Sprint Triathlon Training

Archive for the ‘Sprint Triathlon Training’ Category

Do you ever wonder if you are similar to other people who are training for a triathlon?  If you are lucky enough to have a local Triathlon Training Club, then your obsessions and interest in training fit right in.  But if like many people, you are looked at by your peers, family and co-workers as “that crazy triathlete”, then you’ll love this post.

Last month I polled all the people who have downloaded my First Time Finishers Triathlon Training Guide (see the box to the right) and recieved an overwhelming response!  Questions inlcuded standard demographic information as well as questions about their motivations, fears and successes in training for triathlons.  Below are screenshots of the demographic summaries.  How do you compare?

If you are considering doing your first triathlon, you may be curious how long it takes to complete a sprint triathlon.  There are a few easy ways to figure this out. First of all, most sprint triathlons are of a similar length, but the distances can vary. A typical sprint triathlon consists of 3 legs such as the following:

• 400m Swim (.25 miles)
• 20k Bike (12 miles)
• 5k Run (3.1 miles)

For a novice tri-athlete, it will take about 2:00 minutes per 100 meters for the swim, or 8 minutes total, about an hour for the bike (avg 12mph) and 30 minutes or so for the run.  Add in 5 minutes (generous) for each transion and the total time for a beginner or first time triathlon to complete a sprint triathlon is about 1 hour and 50 minutes. 

That’s probably a bit on the long side for many people, but you will have to look at your own fitness to see where you would fit in on this scale.

An advanced sprint triathlete would complete the swim in 1:20 minutes/100meters, ride the bike leg at 20+ mph (frequently using a time trial or triathlon bike), and run the 5k distance in 20 minutes.  The transitions will take less than 2 minutes each so the total time would be about 1 hr 15 minutes. 

Many people mistakenly assume that a sprint triathlon is a “beginners” triathlon, but nothing could be further from the truth. While a sprint triathlon is a great distance for a beginner to take part in, there is plenty of room for advanced competition in triathlons even in the sprint distance.

If you want to see how your potential competition will fare at a race you are thinking of doing, just go to the race website and look for the results from last year. Look up your age group and find the range of times for all the entrants and you’ll get a good idea of what you can expect to see at this years race.

A great website to look for races and find last year’s sites is trifind.com.

Hey everyone, I just wanted to write a quick over view of what’s included in my 12 week sprint triathlon training plan for beginners.  This plan is designed for the first time triathlete with a minimum of experience.  Requirements include being able to ride a bike for about 20 minutes, being able to walk/jog for 10 minutes, and being able to swim 25 yards without stopping.

By the way, if you are looking for an 8 Week Sprint Triathlon Training Plan, you can just use the final 8 weeks of this plan as long as you can start at the right durations for the 5th week of the plan (which will be your first week)

The plan focuses on progressively increasing training distance for each event done two times per week, with a rest week every fourth week. During the rest week, you will still do your workouts, but the trianing time will be slightly less.  This format is a very safe, very traditional “periodized” base training plan, designed to get you across the finish line for your first triathlon!

Many people will begin the plan with much more experience in one of the sports than the plan calls for. That’s OK, you can use the plan for your two “weaker” sports while continuing your workouts in your primary sport (masters swimming for example, or your regular group rides or runs).

By the end of the 12 week plan, you will be able to:

• Swim 750 yards without stopping
• Bike 12 miles without stopping
• Run a 5k without stopping
• And do them all consquetively on the same day!

The plan also has “bricks” built in to the last 6 weeks of training to help accomidate your body to running after the bike leg. The first 3 bricks are short, and the final 3 bricks are closer to the race distance. You will NOT have to complete the distances in all 3 legs on the same day in order to finish your first triathlon, you will use your race day as your “breakthrough” training day and be able to cross the finish line with a smile! (hopefully you’ll get a finishers medal or ribbon as well).

This is the basic outline for my 12 Week Sprint Training Plan for Beginners.  To download the plan w hich includes a 29 page training guide,  just enter your name and email over there to the right.   I’m also working on getting a day by day description up online so you can follow along with my “virtual” athlete.  Check it out over here at my Sprint Triathlon Training Tips on Blogger.  This site is just an overview, it’s not the  plan itself. Download the plan here on this page (up to the right is a signup box).

Are you looking for advanced sprint triathlon training?  Go ahead and sign up for the free plan, and you’ll be added to my training list where I send out regular updates, blog posts and announcements about new training plans I have available. Thanks, talk to guys all soon!

-Coach Suzanne

Sprint Triathlon Training is the most exciting type of triathalon training there is.  Sprint Triathlons are relatively short and most active people are already proficient in at least one of the three sports.  A sprint triathlon consists of three legs, swimming, biking and running.

What is a typical distance for a Sprint Triathlon?

The distances for each leg of a sprint triathlon will vary slightly from one race to the next. In general, the distances are typically:

Swim: 400 yards (1/4 mile)

Bike: 12 miles

Run: 3.1 miles

If you are a moderately active person or have participated in any of these activities during high school or college intramurals, or even just recreationally, you can probably (although not guaranteed) finish a sprint triathlon right now.

Can a sendentary  person complete a sprint triathlon?

Yes, most definately. I have helped many people start from scratch and complete their first sprint triathlon. Sprint Triathlon Training that is taken in small, incremental steps will help you build the endurance needed to complete your first sprint triathlon.

How much time does it take to train for a sprint triathlon?

A 12 week program of 4 hours a week is plenty of training time to train for your first sprint triathlon.  If you have some experience in one of the three sports, you’ll want to spend most of your time on the weaker sports.  Got one that is the weakest? Spend the most time on that sport!

Sprint Triathlon Training plans are abudantly available online, but how do you know which one is good for you?  I have written a free sprint triathlon training guide that you can download along with a free training book. I’ve collected the most common questions and concerns and put them all together in this guide.

Join me and my team of “soon to be” sprint triathletes and check out the “First Time Finishers Guide”.  Soon you’ll be calling yourself, “Triathlete”!  You won’t find a better Sprint Triathlon Training Guide Anywhere.