Table II illustrates the same approach for a newer or less-motivated athlete. This example represents a 25-year-old male getting back into shape:
Table II. Beginner / newly-motivated hour-twenty example training plan:
| Monday | Swim 45 Minutes Run 30 Minutes | Swim 45 minutes
Run 30 minutes
|
| Tuesday | Bike 75 Minutes | Ride 1 hour 15 minutes
|
| Wednesday | Day Off |
|
| Thursday | Run 50 Minutes Swim 25 Minutes 5-Minute Transition | Run 50 minutes – 20 minutes easy / 6 x 400 on track (or 2:00 on road) at 10k pace with 200 jog easy between / 10 minutes easy Swim 25 minutes easy-steady continuous |
| Friday | Bike 50 Minutes Strength 20 Minutes | Ride 50 minutes
Core strength workout 20 minutes –
|
| Saturday | Day Off |
|
| Sunday | 90-Minute Ride 20-Minute Run | Ride 90 minutes to 2 hours solo or with a group, steady moderate effort Run 20 minutes off the bike steady effort |
The plan above is just under seven hours.
There are many challenges I face as a coach when planning for training and racing. Helping motivated athletes avoid injury and burnout while challenging their limits is their biggest challenge.
Keeping newer or less-motivated athletes consistent with a plan that helps to build their endurance, confidence, and ultimately improve their speed is their biggest challenge.
Each athlete is different, entering into a training plan with strengths and weaknesses. My purpose in writing this article is to detail a method for triathlon training that does not require a lockdown on all your free time while still producing solid results for short to intermediate distance events.
The proliferation of 70.3 and IRONMAN racing, while great for the sport, has many newcomers and even some veterans thinking that they aren't a "real" triathlete unless they compete in long distance events or take part in multi-hour sessions several times per week. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sprint and Olympic-distance triathlons are challenging endurance races. You can suffer greatly and adequately build your character in one or two hours as well as twelve.
Recent Articles:
- 5 Signs You're Ready to do an IRONMAN
- Lose the Belly Fat: Weight Management for Triathletes
- Indy 500 Winner Tony Kanaan on Triathlon, Training and Driving
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Find a triathlon training plan that works for you.Marty Gaal, CSCS, is a USA Triathlon certified coach. He has been competing in triathlon since 1989. He qualified for and raced the Ironman World Championships in 2005, but really prefers sprints and Olympic distance races because he can still walk and talk after. He coaches both long and short course age group triathletes and co-owns One Step Beyond Multisport with his wife, Brianne. You can find out more at www.osbmultisport.com.
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