Dave,

As we discussed in another thread, ha ha , you do what ever works for your family. Briefly, i get up at 0'dark thirty to swim or run. Then sneek in a swim or run at lunch. The only time I bike is on the weekends, and it is hard. Sometimes with a run following. I'll be happy to e-mail you directly an article if you would like.

Best Wishes,

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David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

I'm on my second year of triathlon (sprints) and I've struggled with my as well. I think you just have to experiment and see what works. You didn't indicate in your e-mail what distances you're doing or the kind of workouts (drills, time trials, hill repeats). I would say it would be very tough to hit the weights very hard on Monday evening and then run hill repeats the next morning. You also don't indicate any rest days. I think without factoring in some rest period you're looking at eventually injuring yourself or overtraining. Good luck.

Yeah, I know I should have an off-day. It just seems like I'm not getting enough work in (is their an echo in here?). I'll probably move the Wednesday swim to another day and make Wed. my off-day.

Thanks for the advice!

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Dave in WI
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"What you once were isn't what you want to be anymore" - Wilco

Dave, my coach has Fridays as off days for his athletes, in order to have us rested for the long stuff on the weekend. The key is that the Sat-Thurs training regimen has us worn out and needing a break. I, like you, was a 7 day a week guy until I started with this coach. Now I pray for Friday off days. I think if you don't feel like you need a day off during a "normal" week, then you aren't training hard enough when you do train. I say this because I AM training harder now, just not 7 days a week. My long stuff feels better after a day of rest, and I feel like I can pour myself into my hard bike and run workouts during the week with the thought that Friday gives me a chance to recover before doing the cycle all over again.

Sometimes wisdom has to hit me square in the head to get me to listen. Luckily I've got this coach who isn't afraid to knock it in when I need it.

Here is my nutty two/three a day workout schedule

Monday:
AM: 3-3,500yd swim; Underwater Treadmill PT 30 minutes
Lunch: 4 mile easy run
PM: 60 minute bike, (20-30min treadmill - optional if missed lunch run), stretch

Tuesday:
AM: 3-3,500yd swim, stretch
PM: Master's Swim workout, 30-60min bike

Wednesday:
AM: 3-3,500yd swim, PT w/ IT Band massage
Lunch: 5-6 miles Medium Pace Group Run
PM: 60min bike, 20-30min (if missed lunch run) treadmill, stretch

Thursday:
AM: 3-3,500yd swim, stretch
Lunch: 4-5 mile Fartlek interval run
PM: Master's Swim Team, 30-60min bike

Friday:
AM: 3-3,500yd swim, stretch
PM: 60min bike, 35+min treadmill

Saturday:
AM: Long Group Trail Run (10+ miles, builds throughout season) easy out, hard back
PM: Stretch (bike or run if not busy)

Sunday:
AM: 30+ mile ride, easy swim (500yd), hot tub, stretch
PM: Rest

I know I should probably take an "easy" day somewhere in there, but I usually just ease back on one day and make it more of an active rest day to help flush out the lactic acid.
When I really need some time off I take a day, but so far this schedule has worked pretty well. If I miss an a.m. swim workout cause the alarm clock doesn't do it's job I just swim in the evening.

NOTE: I'm a former collegiate swimmer training for my local Master's team so all the swimming is geared towards that and not just all triathlon swimming (so don't think I'm too nuts).

My schedule for this week, it varies according to "period" length.

Monday
AM - Bike 1 hour, flat and fast
PM - Swim 1 hour

Tuesday
AM - sleep in!
PM - run 45 min, intervals

Wednesday
Lunch - Swim 1 hour
PM - 1:15 Bike, intervals on trainer

Thursday
AM - Possible bike workout, easy
Lunch or PM - 45-50 min treadmill hill workout

Friday
AM or Lunch - Swim 1:10

Saturday
Brick - 100 mile group ride /w hills, 30-40 min running

Sunday
Group Run - 13-15 miles on hilly trails

~16 hours total -- Build Phase

mike

I don't lift, which simplifies things. It probably would help, but I have a "ball-sport" background, so endurance is more an issue for me than strength.

When I'm doing 2 a days, I try to give the legs a break and swimming is always my second, unless I'm doing a brick. What I have done my 2 "serious" years of tri-ing is

M: off

T, Th: swim a.m., run at lunch or after

W,F: bike

Sat: run

Sun: bike or brick

I've always had a hard time with the Friday bike because biking is pretty much relegated to after work for me, and I frequently end up blowing it off to go for a happy hour or at least dinner with the wife. As a result, this year, I'm going to try to double up on Tuesday and Thursday with swim/bike and run Wednesday and Friday. I'm hopeful this will result in Friday lunch runs (I work downtown, so it's easier to run than bike in the middle of the day), so that overall volume will get bumped up a little. I may switch the bike to Saturday and run to Sunday, so that I'm not running on consecutive days (Friday and Saturday).

M - Off
T - Swim 45/Run45 - both a.m.
W - bike 60
TH - Swim 45/Run45-60 both a.m.
F - Off
Sa- Long Ride/30 minute brick a.m./swim later
Su - Long Run/Easy spin

I need to workout before work cuz i never know when I'll have to work late. That forces me to swim and run back to back and in the winter, run on the treadmill.

I too wish I could lift but who's got the time. I still have muscle from when I used to lift (pre-triathlon) so I look strong but I aint.