So i’m 25, turning 26 in a few months, and I’ve been working out for about 10 years without any real goal. Yea, there’s personal best in squats, bench press, etc…but nothing to REALLY shoot for. So, naturally, I decided I should try a triathlon. My cardio is awful, but having worked out for years I have some base of fitness.
I’m doing a sprint thats 1/4 mile swim, 10 mile bike, 3 mile run, and it’s in 10 weeks. Probably not the ideal timeframe to do it in, but it’ll work for now.
Any tips? I don’t necessarily need the “wear these shoes, buy this bike, etc” yet. The next month I’m going to try to get my lungs at the gym (treadmill, bike and indoor pool) and then in March I can do some stuff outdoors (it’s freezing here, I’m in Massachusetts) At the gym, my workouts will be altered from heavy lifting to lighter weights and more reps.
Should I do two a days? How should I format my training? Today I started with workout in the gym in the AM and then treadmill (2 miles…it’s a start!) in the pm. Tomorrow I think I’m gonna run early AM outside with a dog, hit the gym for weights, and swim at night. Oh, and I haven’t swam in…10ish years!
Don’t over-do it. You’ve been building your body one way for 10 years, don’t expect it to change in 10 weeks.
I would try to run 2 times a week, bike 2 or 3 times a week and swim 2 or 3 times a week and for now, I’d keep lifting. Obviously you enjoy it, so it will not be easy to let go.
Would that be enough training? I have a fairly advanced body when it comes to lifting weights, so I’m not exactly starting from scratch. Because of that, I would think I could advance my training a bit more so than “regular” people starting out
Also, what is a good first time for my sprint tri?
I know exactly where you are coming from. I have been into cycling for a few years but I would always ride in the warm months and once Sept/Oct came I would totally stop doing any cardio and just dive into heavy lifting. I wouldn’t do another minute of cardio usually until April, over the winter I would gain 20lbs or so of very lean muscle (I am a tall, thin, hardgainer so this was VERY hard to do) I had been interested in doing a tri for a few years and finally decided to take the plunge.
I had been lifting weights for roughly 1-1.5 hours a day and eating 5k+cals from Nov-April and my race I had set my mind on was in June. I really cut back on the lifting, started swimming 3 times a week, running twice, and cycling 3. I had A LOT of trouble on the .5 mile swim, did great on the bike, and fairly well besides the cramps on the run. I only had 2 months of training and as far as I am concerned it only hurt me in the swim just because of the nerves due to my first open water swim I paniced.
I did 2 more races after that. The 2nd race I came in 2nd in my age group and 54th overall, the 3rd race 1st in my age group and 23rd overall, and by then I had dropped that 20lbs I gained and then some.
If you want to do 2-a-days I think it is doable, just don’t do both workouts at a high intensity until you build up some endurance. Also one big mistake I made was increasing my run mileage too much too quick and my knee suffered from it. I had to take a month off from running to let it heal. When I stared running it was on the treadmill also and I just set goals, one day my goal would be to run a mile without stopping, walk for 1/10 then continue running for the rest of a mile without stopping, just take it slow and you will get there eventually.
I am in Mass also so I feel your pain with this cold weather lately!
I’m sure others will add their opinion, but for a “normal sprint” 1/2 mile swim, 14 mile bike and 5k, the winner usually is between 1 hour and 1:05. As for advancing your training, most sprint plans are about what I suggested. Add intensity to increase your speed. The race you are doing is ALL about speed. Weight lifting is great, but is very different than endurance. Think about the guidance you would give a marathoner that wanted to become a body builder. Your doing the opposite. The last thing you want to do is injure yourself by pushing your body to hard to quick in a way it is not used to. At 26, you have many years to get good at your new sport. As an example, Craig Alexander (won Kona) is in the 35-39 age group.
“Would that be enough training? I have a fairly advanced body when it comes to lifting weights, so I’m not exactly starting from scratch.”
You’re not starting from scratch, but you’re going to have to convert your body from one type of fitness to a different kind, and you’ll want to start slowly to see how you respond. After a few weeks, if you feel like you can increase, then you probably can.
"Also, what is a good first time for my sprint tri? "
I’d say that’s a tough one to answer. You shouldn’t worry so much about a good time compared to other people until you’ve gotten through a race and set a baseline for yourself. Some guys who are big lifters have trouble getting the legs moving at a fast pace, even though they’re in plenty good shape. Just work on getting comfortable on the bike, in the pool, and running, then do your first race and see if you even like the sport before you worry too much about setting goal times for yourself.
Can you swim a quarter mile? Most people can’t swim 100 yards if they haven’t trained in a lap pool before. With 10 weeks, I would make swimming the top priority. ANyone can bike and run, not anyone can swim. In the act of swim training, you will work cardio enough to improve in the bike and run. If you train in bike and run, it really does nothing for you in the water. I decided to start triathlon this year, so at this point I have no tri race experience. But I was a competitive runner and cyclist who couldn’t swim 100 yards. My winter training is ~ 70% pool, 20% treadmill, 5% road race, 5% cycling. Once I can competitively swim a mile and the weather gets warmer, I’ll switch it over in favor of cycling. If you can confidently handle the swim, then ride/run as much as you can (within reason).
If you can swim half a mile already and just out to have fun then I wouldnt worry about it. If you plan on being competitive get your ass to train 6 days a week…
So should I just up the length/speed each week for the three events? eg this week, my first week, I just want to START, at the gym, doing the three legs of the race just to being my muscles/lungs to get ready. Then maybe next week do three 3-mile runs, three 10-mile bikerides, three 1/4 mile swim throughout the week, and just up the length every week?
Swimming is certainly going to be the hardest thing to conquer. The pool I’m using is 25 yards, so I need to do 16 lengths. Maybe I’ll start off with 4ish?
It seems so easy! I’m sure it won’t be though. I think my first swim day will be Sunday.
I’m racing in a RI sprint tri on Memorial Day weekend. The one in Hopkinton doesn’t fit into my schedule.
Do you have the link to the tri? I’m curious for myself…
I’m in MA as well and run outside nearly everyday. It’s cold, but you learn to run in the cold and it’s not so bad. Biking is tougher, but riding indoors works.
I think 10 weeks is enough time if you have some fitness already. If you can swim, don’t sweat the swim too much, even if you haven’t swam in a long time (oh, and you’ll need a wetsuit, the water will be cold (assuming its an open water swim)). 1/4 mile worst case will take you 11-12 minutes. Best case 8. Not a huge loss. I’d say focus on your biking and running, and do some bricks a couple of weeks out from the event. Running off the bike, is a lot harder than just running alone. The bike distance should be manageable too…
Since it’s your first one, focus on preparing. Don’t overdo it. Most people here train for years, so trying to get to something in 10 weeks is aggressive. Just have fun with it… And if you are like most of us, you’ll prepare all next winter, redo the event, and crush your time. And some dreams along the way.
I’m a cyclist getting in to Tri’s this year, and I gotta say if you haven’t ridden a road bike before (and don’t have great cardio already), then you better aim just to finish because you aren’t going to post a good time in just 10 weeks of training.
I say this because to get a decent time, you really need to be sub 30 for that 10 mile ride (20 mph). Doesn’t sound like much, but I ride with people that do thousands of miles per year, and have for a decade, and averaging 20mph is a serious workout for them. (on a road bike with no aero equipment that is, which is where you’ll be at).
I might be overly aggressive, but for that distance I fully expect that I could do at least a 25 min ride and 21 minute run…and I would expect to be middle pack.
I speak from recent experience, but if you’re a bigger guy…say 180+, and you don’t run now, then starting off doing 3x5k per week is asking for trouble. That’s exactly how I started (3x5k)… and I had a serious IT band issue within two weeks and had to stop running for most of December.
The bike rides are fine, but 10 miles isn’t even worth the time of getting the bike out IMHO. Though I realize you gotta start somewhere.
Good luck though, I’ll be doing my first at end of May too, though I’ll be in the 35-39 by then and will get destroyed.
I might be overly aggressive, but for that distance I fully expect that I could do at least a 25 min ride and 21 minute run…and I would expect to be middle pack.
At 25 minutes (assuming some elevation), that would probably put you in the top 5 of the cycling leg… at least at the sprints in/around new england. THe 21? Not so much… that would probably need to be 17:00. Throw in a 4 min swim, and you’re winning the event.
I did a sprint last summer, 9.25 miles, and the fastest bike split was 21:49. So 10 would be about 24:20… but that’s the fast bike split overall.
I might be overly aggressive, but for that distance I fully expect that I could do at least a 25 min ride and 21 minute run…and I would expect to be middle pack.
At 25 minutes (assuming some elevation), that would probably put you in the top 5 of the cycling leg… at least at the sprints in/around new england. THe 21? Not so much… that would probably need to be 17:00. Throw in a 4 min swim, and you’re winning the event.
I did a sprint last summer, 9.25 miles, and the fastest bike split was 21:49. So 10 would be about 24:20… but that’s the fast bike split overall.
I’m no rhodes scholar, but I’m pretty sure that when you’re covering a mile in 2:20, that last .75 isn’t going to take 2:31.
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think you’re going to have any problem with this sprint, especially since it’s 10 weeks away and you’re already in shape. Unless you’re dead set on winning the race, I’d just participate and enjoy it as my first triathlon experience and then race my next one. You may also want to see if there are any triathlon clubs in your area (usually at a tri-store). That’s how I got started and everyone was very helpful, friendly and supportive.