Training Guide Part 2

BEGINNER TRIATHLON TRAINING PLAN

Below, you will find one take on a suggested six month training plan for the beginner triathlete or a more experienced triathlete who would like to try a more structured approach to their training. Future instalments will provide plans for more experienced racers. In crafting this plan we have assumed a number of things:

1. You already know how to swim, how to bike and how to run.

2. You own, or have access to, the necessary equipment to do the workouts

3. You have already consulted a medical professional who has assessed you as being capable of safely undertaking an endurance training program.

4. You have six months to prepare for your first serious race.

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

1. A bicycle (it doesn't matter what type) and a suitable training stand capable of supporting you and your bike during the workouts. Most suitable trainers allow you to adjust the resistance provided to your pedal stroke.  

For more info see:  https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2017/10/annual-trainer-recommendations.html  or  https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topics/biking/best-bike-trainer

2. A watch suitable for timing your sessions and intervals.  You do not need to spend much money for something suitable.

3. At least one pair of quality running shoes. Two pairs are better for two reasons: it gives one pair a chance to dry out if your last workout was wet/slushy/very sweaty and; if each pair is from a different manufacturer, you may reduce the incidence of injury because no shoe is perfect for every runner and repeated running in one pair of shoes with a quirk may predispose you to an overuse injury. If you already have a brand and model of shoe that you know you can safely run in, then go ahead with that.

NICE-TO-HAVE EQUIPMENT

1. A GPS-enabled sports watch.  For recommendations see: https://the5krunner.com/2016/02/16/best-triathlon-watch/  or  https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2017/11/winter-technology-recommendations.html

2. A big, powerful pedestal fan to keep you cool during bike trainer workouts.

3. Heart Rate Monitor – This is often a low cost add-on when you buy a GPS watch.

4. A computer with internet access to log your workouts on Strava, Garmin Connect or other platform.

 EQUIPMENT FOR ADVANCED USERS

1.Bicycle Power Meter. This device measures the actual power you are putting out on your bike. It allows the user to know instantaneously whether they are hitting their intensity targets at any time during workouts and allows training software to track workouts and progress much better. See above sources for recommendations.

2. Running Power Meter. This device does for running what the bike power meter does for cycling. Not quite so common, and not universally accepted as being useful.

3. Smart Bike Trainer. Computer controlled bike trainers let you train and race against others on the Internet and ride virtual courses around the world.

DURATION AND INTENSITY

Throughout the training plans below you will encounter recommendations for duration and intensity of workouts. There are a number of ways to gauge your level of effort or intensity, some using your own perceptions and some using the electronics inherent in some of the equipment above. The three main measures of intensity are:

1. Rate of Perceived Exertion - This, while being completely reliant on the athlete's perception of their effort, has been found to be surprisingly accurate.

2. Heart Rate – Heart rate is a direct measure of the athlete's body's response to work. It's main shortcomings are the time lag inherent in the body's response to changing workloads and cardiac drift associated with hydration status and core body temperature. Heart rate was the gold standard for most athletes until direct power measurement came along.

3. Power – Power is measured in “watts” and gives almost instantaneous feedback to the athlete concerning how hard they are working.  Common among serious racers, not so common among others, bicycle power meterS are becoming more reasonably priced for us mere mortals.

Intensity levels will be provided for all the workouts in the training plan. For a more detailed explanation of these levels see:

https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/power-training-levels/

SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR USING THE TRAINING PLAN

1. Try to do all the workouts in the plan. Try to leave at least two days between workouts within a single discipline. For example, you could do swim workouts on Sundays and Wednesdays, bike workouts on Tuesdays and Fridays, and runs on Mondays and Thursdays. It is not necessary to stick rigidly to doing all your same-discipline workouts on the same days each week but having a routine will make the plan easier to follow in your busy life.

2. Don't run on consecutive days. Research has shown that the probability of suffering a running injury increases proportionally with the number of consecutive days running. Give your joints and tissues some chance to recover between runs.

3. Always take at least one day of rest per week, preferably two. Six workouts per week (2 workouts times three disciplines = 6 workouts) means that, if your life schedule dictates, you may have to do more than one workout on some days. These can be separated by some recovery time during the day, or can be completed as a “brick” workout, with one discipline followed immediately by another. For example completing an indoor bike trainer workout immediately before an outdoors run gets your joints and muscles warmed up and may help protect you from some running injuries.

4. If you are going to stretch, do so AFTER the workout. Stretching is NOT an essential part of a healthy athlete's regime. Research has shown that unnecessary stretching does not help prevent injuries and may in fact contribute to them. However stretching may be an important part of prehab or rehab to address functional flexibility or imbalance issues. Consult your Physiotherapist.

5. Log your workouts and record your observations about your physical and mental well-being each day. This can help identify causes of injury, over-training, advances or plateaus in fitness, etc. Logging can be done in a paper logbook, but many athletes currently use Strava, Garmin Connect or other software to do their logging. There are lots of free apps available.

6. If you are already strong in one or more of the disciplines, feel free to follow your own program for that sport, as this plan may be too easy for an experienced single-discipline athlete. If you have the option to participate in a Masters-style swim program, use those workouts to partially or completely replace the swim workouts provided here.

HOW THE PLAN WORKS

The plan follows a “progressive overload” model and is “periodized”. That means that as time goes on workouts get longer, taking advantage of your advancing fitness and providing stimulus for your systems to continue getting stronger. It also means that the intensity of some workouts increases the closer you are to race time. Doing high intensity workouts too early in your schedule can lead to overuse and other injuries.

The workout schedule is broken down into 4-week chunks called mesocycles. We will do three “Base” mesocycles, followed by two “Build” mesocycles, and finish with one “Peak” mesocycle to sharpen you for competition. During the first three weeks of a mesocycle, the duration of workouts increases, while during the fourth week we back off to consolidate our gains and allow our bodies to recover before again increasing duration in the next mesocycle.  In this plan we do 3 mesocycles dedicated to building your “Base” fitness, followed by 2 mesocycles of  “Build” where we start doing some higher intensity work, and finally a “Peak” mesocycle where we get you primed for your racing season.

You will find some acronyms in the plan. WU means “warmup”; MS means “main set” and; CD means “cooldown”. Always do the warmup and cooldown unless the workout is all to be done at an easy pace. RI means “rest interval” and is performed at a very easy pace. There is also TP which stands for “test pace”. Your test pace is the fastest pace you can maintain for a duration of 20 minutes. If you have a current 5k or 10k running race pace, use that for running. For biking, do a 30 minute test ride on your trainer as hard as you can maintain for that time period. Your average pace, speed, or heart rate for the last 20 minutes of that test is your Test Pace. For swimming, use a pace you can maintain for a 400 metre time trial. These Test Paces are not going to be important until we start the “Build” Phase of the plan.

Please note, there are other terms for Test Pace such as Lactate Threshold Heart Rate and Functional Threshold Power. These intensity levels are generally the maximum intensity that an appropriately-trained athlete can maintain for one hour. These are not full-out, crash and burn intensities, but even for 20 minutes they require a great deal of mental toughness and focus to complete successfully. When you are finished, you are very glad they are over. Consequently, given the dangers of riding a bicycle on the road even at the best of times, it is strongly recommended that bike tests and interval workouts that require this level of effort be performed on a trainer, preferably in front of a strong fan.

THE PLAN

MESOCYCLE 1 – BASE (all workouts from week 1-9 are done at Levels 1 to 2)
Week 1


Swim 1 – 15 minutes easy non-stop if you can.

Swim 2 – 15 minutes easy non-stop if you can.

Bike 1 – 20 minutes easy nonstop.

Bike 2 – 20 minutes easy nonstop.

Run 1 – 20 minutes easy non-stop if you can.

Run 2 – 20 minutes easy non-stop if you can.


Week 2

Swim 1 – 18 minutes easy non-stop if you can.

Swim 2 – 18 minutes easy non-stop if you can.

Bike 1 – 24 minutes easy nonstop.

Bike 2 – 24 minutes easy nonstop.

Run 1 – 24 minutes easy non-stop if you can.

Run 2 – 24 minutes easy non-stop if you can.


Week 3


Swim 1 – 21 minutes easy non-stop if you can.

Swim 2 – 21 minutes easy non-stop if you can.

Bike 1 – 28 minutes easy nonstop.

Bike 2 – 28 minutes easy nonstop.

Run 1 – 28 minutes easy non-stop if you can.

Run 2 – 28 minutes easy non-stop if you can.


Week 4


Swim 1 – 15 minutes easy non-stop.

Swim 2 – 15 minutes easy non-stop.

Bike 1 – 20 minutes easy nonstop.

Bike 2 – 20 minutes easy nonstop.

Run 1 – 20 minutes easy non-stop.

Run 2 – 20 minutes easy non-stop.


MESOCYCLE 2 – BASE
Week 5


Swim 1 – 18 minutes easy non-stop.


Swim 2 – 18 minutes easy non-stop.


Bike 1 – 24 minutes easy nonstop.


Bike 2 – 24 minutes easy nonstop.


Run 1 – 24 minutes easy non-stop.


Run 2 – 24 minutes easy non-stop.




Week 6


Swim 1 – 21 minutes easy non-stop.


Swim 2 – 21 minutes easy non-stop.


Bike 1 – 28 minutes easy nonstop.


Bike 2 – 28 minutes easy nonstop.


Run 1 – 28 minutes easy non-stop.


Run 2 – 28 minutes easy non-stop.




Week 7


Swim 1 – 24 minutes easy non-stop.


Swim 2 – 24 minutes easy non-stop.


Bike 1 – 32 minutes easy nonstop.


Bike 2 – 32 minutes easy nonstop.


Run 1 – 32 minutes easy non-stop.


Run 2 – 32 minutes easy non-stop.




Week 8


Swim 1 – 18 minutes easy non-stop.


Swim 2 – 18 minutes easy non-stop.


Bike 1 – 24 minutes easy nonstop.


Bike 2 – 24 minutes easy nonstop.


Run 1 – 24 minutes easy non-stop.


Run 2 – 24 minutes easy non-stop.
MESOCYCLE 3 – BASE
Week 9


Swim 1 – 21 minutes easy non-stop.


Swim 2 – 21 minutes easy non-stop.


Bike 1 – 28 minutes easy nonstop.


Bike 2 – 28 minutes easy nonstop.


Run 1 – 28 minutes easy non-stop.


Run 2 – 28 minutes easy non-stop.




Week 10


Swim 1 – 24 minutes easy non-stop.


Swim 2 – 24 minutes easy non-stop.


Bike 1 – 33 minutes easy nonstop. After the first 10 minutes, pick up the pace 3 times for 1 minute each with 2 minutes easy between, then finish the workout easy. Pickups should be at an intensity of 3-4 out of 10.


Bike 2 – 33 minutes easy nonstop. After the first 10 minutes, pick up the pace 3 times for 1 minute each with 2 minutes easy between, then finish the workout easy. Pickups should be at an intensity of 3-4 out of 10, or Level 3.


Run 1 – 32 minutes easy non-stop. After the first 10 minutes, pick up the pace 3 times for 1 minute each with 2 minutes easy between, then finish the workout easy. Pickups should be at an intensity of 3-4 out of 10, or Level 3


Run 2 – 32 minutes easy non-stop. After the first 10 minutes, pick up the pace 3 times for 1 minute each with 2 minutes easy between, then finish the workout easy. Pickups should be at an intensity of 3-4 out of 10, or Level 3.




Week 11


Swim 1 – 27 minutes easy non-stop.


Swim 2 – 27 minutes easy non-stop.


Bike 1 – 37 minutes easy nonstop. After the first 10 minutes, pick up the pace 3 times for 2 minutes each with 2 minutes easy between, then finish the workout easy. Pickups should be at Level 3.


Bike 2 – 37 minutes easy nonstop. After the first 10 minutes, pick up the pace 3 times for 2 minutes each with 2 minutes easy between, then finish the workout easy. Pickups should be at Level 3.


Run 1 – 36 minutes easy non-stop. After the first 10 minutes, pick up the pace 3 times for 2 minutes each with 2 minutes easy between, then finish the workout easy. Pickups should be at Level 3.


Run 2 – 36 minutes easy non-stop. After the first 10 minutes, pick up the pace 3 times for 2 minutes each with 2 minutes easy between, then finish the workout easy. Pickups should be at Level 3 .




Week 12


Swim 1 – 30 minutes easy non-stop.


Swim 2 – 30 minutes easy non-stop.


Bike 1 – 45 minutes easy nonstop. After the first 10 minutes, pick up the pace 3 times for 3 minutes each with 2 minutes easy between, then finish the workout easy. Pickups should be at Level 3.


Bike 2 – 45 minutes easy nonstop. After the first 10 minutes, pick up the pace 3 times for 3 minutes each with 2 minutes easy between, then finish the workout easy. Pickups should be at Level 3.


Run 1 – 40 minutes easy non-stop. After the first 10 minutes, pick up the pace 3 times for 3 minutes each with 2 minutes easy between, then finish the workout easy. Pickups should be at Level 3.


Run 2 – 40 minutes easy non-stop. After the first 10 minutes, pick up the pace 3 times for 3 minutes each with 2 minutes easy between, then finish the workout easy. Pickups should be at Level 3.




MESOCYCLE 4 – BUILD






Week 13 – Test Week



Swim 1 - 30 minutes
WU- 5 to 10 minutes easy swim
MS- Swim 15 minutes at the fastest pace you can maintain for the set. Count the laps and note the exact time.
CD- 5 minutes easy swim


Swim 2 - 20 minutes
Swim easy, taking breaks as needed.






Bike 1 - 45 minutes
Ride easy, effort level of 2 out of 10.


Bike 2 - Test: 45 minutes
WU- Ride 10 minutes easy
MS- Ride 30 minutes maximum pace you can maintain for the set. Note the average heart rate, average speed, or the gear you were in, for the last 20 minutes.
CD- Ride 5 minutes easy







Run 1 - 45 minutes
WU- 10 minutes easy walk/jog
MS- Run 30 minutes at the fastest pace you can maintain for the full 30 minutes.
CD- 5 minutes easy walk/jog


Run 2 - 30 minutes
Run/walk easy (conversational), taking breaks as needed.






You've now completed your first test. Congratulations!





To determine your Swim Test Pace:


Take the number of lengths you swam in the test, multiply that by the length of the pool in metres, divide that number by 100, then divide the last number into 15 (or the actual number of minutes you actually swam). For example, if you swam 20 lengths in 15 minutes, multiply that by 25 metres (assuming the length of the pool is 25 metres), to give you a total distance of 500 metres. Divide 500 by 100 metres (the standard distance we use when determining pace while swimming) to get 5. Divide 5 into 15 minutes and you get a pace of 3 minutes per 100 metres.






To determine your Bike Test Pace, you can use a number of measures:


1. If you have a heart rate monitor, average your heart rate for the last 20 minutes of the test and that is your target heart rate for the intervals.


2. If you have a speedometer on your bike, use your average speed for the entire 30 minute test. Note, you must be sure to set the resistance setting of the trainer to the same level as you used for the test whenever you do Test Pace intervals.


3. If you have neither a heart rate monitor nor a speedometer, take note of the gear you were in for the last 20 minutes of the test and that will be the gear you should use for Test Pace intervals. Note, you must be sure to set the resistance setting of the trainer to the same level as you used for the test whenever you do Test Pace intervals.


4. If all else fails, simply use a resistance setting that will allow you to complete the interval, but be glad when it's over. Effort should be a 4 or 5 out of 10. (10 being the absolute maximum effort you can put out for a very short time.)






To determine your Run Test Pace:


1. Use a recent 5k or 10k race pace or average heart rate.


2. Use a pace that makes conversation quite difficult. This is a strenuous pace at an effort level of 4 or 5 out of 10.




Week 14 – From here until the end of the plan, TP is equivalent to an intensity of Level 4.

Swim 1 - 25 minutes
WU- 5 minutes easy swim
MS- 4 x 3 minutes TP (test pace), with 1 minute RI (recovery interval)
CD- 5 minutes easy swim


Swim 2 - 20 minutes
Swim easy, taking breaks as needed.



Bike 1 - 45 minutes
Ride easy/conversational, and use an easy gear with a high cadence.


Bike 2 - 1 hour
WU- 12 minutes easy
MS- 4 x 8 minutes TP (test pace), with 2 minutes RI (recovery interval)
CD- 10 minutes easy



Run 1 - 40 minutes
WU- 10 minutes easy walk/ jog
MS- 4 x 4 minutes TP (test pace), with 2 minutes RI (recovery interval)
CD- 8 minutes easy walk/ jog


Run 2 - 30 minutes
Run/walk easy (conversational), taking breaks as needed




Week 15


Swim 1 - 30 minutes
WU- 5 minutes easy swim
MS- 4 x 4 minutes TP (test pace), with 1 minute RI (recovery interval)
CD- 5 minutes easy swim


Swim 2 - 20 minutes
Swim easy, taking breaks as needed



Bike 1 - 45 minutes
Ride easy/conversational, and use an easy gear with a high cadence



Bike 2 - 1 hour
WU- 12 minutes easy
MS- 4 x 9 minutes TP (test pace), with 2 minutes RI (recovery interval). Then run 5 minutes gradually building to TP
CD- 10 minutes easy


Run 1 - 45 minutes
WU- 10 minutes easy walk/ jog
MS- 4 x 5 minutes TP (test pace), with 2 minutes RI (recovery interval)
CD- 9 minutes easy walk/ jog



Run 2 - 30 minutes
Run/walk easy (conversational), taking breaks as needed
Week 16 – Recovery Week


Swim 1 - 20 minutes
Swim easy, taking breaks as needed


Bike 1 - 45 minutes
Ride easy/conversational.


Run 1 - 30 minutes
Run/walk easy (conversational), taking breaks as needed




MESOCYCLE 5 – BUILD
Week 17 – Test Week






Swim 1 - 30 minutes
WU- 5 to 10 minutes easy swim
MS- Swim 15 minutes at the fastest pace you can maintain for the set. Count the laps.
CD- 5 minutes easy swim


Swim 2 - 20 minutes
Swim easy, taking breaks as needed.






Bike 1 - 45 minutes
Ride easy, effort level of 2 out of 10.


Bike 2 - Test: 45 minutes
WU- Ride 10 minutes easy
MS- Ride 30 minutes maximum pace you can maintain for the set. Note the average heart rate, average speed, or the gear you were in, for the last 20 minutes.
CD- Ride 5 minutes easy



Run 1 - 45 minutes
WU- 10 minutes easy walk/jog
MS- Run 30 minutes at the fastest pace you can maintain for the full 30 minutes.
CD- 5 minutes easy walk/jog


Run 2 - 30 minutes
Run/walk easy (conversational), taking breaks as needed.


You've now completed your second test! If your pace on any of the disciplines has improved, use the new Test Pace. If not, don't worry, it'll come.




Week 18

Swim 1 - 30 minutes
WU- 6 minutes easy swim
MS- 4 x 4 minutes TP (test pace), with 1 minute RI (recovery interval)
CD- 5 minutes easy swim


Swim 2 - 20 minutes
Swim easy, taking breaks as needed.



Bike 1 - 45 minutes
Ride easy/conversational, and use an easy gear with a high cadence.


Bike 2 - 1 hour
WU- 12 minutes easy
MS- 4 x 9 minutes TP (test pace), with 2 minutes RI (recovery interval)
CD- 10 minutes easy



Run 1 - 45 minutes
WU- 10 minutes easy walk/ jog
MS- 4 x 5 minutes TP (test pace), with 2 minutes RI (recovery interval)
CD- 9 minutes easy walk/ jog


Run 2 - 30 minutes
Run/walk easy (conversational), taking breaks as needed




Week 19


Swim 1 - 35 minutes
WU- 5 minutes easy swim
MS- 4 x 5 minutes TP (test pace), with 1 minute RI (recovery interval)
CD- 5 minutes easy swim


Swim 2 - 20 minutes
Swim easy, taking breaks as needed



Bike 1 - 45 minutes
Ride easy/conversational, and use an easy gear with a high cadence


Bike 2 - 1:05 hours
WU- 12 minutes easy
MS- 4 x 10 minutes TP (test pace), with 2 minutes RI (recovery interval). Then run 5 minutes gradually building to TP
CD- 10 minutes easy


Run 1 - 50 minutes
WU- 10 minutes easy walk/ jog
MS- 4 x 6 minutes TP (test pace), with 2 minutes RI (recovery interval)
CD- 10 minutes easy walk/ jog



Run 2 - 30 minutes
Run/walk easy (conversational), taking breaks as needed
Week 20 – Recovery Week


Swim 1 - 20 minutes
Swim easy, taking breaks as needed


Bike 1 - 45 minutes
Ride easy/conversational.


Run 1 - 30 minutes
Run/walk easy (conversational), taking breaks as needed










MESOCYCLE 6 - PEAK






Week 21 – Test Week



Swim 1 - 30 minutes
WU- 5 to 10 minutes easy swim
MS- Swim 15 minutes at the fastest pace you can maintain for the set. Count the laps.
CD- 5 minutes easy swim


Swim 2 - 20 minutes
Swim easy, taking breaks as needed.






Bike 1 - 45 minutes
Ride easy, effort level of 2 out of 10.


Bike 2 - Test: 45 minutes
WU- Ride 10 minutes easy
MS- Ride 30 minutes maximum pace you can maintain for the set. Note the average heart rate, average speed, or the gear you were in, for the last 20 minutes.
CD- Ride 5 minutes easy







Run 1 - 45 minutes
WU- 10 minutes easy walk/jog
MS- Run 30 minutes at the fastest pace you can maintain for the full 30 minutes.
CD- 5 minutes easy walk/jog


Run 2 - 30 minutes
Run/walk easy (conversational), taking breaks as needed.


You've now completed your third test! If your pace on any of the disciplines has improved, use the new Test Pace. You're already seeing improvements.
Week 22

Swim 1 - 35 minutes
WU- 5 minutes easy swim
MS- 4 x 5 minutes TP (test pace), with 1 minute RI (recovery interval)
CD- 5 minutes easy swim


Swim 2 - 20 minutes
Swim easy, taking breaks as needed.



Bike 1 - 45 minutes
Ride easy/conversational, and use an easy gear with a high cadence.


Bike 2: 1:05 hour
WU- 12 minutes easy
MS- 4 x 10 minutes TP (test pace), with 2 minutes RI (recovery interval). Then RUN 10 minutes, gradually building to goal race pace. This is a “brick” workout.
CD- 10 minutes easy



Run 1 - 50 minutes
WU- 10 minutes easy walk/ jog
MS- 4 x 6 minutes TP (test pace), with 2 minutes RI (recovery interval)
CD- 8 minutes easy walk/ jog


Run 2 - 30 minutes
Run/walk easy (conversational), taking breaks as needed




Week 23


Swim 1 - 25 minutes
WU- 5 minutes easy swim
MS- Swim 75% of goal race distance at goal race pace.
CD- 5 minutes easy swim


Swim 2 - 30 minutes
Swim easy, taking breaks as needed



Bike 1 - 45 minutes
Ride easy/conversational, and use an easy gear with a high cadence



Bike 2 - 45 minutes
WU- 5 minutes easy
MS- 75% of goal race distance at goal race pace alternating 10 minutes “on”:5 minutes easy.
CD- 10 minutes easy


Run 1 - 30 minutes
WU- 5 minutes easy walk/ jog
MS- 50% of goal race distance at goal race pace.
CD- 5 minutes easy walk/ jog



Run 2 - 30 minutes
Run/walk easy (conversational), taking breaks as needed
Week 24 – Race Week


Monday
Day off


Tuesday
Taper run: 20 minutes
Run 33% of goal race distance at goal race pace alternating run 4 minutes/ brisk walk 1 minute


Wednesday
Taper bike: 30 minutes
Ride 50% of goal race distance at goal race pace alternating 10 minutes ‘on’, 5 minutes ‘easy’


Thursday
Taper swim: 15 minutes
Swim 50% of goal race distance at goal race pace, taking breaks as needed
Note: Practice in wetsuit if you plan to wear one in the race. Use the swim venue if possible, otherwise it is OK to wear the wetsuit in the pool.


Friday
Day off


Saturday
Pre-race workout: 20 minutes
Bike 15 minutes progressing to race pace, then run 5 minutes progressing to race pace


Sunday
Race day: Arrive early, trust your training, have fun!

Note 1: If the end of this plan doesn't coincide with your race, simply repeat Week 22 until two weeks before the race then do Weeks 23 and 24.

Note 2: Some portions of this plan have been adapted from material published online at www.triathlete.com