group's long slow run session on Saturday mornings, departing various locations as advised on the club's WhatsApp group. Typically departing 07:30 / 08:00 (depending on planned weekend run) from Esquires Coffee Shop in the Axis Center. These runs are timed to allow participants be back to join the Saturday bike session departing at 09:30 starting early spring.
Contact Brendan on 087-2241352 for more information on joining the running sessions.
Strength and Conditioning sessions are held on Thursday evening with setup at 19:30pm with a start at 19.45pm sharp. These sessions are held in the Longford Sports and Leisure Centre "The Mall". This session is FREE for Members of our Club and who are also Members of the Leisure Centre OR subsidised per training block.
We use the SPEEDFLEX system during these sessions.
The SPEEDFLEX system uses innovative piston technology which means it responds to the force you apply on it. By moving the free motion bar slowly it is light and easy to move, as you move the bar faster and with more force, it offers increasing resistance and is more difficult to move. As the Speedflex machine responds to the force the user applies, it is the perfect blend of strength and cardio equipment, suitable for everyone. With no need to adjust the settings, an 18-year-old and an 80-year-old can both get a great workout which is optimally suited to their own intensity.
The innovative features of SPEEDFLEX helps us to deliver all the proven benefits of HIIT without the negative effects usually associated with regular high intensity training. It’s low on impact and leaves the user with much less soreness than regular high intensity sessions. It’s ‘HIIT without the Hurt’.
- Coach
- Session Plan and Instruction
- SPEEDFLEX Machines (we have 6)
- Music
- Fans (where available)
- Gym wear
- A Towel to mop up sweat from you and bike/floor!
- 1 x 750ml drink (as a minimum)
The full training schedule can be found HERE.