Getting Ready For Your Race

nrgpt logo1We would like to thank Nigel Gray for providing us with this basic training program. Please read this page in its entirety and remember this is a basic guide. If you want to develop a more comprehensive program you might want to consider contacting one of the coaches on our Coaches web page or NRG Performace Training directly.

Beginner Triathlete Training Program

GETTING STARTED

There are a few things you need to consider when getting started a training program. First off is to go to your doctor and get a check up to make sure you are safe to start training. After this you will then need a few key pieces of equipment:

SWIM

  • Pool, you will need access to a pool or some open water, there are lots of pools available, look for one that is close to home, in your price range and has lane swimming at appropriate times for your schedule
  • Goggles, a pair that fits your face, doesn’t leak and doesn’t fog up are the keys
  • Bathing suit
  • Possibly a wetsuit for swimming in open water, if you don’t want to purchase one you can rent these from a local shop or use an old windsurfing/ diving one

BIKE

  • In the beginning any properly operating bike will do, mountain bike, hybrid whatever you have access to. The keys are that you get it checked at the local bike shop to make sure its working properly and its safe and that you have a decent position on it to help prevent injury
  • Helmet, it needs to fit properly and you need to wear it!
  • Sunglasses, helps to keep grit out of your eyes and allows you to see the road better
  • Bike shorts, helps make the ride more comfortable!
  • Sunscreen
  • In the beginning riding in your running shoes is fine, but upgrading to bike shoes and clip less pedals will make your riding more efficient

RUN

  • Proper running shoes, go to a good running store and have your running gait assessed and get the most appropriate shoes for you, this can greatly reduce the risk of injury
  • Running clothing
  • Sunscreen

THE PLAN

This program is geared towards a beginner triathlete looking to complete a sprint distance triathlon. To know if you are ready to start the program you should be able to complete the first week of training, if this is too much you should spend more time focusing on the areas that are challenging for you.

For the run section of the program, athletes who are new to running should be doing a run/walk. Start with 1min of running and 1min of running and each week add another minute of running while maintaining the 1min of walking.

INTENSITY

The bulk of your training should be done at a comfortable intensity level, you can use certain cues to help determine this. If you are able to comfortably hold a conversation then you are working at an appropriate intensity level, if you are breathing so deeply that you can’t talk you are likely going too hard, this intensity will be ok for short periods (ie hills) but not for the whole workout.

SWIMMING

Swimming is the most technique oriented of the 3 sports and it can be very worth while to have a coach look at your swim stroke to help give you some quick pointers that can make a big difference right from the start. Otherwise the main goals in the beginning are to be comfortable in the water and build your endurance

The swim distances set out in the plan can be broken down into smaller chunks so a 200m swim can be broken down into 4x50m with a short (5-15sec) rest after each 50, in the beginning this will allow you to recover and focus on your technique a bit more. Slowly work up so that you can swim the whole distance as set out in the plan without stopping. What you are aiming for here is to be able to swim the distance comfortably, so don’t fight the water, you are looking for a balanced efficient stroke that doesn’t waste energy.

Open water swimming, this is quite different than swimming in a pool and needs to be practice prior to your race. No longer having the black line to follow and a pool deck to grab on to, can be quite intimidating for many athletes. When swimming open water you should always swim with a buddy as well as wearing a bright swim cap so that you are visible to others. Learning to sight and swim straight are 2 keys to work on while swimming in the open water, use landmarks (ie house, tower, tree) as markers to determine how straight you are going. This is where a wetsuit is very useful, not only will it keep you warm but it provides a great deal of flotation that will make you faster and feel safer. Just make sure to put your wetsuit on properly it needs to be pulled on as high as it can go so that it doesn’t restrict your shoulders. Ideally your weekend brick workout starting in the 7th week will have an open water swim to start.

CYCLING

The goal of the program is to gradually build the time (and distance) you are able to complete comfortably. The route you choose to ride will help to dictate the intensity of your ride, so choose a route with some hills but not so long or so steep that they leave you struggling to get to the top. Focus on your cadence while riding (a cycling computer can be handy for this) and change your gears to try and keep your cadence between 80-100 with 90+ being preferable, this will help make your run off the bike feel better.

For each make sure that you warm up and warm down, so the first 15min and last 5min should be nice and easy and your breathing should be very light

RUNNING

The goal of the program run is to build your endurance on the run and to gradually build the time and distance you are able to run comfortably. Again those who are new to running should start with 1min of walking and 1min of running, and each week add another minute of running while maintaining the walking breaks.

Your runs should be kept to a comfortable effort level, you should be breathing somewhat deeply but be able to maintain a conversation. As with the bike the intensity of you runs is influenced by your selection of route, so the more hills the more intense the run maybe, so in the beginning choose flatter routes and add more hills as you progress. Again make sure that you warm up and warm down, so the first 5-10min and last 5min should be nice and easy and your breathing should be very light.

BRICKS

A brick refers to a workout that has a bike followed by a run and was coined due to how in the beginning your legs feel like “bricks” when you run off the bike. The goal of this type of workout is to prevent that brick feeling in your legs on race day!

You can also have a swim/bike brick, and this is good practice as well, even though its not quite as tough as the run off the bike, changing from a horizontal, arm focused sport to a vertical leg oriented one does take some practice, and the more you practice the better it will feel come race day.

Bricks are also an opportunity to practice your transitions. You need to be organized ahead of time and know what needs to come off (like wetsuit, goggles, swim cap) and what goes on (helmet, bike shoes, bike shorts) for each transition, this will also help to make race day much smoother. One of the big keys is making sure you don’t start off too quick in the next sport, many athletes get very excited getting out of the water or getting off the bike and they rush through transition and go sprinting down the road, only to have this catch up to them very quickly. You should be smooth and efficient through transitions and start the next leg at a controlled comfortable effort level.

CONCLUSION

The goal of this program is to give you some idea of some of the things you need to think about when it comes to getting started in triathlon and a basic training plan to give you some ideas on what type of training you need to do to be ready for the big day. Finding good training partners can help to make your training a lot of fun, or working with a coach can really help you to avoid a lot of the common pitfalls that occur when you are getting started and help answer all of the questions that you will have.

Here is a typical Beginner 10 Week Training Program

Week Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7
1 Swim
200m
Bike
30 min
Run
20 min
Day Off Bike
40 min
Run
15 min
Day Off
2 Swim 300M Bike
40 min
Run
30 min
Day Off Swim
200m
Run
50 min
Run
20 min
Day Off
3 Swim
400m
Bike
40 min
Run
40 min
Day Off Swim
300m
Run
60 min
Run
25 min
Day Off
4
(Recovery Week)
Swim
200m
Bike
30 min
Run
20 min
Day Off Swim
200m
Run
40 min
Run
15 min
Day Off
5 Swim
500m
BRICK
40 min bike/15 min run
Run
30 min
Swim
400m
Run
25 min
Day Off Bike
70 min
Run
45 min
6 Swim
600m
BRICK
40 min bike/20 min run
Run
30 min
Swim
400m
Run
30 min
Day Off Bike
80 min
Run
55 min
7
(Recovery Week)
Day Off Run
20 min
Run
30 min
Swim
200m
Day Off Swim
300m
Run
40 min
Run
30 min
8 Swim
700m
BRICK
40 min bike/20 min run
Run
30 min
Swim
500m
Run
30 min
Day Off Swim
500m
Run
80 min
Run
60 min
9 Swim
800m
BRICK
40 min bike/20 min run
Run
30 min
Swim
600m
Run
35 min
Day Off Swim
700m
Run
90 min
Run
70 min
10
(Race Week)
Swim
800m
BRICK
20 min bike/10 min run
Day Off Bike
20 min
Day Off Bike
20 mim
Run
10 min
RACE DAY!

Good Luck!

Nigel Gray is the Head Coach of NRG Performance Training. Nigel has been racing professionally for the last 14 years and coaching for the last 9. He has helped athletes from beginners to top 10 Ironman Pro’s achieve their goals. For more information or to contact NRG Performance Training please visit their website.

We hope you found this information helpful. Good luck and have a great time!

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