I can find plenty of different level Olympic ,half and full ironman plans but can only find beginner sprint plans. Im thinking of trying to qualify for australian age group team next year (35-39) in the sprint . looking at this years races I don’t have to get to fast if I do Sydney (under 1:15 got points ) and Canberra ( under 1:19) . I would like to get to around 1:10 .
for people quicker then 1:10 what sort of training are you doing . what volume are you avg per week
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You’re Best Triathlon by Friel has a good sprint plan. I’m doing it now. 10-18 hours a week depending on phase.
It’s basically the same training as an Olympic distance plan, all about the miles.
Go onto trannies and pick Mick Maroneys brain.
Doesnt get any faster or more expienced than that.
But in a nut shell (and from what I remember), he does 4 swims, 3-4 ergo sessions (all his bike training is done in his garage, only time he rides on the road is in a race, but he races a LOT!) and 3 runs (dodgey calf means he doesnt run much at all).
All his sessions are quality. No base miles for him ever. But he has been racing at near pro level for 25+ years.
Often wins sprint tri’s overall beating many younger guys (he races in the 45-49 ag).
Nicest guy you will ever meet and the first guy knocking back a beer after the race! (got some very funny stories as well as training gems out of him after he had a skinfull on more than one occasion!!)
A little less volume and a ton more racing.
Here are a couple I’ve found online:
http://www.movescount.com/trainingprograms/trainingprogram1681-Triatln_distancia_sprint_nivel_avanzado (the notes are in Spanish, but you get the gist of it)
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I’ll outline the basic approach that has worked well for me as a self-coached short-course triathlete. Last season I had several sub-2 hour Olympic distance tris, enough to mix it up with lower-tier pros and finish on the overall podium at most regional races . As was said, Sprint and Olympic training differ little.
I wouldn’t get fixated on weekly volume. It does not give a complete picture, especially for short course triathlon where intensity is so important. I could pad my weekly training hours with more low intensity sessions, but it would probably not be beneficial. IMO, it’s better to think in terms of training load (~volume * intensity) and key sessions.
But since you asked, here is my average weekly volume so far during the build/pre-season period from January - April, 2013. Note that this only includes “honest” S/B/R and minimal strength training time; i.e., no stretching, lollygagging, recovery activities, housework, and whatever else people use to inflate their numbers. The running-to-cycling ratio is higher than at present because I was stuck on the trainer during that period (long Canadian winter…).
Weekly Volume (Jan-Apr 2013)
Total: 20.3 hours (15.5-23.3)
Swim: 4.0 hours
Bike: 9.6 hours
Run: 5.9 hours
Strength: 0.8 hours
Here are the key sessions in a typical, balanced (i.e. no focus) week during the build/pre-season period:
2 run workouts: Usually one tempo (e.g. 3x8-15 min, 20-40 min) and one at higher intensity (e.g. hill repeats, 300-1500m repeats, 10-16x2 min)2 bike workouts: Usually one around threshold (e.g. 2x20 min) and another above or below threshold (e.g. 3x20 min, 1x45 min, 8x5 min, 4-8x5 km)Long run: 1.5-2 hours, usually easy, sometimes with tempoLong ride: 3-4+ hours, sometimes with tempo3-4 swims (12-18km): Always hard!
No surprises there. There are no secrets or magic workouts, just consistent work.
Besides the above key sessions, everything else is easy. My approach is to do as much as I can between key sessions without compromising their quality by recovering sufficiently. As race season approaches, I become more disciplined about nailing the hard days and recovering properly on the easy days. I only try to crush 2-3 workouts per week (Joe Friel’s “breakthrough” workouts). I often combine a long ride/run with some higher intensity work. This allows me to “kill two birds with one stone” since it can be a challenge to hit 6+ high load sessions every week. The recovery toll of a long intense workout is higher, so be mindful of that. During race season, there is a shift towards lower volume and higher intensity, with more recovery imposed by tapering and racing.
Running: Frequency is important. My mileage was higher when I ran XC in university, but the number of runs a week hasn’t changed much since switching to triathlon. I try to run 6-8 times a week, meaning that half my runs are 15-40 minutes and some are doubles. It’s easy to sneak in a short run before or after a swim or ride and it all helps.
Biking: I feel unqualified to give biking advice, since it is by far my weakest discipline!
Swimming: In the past, I have swam up to 30 km (~7 sessions) a week without what I felt was a good return on investment. My approach these days is to swim less and swim harder. Unlike running and cycling, I very rarely take it easy in the pool. Virtually every session includes a hard set.
Strength training consists of fairly intense core work and a little upper body work. I try to do 5-20 minute mini-sessions most days.
Recovery: I don’t tend to plan recovery time, instead taking a few easy days on an as needed basis. IMO, for most higher-level triathletes a full recovery week at regular intervals during the season (e.g. classic 3:1 ratio) can be too conservative. It’s better to stay on top of fatigue before you crash and need a full week. The difficult part is listening to your body, reading the signals, and knowing when to push and when to rest. If you are a highly driven/compulsive athlete, it can be easier to train yourself ragged than to respect the balance of work and rest that optimizes performance.
Good luck and feel free to ask any other questions.
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For me
2 or 3 swims a week (definitely not enough - probably why I prefer duathlon)
6 rides - 3 hard, 3 not so hard
5 or 6 runs -
Total hours average under 8.
Great Post!! In same category as you, sub 2hrs OD and a 58min Sprint.
You still need to do the long bikes (4hrs) and long runs (up to 2hrs, I do a 30min run in the arvo too…but am young and have no injuries).
Intensity is important especially in the few months leading up to the season, but you need base mileage. You’d be amazed at the volume that the top ITU guys are doing.
Swim more! The swim matters a lot in OD’s and below.
Big fan of the track, hit up various intervals on the track (as season approaches/during season).
1k repeats on short rest (my key set is 6x1k on 4mins), 400m repeats at 5k race pace, I even do tempo efforts on the track (e.g. 5x8mins with 3mins jog reco).
Swim with a squad, much more efficient than swimming solo, you’ll get a much better workout.
Honestly I think all good training should be more or less the same. Long easy, tempo, interval, swim, bike, bike, run.
The big changes would be how many matches you burn on the long easy session versus how many matches you burn for your swim or run interval workouts.
An ironman triathlete might do a 1 hour easy cycle followed by a 2.5 hr easy run. Although the effort is “easy,” a 20 mile bike followed by a 20 mile run takes a lot out of you.
I am not sure that I want to be running 12 x 400s at mile pace the very next day.
I certainly do not want to try to be swimming 12 x 400s at 1500m pace the next day.
If my long run is only 12 miles, however, I am ready for the 12 x 400s.
I think a good sprint triathlete might train 25 hours per week.
I think you could still get within a couple of minutes of you theoretical peak, however, with 15 hours. And with 10 you might still be able to qualify for some international age group events.
I know a girl who swam at a D1 college for a year before getting burned out and quitting. she then made the track team as a distance runner walk on because she liked being a scholarship athlete and she had a HUGE motor from a decade of being a distance swimmer. With that kind of background it’s no wonder that she’s very competitive at sprint tris and she doesn’t ride outside that often but she does spin class at the gym 3x a week. Oh and her parents were on their country’s national teams for skating & ice hockey so I think picking good parents didn’t hurt either!
If I were to only train sprints, I would probably work off a 8-10 hour schedule. My week would look something like - 2h hr tempo ride w/ a transition 3 k run faster than planned race pace and another 4k or 5k of running to make a 2.5 -3 hr day (I might alternate this with an easyish 3 hr bike ride) two more quality 45min - 75 min bike rides, one track day, a longish easy run in the 75-90 min range, and three swims with a high quality 2500 m - 3000m. I would try to get two full days off a week, or one day off and another day where I only swim.
Big fan of the track, hit up various intervals on the track (as season approaches/during season).
Some people love the track, but for others it seems to a short path to injury or burnout. I’ve noticed that many triathletes ascribe magical properties to the track. There is this mythology that “speed work” on the track is the only way to get fast. Of course, it’s really about the work you put in, not where you do it. The only benefits of tracks are constant pace feedback and relatively consistent conditions. There’s no reason you can’t do track-style workouts off the track and avoid the strain and monotony of a million left turns.
As an alternative, I have mapped out numerous road and trail segments from 300m to 2km near my place. For example, this morning I did 16x400m on a quiet, forested gravel pathway, one of my benchmark workouts for years. I only hit the track for the odd mid-season workout, more for a change than anything else. My point is that, if you’re a reluctant track runner, it’s by no means the only option.
You’re right there…
I probably should clarify, I like doing my efforts on the track, just because it is easier on my legs (softer surface than concrete) and mentally easier.
I think many triathletes feel that ‘speed’ is there limiter, where 90+% of the time it is aerobic ability.
You still need to do the long bikes (4hrs) and long runs (up to 2hrs, I do a 30min run in the arvo too…but am young and have no injuries).
What’s arvo ?
afternoon (aussie speak)
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Friel has some good plans in his book YOUR BEST TRIATHLON. followed for the past few years. Disagree with the need for 4 hour rides. I’m a 57 minute OLY bike leg and my longest ride outside of early season base training is about 40 miles solo, but it involves lots of lactate threshold interval. Lots of intensity in all 3 disciplines. I’m about a 1:03 sprint guy and a 2:05 OLY (former o lineman in college with a weight of 210 currently–down from 290).