training plan advice - new here :)
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Late arrival to the conversation but I will say that Beginner Triathlete has great plans of the free and paid variety. However, for both my Sprint and Olympic I just winged it. Worked for me as I was pretty busy and it was difficult to nail down what I might do from one day to the next. When I moved to long course I had to get a plan. Way to much can go wrong without some sort of plan and I am sure I would not have finished without it.
If you are already a runner and just want to test the waters I would just go in with a plan of practicing each discipline 3 times per week. Keeping it simple for now will probably lower stress and allow you flexibility to just do what you want on a given day. Rest 1 day between each to recover a bit and that's should get you from the starting line to the finish.
Monday: Off
Tues: Run + Swim (Brick)
Weds: Bike or Spin Class if inclement weather prevents riding outside
Thurs: Run + Swim (Brick)
Weds: Bike or Spin
Friday: Off
Sat: Bike + Run (Brick)
Sun: Swim
Use the weekends to find local groups to run or bike with.0 -
BT free plans are very helpful to get you started. They will give you minutes only, no specific directions. So if you just want to finish a race it will certainly help. Their free plans are very simple, they simply add 10% volume each week for 2 or 3 weeks then give you a rest week then restart the building process and cycle like that until you taper a week before the race. I found it very helpful and it did all the math for me. Do this: play around with the time and distances when you are setting up the "race" portion so that when it calculates your training plan the first week is easy for you to acheive. This may take several times to get it just right. Put in the number of workouts each week and presto you have an 18 week basic plan ready to go... now all you have to do is get your but to the gym each day and do it!!! Worked for me! Good Luck!0
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batlou: thanks for your weekly breakdown. I was wondering about your brick workouts. I noticed that you put running and swimming together. I read somewhere that that is a good combination, because the muscle group variation. But intuitively, I know that biking and running come after one another and you need to be prepared for that - like vtate mentions she always runs after biking. I guess what I am wondering if the order and coupling of the brick matters.
billydlyon: I hadn't thought about gaming their system to do the math for me. I like that idea a lot. Thanks!0 -
I did my first sprint tri last summer and did not use a plan. I'm doing it again next summer along with couple other tri's. I just mixed up my workouts everyday. One night a week I would swim 2 miles. Then I'd throw in a couple nights of step aerobics, spinning classes and strength classes. I'd always run from my condo to/from the gym, which was about a mile. Did that for about 3 months before the race. I felt pretty strong and ready. Good luck! Have fun! And don't be afraid to push it during all three events!
Oh one thing I would suggest. Go drive the course so you know what to expect. I didn't and wish I would have. I would have pushed it harder in the bike and run, but I was nervous I might still have a big hill coming up. I beat the personal time I set for myselft, but know I could have done better. Oh well...I'll kick that courses *kitten* this next summer
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Thanks Stephanie:
Yes checking out the course is definitely on my to do list. Probably sooner rather than later. There are a couple of hills on the course and I want to find similar slopes around here to practice on.
so many different factors are going into this (swimming with people, biking around other, wetsuits, really cold water, hills, racing in sport I never have done before) my brain is going to explode
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Many races make available an elevation profile for both the bike and run routes. Try and find those if you do not get out to see the course. That may be more beneficial because you can see the length of the hill and its elevation change.
I personally have never drove a course before hand but I always feel prepared for what's ahead.
Do what makes YOU comfortable and ready.0 -
hi there! I love BT.com!!!! I completed my first triathlon last June and I am just starting to get active on there again (ktbollman). I just joined a mentor group yesterday and my "time to get serious training" starts Jan 1 LOL! did the free 22-week sprint training plan they have on the website. The format did NOT work for me so I took the time and tweaked it and put it in calendar form in excel so I can easily see what I had to train for that day. Let me know if you want me to e-mail you It worked for me...when I stayed on track!
I'm going to send you a friend request on here 0 -
My hubby and I bought The Complete Idiot's Guide to Triathlon Training. It gave good guidelines, with a plan in the back. But, at this point, I kinda follow a compilation of plans that will work for me for each race (whether tri or only run or swim or bike). I think some plans call for much more than necessary to just get a "feel-good finish", which is my goal. The set plans are usually to get a great performance or be competitive. So, don't stress if you miss some steps! Do the best training you can and then GO FOR IT!0
