Thinking about doing a triathlon? Or maybe youโve already signed up for one? Youโve come to the right place, because sticking to a simple triathlon training plan will be the difference between having an enjoyable race and regretting ever signing up for a race.
As someone who has completed a few triathlons in their younger years, and with some expert advice from my good friend, former professional triathlete and current professional-level triathlon coach, Lachie Kerin, weโll take you through everything you need to know to get your training right.
No matter if youโre doing a short corporate triathlon with a few colleagues next summer, or you want to push yourself and become fitter in the pursuit of completing a triathlon, weโll cover all the basics that youโll need to understand. That includes how to train for each of the sections of a triathlon (swimming, cycling, and running), how to structure a training program, and what to expect on race day.
If, by the end of the article, youโve got any specific questions that havenโt been answered, donโt hesitate to reach out to me via email, and Iโll do my best to give you the information you need. Without further ado, letโs get into it.
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General Training Principles
When it comes to training for your first triathlon as a beginner, there are a few concepts you need to know before you get started, as well as understanding how much training you need to do to have a good time on race day.
Training Volumes
Sprint Triathlon
A sprint triathlon is generally the shortest distance that most triathlon event companies will offer, and the distances are typically a 500m swim, a 20km cycle, and a 5km run. To do a sprint triathlon comfortably, training at least 4-5 times per week is ideal.
Olympic Distance Triathlon
An Olympic distance triathlon is a bigger commitment in training as the distances are a 1.5km swim, a 40km cycle, and a 10km run. For this distance, which generally takes around three hours to complete, Iโd recommend training at least 5-6 times per week, with at least one rest day every week to ensure youโre recovering correctly.
Half-Ironman & Ironman Triathlon
We wonโt cover the training required for a half-Ironman or a full Ironman distance triathlon, as Iโd recommend completing a shorter distance before committing to such a significant effort. A half-Ironman typically takes around six hours to complete, while a full Ironman can take 12 hours from start to finish, and even for an intermediate-level triathlete, races of this distance will require a pretty comprehensive lifestyle adjustment when it comes to training.
Effort Levels While Training
When training for an endurance sport, most of the time isnโt spent at maximum effort. In fact, the vast majority of triathlon training should be done at an easy enough level of intensity that you can talk to a friend. There are a couple of different ways to measure training effort, which are important to understand so you know what to do in each session.
Heart Rate Zones
For most athletes competing in aerobic sports such as running, cycling, triathlon, or others, training within specific heart rate (HR) zones is very common and a great guide to training correctly for your specific fitness level.
HR zones are a percentage of your theoretical maximum HR, which is approximately calculated as 220 minus your age. However, Lachie Kerin reminds us that training by HR alone isnโt always the answer.
โWhilst 220 minus your age is a good start point and works across a large population,โ Kerin explains, โWe are all different, so make sure that your RPE (more on that below) aligns with the HR zone. โ
| Zone | Intensity | Percentage of HRmax |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | Very Light | 50% to 60% |
| Zone 2 | Light | 60% to 70% |
| Zone 3 | Moderate | 70% to 80% |
| Zone 4 | Hard | 80% to 90% |
| Zone 5 | Maximum | 90% to 100% |
For a 30-year-old, their approximate maximum HR would be 190, and their different HR training zones would be a percentage of that number, with the table below outlining their different HR training zones.
| HR Zones (at 30y/o) | Intensity | Heart Rate (beats per minute) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Very Light | 129 to 140 |
| 2 | Light | 141 to 153 |
| 3 | Moderate | 154 to 166 |
| 4 | Hard | 167 to 178 |
| 5 | Maximum | 179 to 190 |
You can manually calculate your own HR zones or use a simple calculator.
Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)
RPE is another way to measure your exertion levels while training. Ranging from 0 to 10, a training session might suggest a specific RPE at which to do the session to ensure youโre not going too hard to too easy.
| 0 | No exertion (resting) |
| 1 | Very light |
| 2 to 3 | Light |
| 4 to 5 | Moderate (moderately hard) |
| 6 to 7 | High (vigorous) |
| 8 to 9 | Very hard |
| 10 | Maximum effort (highest possible) |
Training For Swimming
Swim training for triathlon predominantly focuses on freestyle (as thatโs what you should be doing in the race) and happens almost entirely in the pool. If you live near a large body of open water, itโs a good idea to get used to swimming without lane ropes in water where you canโt see the bottom, but itโs not critical.
Swimming training is also arguably the most important discipline for triathlon, as most people canโt swim well and itโs arguably the most technical discipline. If youโve never swum a lap of a pool in your life, or you get out of breath after a single lap and need to rest, itโs a good idea to join a swimming squad or triathlon club, because a good coach will make all the difference to improving your swimming ability.
โIf you can find a local swim coach or technique specialist,โ Kerin suggests, โeven one or two sessions would go a long way. Iโd highly recommend Brenton at Effortless Swimming, who also has a great online program.โ
All swimming sessions should include a warm-up (WU), a main set, and a cool-down (CD). When youโre starting, main sets will generally include swimming for a certain distance and then resting for a set time (e.g. 15 seconds).
Once youโve been swimming for a while, however, the main sets will include swimming a distance within a set time that includes the rest. That might be swimming 200m in 4 minutes โ so if youโre able to swim 200m in 3:30 minutes, you get 30 seconds rest.
Swimming training also includes the use of aids such as flippers to improve your leg kicking and pull buoys to improve your arm pulling, which not only help you focus on specific parts of your technique, but are also a great way to mix things up a little.
Depending on your level of swimming ability, you should be training for swimming 1-2 times per week (or more if youโre a weak swimmer).
Swimming Workout Examples
Example of a 1km swimming session is as follows:
- 200m WU,
- 4 x 50m freestyle @ 20sec rest,
- 4 x 100m freestyle @20secs rest,
- 200m CD
Example of a 2km swimming session (with rest included in the distance time) is as follows:
- 200m WU,
- 4 x 50m freestyle @ 60secs,
- 4 x (50m @ 60secs, 100m @ 2:15 secs, 200m @ 4:30 secs) alternating fins and pull buoy,
- 200m CD
Training For Cycling
Cycling training for someone doing a triathlon is less technical than swimming, but there are still specific sessions you can do beyond simply getting on your bike and cycling for an hour. However, if you live near any hilly roads, riding on them will naturally add more difficult intervals that are great for improving your fitness.
The goal of cycling in a triathlon is to ride at a consistent speed while keeping your legs relatively fresh for the run. Some training should involve rides where you can try to maintain your โrace paceโ speed for anywhere between 10 minutes and 30 minutes, while others can include efforts harder than your race pace for 2 minutes, before recovering for 1 minute and repeating the harder 2-minute effort.
In addition to riding outdoors on roads (which are great for improving your bike handling ability), riding indoors on a stationary bike is also a great way to improve your fitness. The benefit of a stationary bike is that you can control your efforts much more, without worrying about stopping at traffic lights or arriving at a hill just as youโre meant to be recovering.
โCycling is a great tool for building overall fitness due to the ability to get greater duration without the impact loading of running,โ says Kerin. โJust make sure that as you build out to longer rides that you are taking adequate nutrition and hydration with you.โ
โAround 50g per hour of carbs might be a good starting point, because some professionals are racing on 150g per hour!โ
Ideally, you should be cycling at least 1-2 times per week, with one session being a longer, slower ride (1-3 hours) and one being a faster ride (1 hour) with intervals built into it. Typically, what works for most people is an interval ride before or after work during the week, and a long ride on the weekend.
Cycling Workout Examples
Example of a 1-hour road cycling workout (with a nearby hill you can ride repeatedly):
- 10mins WU (riding to the hill)
- 8 x hill reps (assuming the hill takes 4mins to climb and 1min to descend)
- 10mins CD (riding back home)
Example of a 1-hour road cycling workout (on flat roads):
- 10mins WU
- 6 x (5mins zone 3, 90secs zone 1)
- 11mins CD
Example of a 1-hour stationary bike workout:
- 10 mins WU
- 5 x (2mins zone 4, 60secs zone 1)
- 60secs zone 1 (recovery)
- 5mins zone 2
- 5mins zone 3
- 60secs zone 1 (recovery)
- 5 x (2mins zone 4, 60secs zone 1)
- 8mins CD
Training For Running
While swimming is arguably the most technical discipline (and most important for weak swimmers), running is the most important if you want a good time. The difference between a weak runner and a strong runner while completing a 10km run in an Olympic distance triathlon could be 30 minutes, which is far more than the equivalent gap during a 1.5km Olympic distance swim.
As a result, Iโd recommend running at least 2-3 times per week, with a short, fast track session, a โrace paceโ tempo session, and a long, slow run to end the week. Another important type of session to include in your training program is called a โbrickโ session, where you do a short, โrace paceโ run immediately after a cycling session to get your legs used to running after cycling (an unpleasant feeling if youโre not used to it.
Track runs are really important for improving your speed. Thereโs no use doing all your 5km runs at the same speed without stopping and wondering why youโre not getting faster, so track runs are critical for improving your average speed as well as your top speed.
Tempo runs are great because theyโre a chance to run at your race pace and experience what itโs like to maintain a higher pace for a longer period. They should be fast, but not as fast as your track run efforts, as you shouldnโt be stopping much during a tempo run.
โBefore running, make sure to try and warm up a little,โ Kerin suggests. โThis might be as simple as some star jumps or walking for a couple of minutes. Then, as you start the run, use the first few minutes just to work into things. No need to be smashing it from the gun.โ
Running Workout Examples
Example of a 45-minute track running workout:
- 800m WU
- 400m, 600m, 800m, 1,200m, 800m, 600m, 400m (all zone 4 with 90secs walking recovery between each)
- 400m CD
Example of a 60-minute tempo running workout:
- 10mins WU (zone 1)
- 8 x (4mins zone 4, 1min zone 1)
- 10mins CD (zone 1)
Example of a 60-minute long run workout:
- 10mins WU (zone 1)
- 40mins easy pace (zone 2)
- 10mins CD (zone 1)
12-Week Triathlon Training Program
The overall shape of this 12-week triathlon training program is to gradually build up your endurance and speed, while including enough recovery to ensure you donโt injure yourself. Think of it in four-week blocks, with a block of three harder weeks followed by one easier week, which is aimed at consolidating your fitness gains and allowing you to recover ahead of the next harder block.
โRealistically, not every day is going to feel amazing when you start out,โ advises Kerin. โBut, the sense of accomplishment after finishing a session is always pretty good.โ
โEven on the days where motivation isnโt sky high, just start out the session to get through the volume easily. Most of the time, youโll start to feel reasonably good after five to ten minutes.โ
Weeks 1-3
| Mon | Tues | Wed | Thurs | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
| Week 1 | Rest | Tempo Run (20mins) | Pool Swim (1km) | Indoor Ride (30mins) | Pool Swim (1km) | Tempo Run (20mins) | Road Ride (1hr) |
| Week 2 | Rest | Tempo Run (25mins) | Pool Swim (1.2km) | Indoor Ride (40mins) | Pool Swim (1.2km) | Tempo Run (25mins) | Road Ride (1hr 15mins) |
| Week 3 | Rest | Tempo Run (30mins) | Pool Swim (1.4km) | Indoor Ride (50mins) | Pool Swim (1.4km) | Tempo Run (30mins) | Road Ride (1hr 30mins) |
These first three weeks are aimed at slowly building the training volume from a low base. If you canโt run for 20 minutes, try alternating running and walking as you slowly increase the distance you can run without stopping. If swimming 1.4km after three weeks looks like an impossible task, increase the amount of rest you have between each effort.
Week 4 (Recovery)
| Mon | Tues | Wed | Thurs | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
| Week 4 | Rest | Tempo Run (20mins) | Pool Swim (1.4km) | Indoor Ride (30mins) | Pool Swim (1.4km) | Tempo Run (30mins) | Road Ride (1hr) |
This is the first recovery week, which mostly returns training volumes back to week one, apart from swimming, which is important to maintain and is the discipline thatโs least likely to cause an injury.
Weeks 5-7
| Mon | Tues | Wed | Thurs | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
| Week 5 | Rest | Track run (30mins) | Pool Swim (1.2km) | Indoor Ride (50mins) | Pool Swim (1.6km) | Tempo Run (35mins) | Road Ride (1hr 30mins) |
| Week 6 | Rest | Track run (40mins) | Pool Swim (1.4km) | Indoor Ride (1hr) | Pool Swim (1.8km) | Tempo Run (40mins) | Road Ride (1hr 30mins) |
| Week 7 | Rest | Track run (45mins) | Pool Swim (1.6km) | Indoor Ride (1hr) | Pool Swim (2km) | Tempo Run (45mins) | Road Ride (1hr 45mins) |
For this three-week block, things start to get a little more serious as youโve already got some training under your belt, but you still need to increase your endurance. The sessions will be longer, and should be more intense for the indoor ride and track run sessions.
Week 8 (Recovery)
| Mon | Tues | Wed | Thurs | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
| Week 8 | Rest | Track run (30mins) | Pool Swim (1.6km) | Indoor Ride (45mins) | Pool Swim (1.6km) | Tempo Run (35mins) | Road Ride (1hr 30mins) |
At this point, youโve nearly been training for two months, and this week is a well-deserved โbreakโ. The sessions are slightly shorter, less intense, and if youโre feeling really tired, itโs okay to take a second rest day here.
Kerin echoes this sentiment, explaining, โIf you feel the fatigue is starting to build to the point where you are not feeling good after five minutes, donโt be afraid to take an extra rest day.โ
โTraining is all about what you can recover from and absorb. Everyone has a different life situation, and it is important to recognise that stress is stress. So if you need to take that extra rest day, go for it, but donโt go trying to catch up on the session on another day. Just move on to the next one.โ
Weeks 9-10
| Mon | Tues | Wed | Thurs | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
| Week 9 | Rest | Track run (45mins) | Pool Swim (2km) | Indoor Ride (1hr) | Pool Swim (2.5km) | Tempo Run (50mins) | Brick Session: โ Road ride 1hr 30mins โ Tempo run 15mins |
| Week 10 | Rest | Track run (45mins) | Pool Swim (2km) | Indoor Ride (1hr) | Pool Swim (2.5km) | Tempo Run (1hr) | Brick Session: โ Road ride 2hrs โ Tempo run 20mins |
This two-week block is the last stretch of really hard training, so make it count. Your track sessions should be fast, your indoor rides should be intense, and weโre introducing brick sessions where you run immediately after your long road ride on Sundays. Brick sessions are the nemesis of almost all triathletes, so if you donโt enjoy them, youโre in the club.
Weeks 11-12 (Tapering)
| Mon | Tues | Wed | Thurs | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
| Week 11 | Rest | Track run (45mins) | Pool Swim (2km) | Indoor Ride (1hr) | Pool Swim (2km) | Tempo Run (45mins) | Brick Session: โ Road ride 1hr โ Tempo run 15mins |
| Week 12 | Rest | Track run (30mins) | Pool Swim (1.5km) | Indoor Ride (30mins) | Pool Swim (1km) | Easy Run (20mins) | Race Day |
This is the final fortnight before your big race day, so congratulations for making it this far. Youโre nearly there.
During week 11, the sessions will be shorter, but you should maintain some intensity and speed as you sharpen up for the event. At this point, youโre unlikely to make any significant fitness gains, so itโs all about spending some time at race pace and avoiding injury.
Week 12 should be the best week of the entire program. Not only are you significantly fitter, but youโre almost ready for your race, which means youโve earned some shorter sessions at lower intensities to ensure youโre fully rested for the day of the event.
What To Expect On Race Day
The day of the race will be filled with nerves, excitement, and plenty of uncertainty about how things will unfold. Thatโs totally normal and a great sign that youโre taking it seriously.
โOn race day, youโll undoubtedly feel the adrenaline starting to pump a bit,โ explains Kerin. โHowever, keep in mind that even a โsprint distanceโ is still a fairly long day. Try and keep it under control, take some deep breaths and remind yourself to work into the day with patience.โ
โSprinting the first minute of the swim will only leave you in a sea of lactate, feeling like your arms might stop working, so stay measured and remember it is a swim, bike and run. Patience goes a long way on race day.โ
Iโve written extensively about what to expect on race day right here, so check out that article, which goes in depth about how to set up your gear, guides you through nutrition and hydration, and the best ways to warm up before your race.
Thanks for taking the time to read up on how to train for a triathlon as a beginner, and best of luck the big day.
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