Triathlon: Olympic Triathlon Race Plan, Beginner: 2.75 to 7.0 hrs/wk

Author: Gale Bernhardt

12 weeks - $64.95
Total Hours: 50
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While it's nice to make your triathlon debut at a sprint-distance event, it's not always convenient or possible. For example, a nearby town or city might host a great Olympic-distance race and the date of the event fits nicely into your busy calendar. Although the event sounds like a lot of fun you wonder, ""Do I have the time to train for that event? Can I really complete an Olympic-distance race or am I fooling myself?""

It doesn’t take as much time to train for an Olympic-distance event as you might think. With a solid training plan, you can successfully complete the event.

This 12-Week training plan is for beginning triathletes looking to comfortably complete their first Olympic distance event (0.9 miles of swimming, 24.8 miles of cycling and 6.2 miles of running.) The athlete using this program can currently swim 50 meters without stopping and ride an indoor or outdoor bike for 30 to 60 minutes. There are currently two options included within this plan for the running portion – a run description and a description for a combination of running and walking. Please refer to the Plan Preview to see more details. Notice that Week 1 of the training plan is 2:45 total training.

The largest week of training volume is approximately 7:00. This volume of training can easily fit into the busiest of schedules.

Originally appeared in the February through April 2002 issues of “Triathlete” magazine

  What do you get with a training plan?

Sample workouts:

Workout #1 : Other
Greetings
Hello and thank you for choosing one of my professionally designed training plans to help you reach your athletic goals. My plans are structured to build your overall fitness, endurance, muscular endurance (the ability to swim, ride or run at race pace) and economy (the oxygen consumption required for a given pace.) The plan is designed to help you along the training process so you can successfully cross the finish line and meet your goal. The training plans have been tried and tested by athletes around the world with high levels of success. I want you to be successful too. You can find free downloadable supporting documents in several locations, including the right side of my TrainingPeaks main page here: http://home.trainingpeaks.com/training-and-nutrition-plans/plan-author.aspx?c=ZL4MKR4J2IGLY&d=all I look forward to helping you reach your training and racing goals. Gale Bernhardt www.galebernhardt.com www.facebook.com/GaleBernhardtConsulting https://twitter.com/GaleBernhardt
Workout #2 : Bike

Planned Time: 0:30:00
Ride in the small chain ring at 90 rpm on a flat course, keeping heart rate in Zone 1. If you are unable to maintain 90 rpm, coast and rest until you can resume 90 rpm.
Workout #3 : Swim

Planned Time: 0:20:00
Swim the designated number of 50s or 75s in the Zones indicated. Zone 1 = Z1, Zones 1-2 = Z1-2, Zones 1-3 = Z1-3. Take rest intervals (RI) as indicated between each 50.
Workout #4 : Run

Planned Time: 0:15:00
This is a run/walk combination workout intended to help you return to fitness and minimize the risk of injury. Run for the number of minutes indicated, then walk for the number of minutes indicated - repeating this pattern for the assigned number of times assigned. Often a range of repeats is assigned. It is not a goal to always do the highest number. Keep the intensity at heart rate or RPE Zone 1.
Workout #5 : Swim

Planned Time: 0:20:00
Swim the designated number of 50s or 75s in the Zones indicated. Zone 1 = Z1, Zones 1-2 = Z1-2, Zones 1-3 = Z1-3. Take rest intervals (RI) as indicated between each 50.
Workout #6 : Day Off

Relax
Workout #7 : Bike

Planned Time: 1:00:00
This level is used for aerobic maintenance and endurance training. Heart rate should stay primarily in Zones 1 to 2. How much time is spent in each zone depends on how you feel that day. The goal of an E2 ride is not to see how much time you can spend in Zone 2. Ride on a rolling course if possible, with grades up to 4 percent. For reference, most highway off-ramps are 4-percent grade. Riding in a slightly larger gear can simulate a gentle hill, if there are no hills where you live. Remain in the saddle on the hills. If you ride with a group, inner discipline is necessary to let the group go if they want to hammer.
Workout #8 : Run

Planned Time: 0:20:00
This is a run/walk combination workout intended to help you return to fitness and minimize the risk of injury. Run for the number of minutes indicated, then walk for the number of minutes indicated - repeating this pattern for the assigned number of times assigned. Often a range of repeats is assigned. It is not a goal to always do the highest number. Keep the intensity at heart rate or RPE Zones 1-2.
Workout #9 : Bike

Planned Time: 0:45:00
Ride in the small chain ring at 90 rpm on a flat course, keeping heart rate in Zone 1. If you are unable to maintain 90 rpm, coast and rest until you can resume 90 rpm.