New Triathlete - Training Critique Please

Training is sort of dependent on your strengths/weaknesses/goals/etc. I'd read this...http://www.amazon.com/Triathletes-Training-Bible-Joe-Friel/dp/1934030198

I did my first sprint last fall and found that book very helpful in helping put together a training plan AND teaching me why I was doing each training session the way I was. In other words, it helped me develop a purposeful training plan for me.

Your local library may have it if you don't want to buy it.

Then I'd try to find a sprint tri to run between now and August. You certainly don't have to, but it would be nice to have a short one under your belt for practice. Just my $0.02.

I think that is a very solid plan. By building your aerobic base you'll be much better off in the long run. The gains that take the longest to achieve are going to be more permanent. I've been doing the MAF running plan it is has worked great for me. I started out at 13:15min/mile and have worked down to 10:30 at my MAF HR. I ran two 8 min miles in a triathlon last week. It looks like you have a much stronger background in running since you are already up to do that 3-4 times a week.

You'll sacrifice some running fitness by only doing 3 runs a week but you can balance that out with 3 bikes per week. You'll really need to carry some bike fitness in to that race because I'm sure that at 7000ft you'll be going up and down some hills. Are you local to this race or will you be traveling from the flat land up to the mountains?

The most important thing that you can do is just be consistent. I've found that running easy more often is much better than running hard and being hurt/sore for days. Find a routine for you that works and stick to it.

How's your swimming?

I'm actually driving up for the race. I'm at about 2000' elevation, and the race is about a 2 hour drive. I will be running the course at least once before the race as a training session, both bike and run.

My swimming is ok, but definitely my weak spot. I hired a coach and have worked with him a couple times. I'm slowly working up my distance and endurance. Even though that's the case, I'm still most worried about the swim.

It sounds like you are on the right track with bike and run and, if you have a coach, a way to keep working on the swim. It's really important to be comfortable with going the distance, especially swimming in a wetsuit (I assume you will need one? Most water at altitude isn't that warm!), and having a comfortable breathing pattern that you can adjust as needed. One concern I would have if you're a weak/inexperienced swimmer would be the potential for breathing issues and resulting panic due to a combo of cold water/adrenaline/not used to wetsuit constriction feeling, compounded by the altitude. That can make a merely challenging swim into a scary and potentially dangerous situation. I would suggest working A LOT on breathing, developing a "rescue stroke" like breaststroke or backstroke that you can use if you feel short of breath, and getting used to wearing a wetsuit in colder water.

I'm a strong swimmer with quite a bit of open water experience, but mainly in warmer ocean settings in SE Asia and Hawaii. I struggled a bit with my first OWS training and races on the US mainland, where I had to swim in colder lakes in a full wetsuit, and still have a hard time if the water is much under 65. I also found that when I swam at altitude (did a couple times on a road trip to California a few years ago) I had to adjust my usual breathing pattern and occasionally resort to breaststroke when I got too short of breath. I do have asthma and that may account for some of these issues (cold air can be a trigger, so maybe cold water is, too), but guessing that most people would have them to some extent.

Edited by Hot Runner 2016-04-30 8:20 AM

I've never been much of a swimmer but when I went from 2 days a week to three it made a huge difference. I'd venture to say that 3x 30min might be better that 2x 60 min right now. Reason I say that is fatigue will really change your stroke. Being fresh three times a week will probably improve your stroke a bit better.