Overview
Welcome to Week 3!
(12 weeks to go)
This is the last week of the New Habits Phase. We will continue to work on swim skills and introduce some new drills and focus areas for running. We will again maintain the same number of hours of training and number of training sessions.
Topics & To-Dos
- Running–Neuro Speed: Similar to last week’s bike focus, we now introduce the concept of neuro-speed for the run: learning to move the body fast with minimal effort. We will do drills called strides (also called accelerations) which are short 20-30 second long accelerations from an easy running speed to almost top speed (8 out of 10 effort) while maintaining excellent form.
- Swim Skill–Catch: This week’s swim focus area is the catch, the phase after putting your hand in the water and before pulling back. This phase is critical for setting your hand in the correct position to “grab” as much water when pulling back.
The technique: After your arm enters the water, bend the wrist to point the fingers straight down to the bottom of the pool, so that the large surface of your palm is facing backward. With this action you can be ready to “grab” the most amount of water to pull back and propel forward.
- Bike condition: Are your bike, helmet, and shoes in solid mechanical condition and do they fit you well? If not, schedule an tune up (or do repairs/upgrades yourself). Replace anything worn (and likely to leave you stranded on the road side).
- Run shoes condition: Are your shoes in good condition? When will they need to be replaced? Does the shoe design match both your foot shape and your type of running stride? While online shopping is convenient, buying running shoes is one area where I strongly recommend getting an assessment and fitting by a running specialty shop.
Even if you have a favorite brand and model, shoe companies change their designs and platforms often–a local shop can save you both money and a potential injury.
Total Hours: 4h:55m
Swim: 1:00
Bike: 1:35
Run: 1:10
Strength: 1:10
MONDAY
Run 0:30
Endurance
- Warm up: 10 minutes starting in Zone 1, then into Zone 2
- Main: 20 minutes Zone 2
Strength 0:35
- Whole body: 6-8 exercises, 2 sets each. See the Strength section in the Training Plan Overview for options
TUESDAY
Bike 0:45
Endurance
- Warm up: 15 minutes starting in Zone 1, then into Zone 2
- Main: 25 minutes steady Zone 2
- Cool down: 5 minutes easy
WEDNESDAY
Swim 900m, about 0:30
- Warm up: 3 x 50, Zone 1-2
- Main:
- 6 x 50, Zone 2, rest 15-30 seconds between each. Focus on your catch
- 1 x 100, swim easy
- 6 x 50, Zone 2, rest 15-30 seconds between each. Focus on your catch
- Cool down: 1 x 50, relax Zone 1
THURSDAY
Run 0:40
Endurance
- Warm up: 10 minutes starting in Zone 1, then into Zone 2
- Main:
- 30 minutes Zone 2 with 20 second strides, one every 5 minutes
- Start each stride at Zone 2 effort then continuously accelerate to an effort about 8 out 10 over 10 seconds then hold it the final 10 seconds, keeping great form. Return to easy effort in between
Strength 0:35
- Whole body: 6-8 exercises, 2 sets each. See the Strength section in the Training Plan Overview for options
FRIDAY
Swim 900m,
about 0:30
Endurance, longer sets
- Warm up: 2 x 50, Zone 1-2
- Main:
- 1 x 200 focus on hips and leg position as we did last week, Zone 2
- 1 x 300, focus on the catch as we did earlier in the week, Zone 2
- 1 x 200, try to focus on both body position and catch, Zone 2
- 1 x 50 fast!
- Cool down: 1 x 50, relax Zone 1
SATURDAY
Bike 0:50
Endurance
- Warm up: 10 minutes starting in Zone 1, then into Zone 2
- Main:
- 5 x 1 minute as: 20 sec. hard, fast with good form, 40 sec. easy recovery
- 30 minutes Zone 2. Try to keep steady pedaling with minimal coasting
- Cool down: 5 minutes easy pedaling
Training Zones
Use this chart as a guide for how hard to work in each training session. This plan uses Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) or “feels like” to judge effort.
For those who want to train with heart race for the run and and heart rate and/or power on the bike, download an extended template here.