Note: This guide is a supplement to the Olympic distance training plan offered on the Training Peaks platform.
Whether you’re a complete novice to triathlon or an experienced athlete coming back from a layoff, this plan will get you ready to comfortably finish an Olympic distance triathlon and become a Better Animal.
We will guide you to steadily build fitness as well as cover equipment, logistics, and nutrition needed to complete the distance of: 1.5km Swim, 40km Bike, and 10km Run.
GROWL. SWEAT. EVOLVE.™
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While the physical training for a triathlon is the biggest component of your preparation, there are many other elements to incorporate into your plan such as daily and race-specific nutrition, lifestyle, mindset, logistics, equipment, environment, and your support system.
Throughout the 14 weeks, we will incorporate these key components with the training to help you prepare as best possible for your race.
While this plan lists specific daily work to do, it will almost certainly not work for you exactly as written.
We all have specific strengths, weaknesses, starting fitness, available hours, and life restrictions. You will also have your own unique unexpected life interruptions that come along the way. Use this plan as a rough guide towards your preparation and adapt it as you need.
Within any training week, the sessions can be moved around to fit your schedule. Recommendation: if/when you miss training, don’t be tempted to to load up the next days with the missed sessions–just let them go and continue the plan.
There’s plenty of buffer built into the overall plan so that even with some missed some sessions, you will still be ready for race day.
If you need a highly customized plan, I encourage you to find a local coach who can tailor your preparation to fit you.
Below are are some times and distances we will cover in the first week. Assess yourself to see if you can: 1) Do the minimums and 2) Have the overall endurance and time to complete 6 days of training during the course of the week.
Recommended minimum capabilities to start:
There are a couple options if your current fitness is less than times/distances/days above. One option is to just start the program and complete as much of each session as you can and allow your fitness to build. This is most feasible if there is only 1 of the 3 disciplines needed to get to the minimums. The sessions in first 3 weeks of the plan are the same length from one week to the next to allow you to adapt to the training before trying to increase time and distance.
A second option is to give yourself additional weeks or months ahead of the start of the program to build up to the minimums.
This Training Peaks plan is designed to be as simple as possible to follow using minimal equipment and technology. The workouts are all specified prescribed using a range of 5 zones, from Zone 1 very easy to Zone 5 very hard. These zones are also mapped to both a description and a commonly used scale called the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) which rates effort from 1 to 10.
While you can train and execute a great race by just basing your efforts on how hard the work feels, we have also included heart rate ranges for the bike and run. These ranges also fall into Zones 1 to 5.
This PDF template gives you mapping of heart rate for the run and heart rate and power on the bike.
(Note: heart rate zones are based on knowing your Lactate Threshold heart rate, and power on the bike requires knowing your FTP)
Heart rate zones for the bike and run are based on a percentage of your Lactate Threshold (LT) heart rate–this is the approximate HR that you could sustain in an all-out 1 hour effort.
To determine your LT heart rate, follow the 30 minute test protocol below, and then plug the values into Training Peaks settings and/or the canvas above. Note that your bike and run LT values are different and you will need to do a separate test for each.
I include strength training twice a week in this plan, but it is a general strength plan and not a triathlon-focused plan. There are a couple reasons for this approach:
I prescribe 6-8 exercises (examples below) and 1-3 sets of each, depending on the week. Do an internet search for any exercises you are not familiar with–YouTube is great for this.
There is no periodization planned–if you haven’t been regularly strength training, you can easily make progress on the same plan over 14 weeks (and longer) without having to “mix it up.” If you have your own favorite program, feel free to substitute or add additional exercises to this plan.
These templates can help you prepare and execute your plan.
Tip: If you have an iPad and pencil, you can import these canvases into Good Notes/Notability and write directly on them.
Capture important event dates & times as well as your own logistics, training, and nutrition in the days leading up to your race.
Map out your pacing, expected times, nutrition, mindset, and other race day notes.
Time to celebrate?! Let me know if you crossed the finish line and how your day and prep went!
scott.herrick@abetteranimal.com and/or tag me on Instagram @abetteranimal.
More about me: See my profile here
