The triathlon is one of the most grueling athletic events there is. Athletes must train many months to be able to finish one. Often, years of training are required to be a competitive triathlete. Any person in reasonably good physical condition can start training for a triathlon. The key is to follow a well-prepared program in order to encourage improvement and motivation.
Step 1
Assess your current physical condition. If you are out of shape and not regularly exercising, you must start your training for a triathlon slowly. If you are already a well-conditioned distance athlete, then you can get to the hard stuff right away. Be honest with yourself. If you exhaust yourself or become injured immediately, you might give up.
Step 2
Start training for a triathlon at least six months before the race if you are in good physical condition. If you are in average to poor physical condition, you might want to stretch out your training time to as long as one year. They key is to gradually introduce your body to the punishment of a triathlon.
Step 3
Get a stopwatch and start timing yourself. Keep careful records. Swim, bike and run at a moderate pace until you are tired. Record your distance and time. For the first month of your triathlon training, perform one event per workout for as long and as far as you can. Try to top yourself every time. At this point you are just trying to build endurance.
Step 4
Get plenty of sleep every night and eat well. Remember, you are trying to get into shape. Eight hours of sleep is essential for recovery. Avoid junk food, fried food, alcohol and sweets. Consume many small meals throughout the day consisting of lean protein, whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lots of water.
Step 5
Draw up a workout schedule. Devote the first day of the week to your weakest event. Follow that with a day of rest, then your second weakest event. Follow that with another day of rest, then your strongest event. End the week with two days of rest, then start over. Follow this schedule for two to four months after your initial "getting in shape" month. Change up your workouts to include speed days and endurance days.
Step 6
Combine all three events in the same workout over the next two to four months. Do a little swimming, biking and running in race order to get your body used to the sequence. Always follow workout days with rest days. Continue alternating between workouts for distance and workouts for speed.
Step 7
Concentrate on a single big workout day per week in the final month or two before the race. Push yourself hard on this day, then have light workouts the rest of the week. This will train your body to peak on a regular schedule. Try to make this day the same day of the week as the actual race.
Step 8
Take it easy in the days before the race. Stay loose with light workouts but preserve your energy. Drink plenty of water all week so that your body is hydrated. Get more sleep than usual. This will set your body up to be in prime condition on race day.
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