I've used several of the programs on this website
(some are free and some you have to get a paid membership for
) as well as attempted to design my own programs using online resources. There are also several books by a well-known coach, Joe Friel, that I have used for reference, though I've never followed his training programs exactly.
At some point, I got frustrated by the mismatch of various programs to my strengths and weaknesses
(I had a strong background in running and swimming but not cycling, which is a bit unusual
), and lacked the knowledge base to really know how to balance my training properly between the three sports, or train properly for the bike. In the end I decided to work with an online coach for much of each year. She's a partner in a coaching business--a small group of coaches who do private coaching for individuals. There are lots of those out there--some very large outfits like Endurance Nation, and some just a single coach with only a few athletes. Many triathletes
(including me
) log their workouts on Training Peaks. There is a feature there allowing you to search for a coach. TP also provides a platform for coaches to give workouts online to their athletes, for athletes to log their training
(some use it only for that
), for coaches to view what the athlete has done
(uploaded Garmin files, for example, and comments
), and athletes to get feedback from the coach. Hope this is helpful!