Take a good look at your training plan. Where did your current training plan come from? Do you have a coach? It doesn't sound your training plan like it's right for you. Also, what is your background and fitness level coming into triathlon, and what distance race are you training for? How many weeks/months have you been trying to do all three sports?

As a rule of thumb, I'd focus on two key bike rides per week (one long, one fast), two key runs per week (one long, one fast), and two swims (really can be any sort of swim workout). Any workouts after that are simply putting in the mileage to maintain a base.

It doesn't sound like you're recovering enough despite your rest day. Take a look also at your nutrition. When I was doing two workouts a day, it was really critical for me that I refueled properly after each workout or my body would be too exhausted for the next workout. And also, how old are you? Older athletes (lets say 50+) are going to basically need to take the workouts we used to do in one week, and stretch those same workouts over 10 days, because of recovery issues.

Also, if you plan out your training for the next month, you can rotate through "focus weeks". Week one, bike focus. Week two, swim focus. Week three, run focus. And every fourth week should be low volume easy stuff before you restart your three weeks of harder training.

Simply sounds like your enthusiasm is resulting in too much training without proper recovery. Make some adjustments and don't be afraid to take more than one rest day if you need it. If you don't have a coach, maybe you should think about getting one.

BrokenSpoke

Brokenspoke has some good advice.

Are you getting enough sleep? I find at that less than 7 hrs of sleep per night has me dragging through my workouts. I rarely get 7 hrs, though, so I just suck-it-up the best I can.

I would also suggest that if you are trying to build your base fitness to work up to a race distance and are too sore to work out the day after a specific training session, that session might be too hard. Try dialing the intensity workouts down a little until you can recover after them. By recover, I don't mean that you are not sore. It is OK for your legs to feel tired or sore after a hard workout, but if you can't run or bike with a normal gait or pedal-stroke the next day, you need to either dial back the intensity or take an extra day to recover.

That is a really good question and I think even the pros wonder that sometimes. It is a fine line to walk. I think it comes down to how it affects your next workout. If you are too exhausted or sore to have a quality workout the next day, back off a bit. Being tire and some times sore isn't unusual but when you can't train effectively you've crossed that line. You will have to find that happy balance for yourself but it sounds like right now you are pushing too hard.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

I have found a good guide to be to think of how I complete the workout in terms of building my confidence for race day. Sometimes slogging through tired helps build my confidence. Other times, having a crappy workout where I can't hold my paces leads me to feel discouraged. So when I'm dragging, I ask myself "how will this build my confidence if I slog through it? If I stop now without finishing? If I finish but miss my paces?" So far that has turned out to be a pretty good guide.

That's for individual workouts. My best signal that I'm over-training in general is that I feel weepy at the drop of a hat. When that happens, i know I need to back off and rest up a bit.

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No coasting in running and no crying in baseball

I agree. Brokenspoke made some excellent points. Also, I agree that sleep is so critical.

I find that I need more than normal in my heavy training blocks and if I don't get it, my performance really suffers. I generally will push through until it feels like I am building up a deficit from several days of heavy load without enough recovery, then I will take some extra rest if I need to. If the deficit is superficial, pushing through will feel right. If it is getting serious, and since I have a really challenging rotating sleep/work schedule and a physical job it can get very serious, then I take care of myself. When I do this, I come back with improved performance, not diminished.

I rely heavily on my coach to help me discern the subtler differences. His guidance is pivotal to my progress. Working without proper guidance is a recipe for burnout and injury for me. Good luck!

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Coach Brain: Accelerate 3 ; Incoherent Ramblings