Week 1 Training and 12 Week Training Plan

Week 1 of training ended right on schedule.  I got in a swim, a run, a bike and a bike/run combo.  That's a bare minimum week, and I'll work my way up.  I could definitely feel it in my workouts that I had been out of the loop for a while. I also needed new running shoes desperately, so that cut my running a little short during the week, but I was able to get new shoes over the weekend and have a great bike/run "brick" and another great run tonight as part of Week 2 training.  I'm doing interval running for now- usually run 2 minutes, walk 1 minute.  I hope to increase that time as I go and spread out the running to longer intervals.  I hope that at a minimum I'm able to run the whole time during the last 2-3 triathlons of the season, but it would be super great if I could run all of them.  It's not that far to run, it's just that it's after two other workouts, and for me in particular, the running part involves a lot of me dealing with my mind telling me I can't.  Some of it is more mental than physical, and I hope to make strides in this area this year.


I like to throw in some variety on some of my "free" days, so the plan is to incorporate variety workouts at least 1-2 times per week.  I'm also going to be sure to include some weekly yoga and/or stretching to the mix on slower days.  Last year, I did the bare minimum of swim, run, bike and bike/run each week.  There weren't really many weeks where I did more than that.  I also ate like crap most of that time.  I was able to finish the triathlon, but because I didn't eat great, I didn't always feel great when I trained, and I think it kept me from progressing much.  That being said, the bare minimum with no real nutrition plan will be enough for you to complete a sprint triathlon, but it might not be pretty, or you might not feel your best.

Here is the plan I've mapped out for this time around.  It gradually builds up and incorporates some things other than swimming, biking or running on "off" days.  Some ideas for what to do on those days would include kickboxing class, Zumba, Yoga, Pilates, etc.  Also, I will probably consider adding some weight training 1-2 times per week.

	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Week 1	Swim	Rest	Run/Walk	Bike	Rest	Rest	Bike/Run "Brick"
Week 2	Swim	Rest	Run/Walk	Bike	Variety Workout	Rest	Bike/Run "Brick"
Week 3	Swim	Variety Workout	Run/Walk	Bike	Rest	Yoga or Stretching	Bike/Run "Brick"
Week 4	Swim	Rest	Run/Walk	Bike	Variety Workout	Rest	Bike/Run "Brick"
Week 5	Swim	Variety Workout	Run/Walk	Bike	Rest	Yoga or Stretching	Bike/Run "Brick"
Week 6	Swim	Variety Workout	Run/Walk	Bike	Variety Workout	Stretch	Bike/Run "Brick"
Week 7	Swim	Variety Workout	Run/Walk	Bike	Yoga or Stretching	Rest	Swim/Bike/Run
Week 8	Swim	Variety Workout	Run/Walk	Bike	Swim	Rest	Bike/Run "Brick"
Week 9	Swim	Variety Workout	Run/Walk	Bike	Swim	Rest	Bike/Run "Brick"
Week 10	Swim	Variety Workout	Run/Walk	Bike	Swim	Rest	Bike/Run "Brick"
Week 11	Swim	Variety Workout	Run/Walk	Bike	Swim	Rest	Bike/Run "Brick"
Week 12	Swim	Rest	Run/Walk	Bike	Yoga or Stretching	Rest	TRIATHLON!