“It's a bit of a balance. I'm definitely trying to peak for the Comm games, but we still try to stay at a high level through the year.”
While not racing as regularly as in the past year, he still finished second in the EVES Surfbreaker Triathlon, 39 seconds behind New Zealand teammate Hayden Wilde.
Reid said it was a blessing and a curse to have an athlete of Wilde's calibre in his races.
“We went back and forth on the second run, then he got away from me by about 10 or 15 metres and I couldn't claw it back.
“He got me in the end, but last year I came out of transition on the last run neck and neck and then he was just gone.
“It's cool to see the progression.”
Before starting his season in earnest, Reid is branching out to get further experience in what he calls his weaker disciplines. This weekend, along with Wilde, he will be in the 3000m at the New Zealand track and field nationals.
“I have no expectations. I'd like to progress my running, compare with them and run a PB (personal best) if I can.”
In preparation for last year's season, which included racing at the Olympics where he finished 18th of 51 competitors, he was training 25 hours a week while also racing regularly.
“There's a lot of variety. You've got to train for three different sports.
“We're trying to add a lot more science to what we do. But it's not so easy for us Kiwis who don't have the big budgets for the new technologies and facilities.”
Reid said they were regularly training in artificially humid and hot environments as part of their preparations for the Olympics last year.
“I got so adapted to the heat I was wearing a wetsuit in a heated pool for my swim training.”
Reid said they were incorporating science into all aspects of their training. That included lactate testing to measure recovery and training effectiveness, and measuring oxygen uptake.
He has meters in his shoes and on his bike to tell him how much power he is putting into each session.
“It's good because you might run each session a bit slower or a bit faster; you can see the power is the same, but you're just running into the wind.
“You can track and change what you're doing . . . there's no point going out and doing heaps of training if it isn't working.”
While the cutting edge of research and science is incorporated into his training, Reid also gets drug-tested regularly.
As a professional athlete, he must comply with the testing protocols. They include telling testers where he will be sleeping every night and providing a urine sample with the testers present to ensure he does not try to cheat.
“Pretty often, they knock on your door and you get tested.
“They turn up in Gisborne too, but I got a lot more visits while I was living in Cambridge just because of all the athletes there.”
For Reid, it's all part of the business of striving to be one of the best in the world in his chosen discipline.
“I think this year I would be happy if I had a podium placing at the Commonwealth Games and a podium at a World Triathalon event.
“I'd be stoked with my year if I could achieve that.”
