Last year was my first year in triathlon. Beginning in March I vigorously trained for the San Diego International triathlon – “SDIT” (1,000 m swim, 30k bike, 10k run). I did four sprint races leading up to the SDIT, but I did not have a real training schedule. I just sort of did whatever I could as much as I could. My time was 2:14 and some change. Later in the year I did the SOMA Quarterman triathlon, in Tempe, AZ (1,500 m swim, 33 mi. bike, 6.5 mi run). I had a training schedule, but didn’t do a very good job of following it. It got really hot on the run, and I bonked big time. I was simply not ready. Needless to say the 3:05 time was disappointing. That was then, this is now. The wise man learns from his mistakes, and that is what I intend to do.
To begin this year I am doing a lot of strength training using P90X and P90X+ and a lot of yoga. I want to have a good strength base going into this year. Beginning in March I am going to start a 14 week program to prepare for the SDIT. I have attached two schedules below. The first is a very generic 14 week training plan for an Olympic distance race (1,500 m swim, 40k bike, 10k run). The swim is my strongest leg of the race, and the schedule reflects that. I want to get better at the other two, but I really love the solitude of swimming (no iPod, no interruptions, just go). The second plan is my customized training plan. My customized plan does two things: (1) focuses on the run, which is my weak point; and (2) includes a variety of races. There are running races, swimming races and a sprint triathlons built into the plan. Hopefully, I can find a 10k or two to mix into the plan as well. There is no way to simulate race day conditions and racing is the fun part!
Generic 14 week Olympic Distance Triathlon training plan.
SDIT 14-week-triathlon-training-plan
If you are interested in doing an Olympic or International distance race, I encourage you to check out the 14 week plan and tweak it to meet your needs. It is designed for the Olympic distance race, which is a bit longer, but will work for either. Find some local races and mix them into the plan. I’ve attached my schedule as an example of how to do that. The 14 week plan also incorporates more strength training than I intend to do. Most of my strength training will come from yoga. I did not stretch much last year, and after SOMA I was a mess. I did not get injured, but I had lost a great deal of flexbility. Swimming and cycling make the shoulders very tight. Cycling and running make the hips very tight. Stretching can combat some of that.
The other aspect of racing that I did not excel at last year was nutrition. My nutrition was not bad, but it was not focused. That is going to be different this year. Nutrition is a topic we will discuss regularly in the blog section of The Fit Club Network.
The SDIT was a lot of fun this year. My goal for SDIT was about 2:10. I did the race in 2:14 last year in almost perfect conditions. It was overcast and cool. Once I saw how windy it was and that the sun was likely to come out early, I knew that was going to be tough. The wind did kick up on the bike and the sun came out right as I was leaving T2. My time was 2:08:44. Had I not suffered some cramps on the first 2 miles of the run I would have had a shot at 2:05, which would have been great. There’s always next year right!
Up next is Insanity starting August 1st. See www.thefitclubnetwork.com/insanity if you want to get on board with that adventure. It is going to be hard, but should be a lot of fun!
