The Iron Man Triathlon is the most well-known distance for the multisport race, that endurance challenge isn't the international standard for swim-bike-run combo. The international, or Olympic, distance triathlon, with its 1,500-meter swim, 40-kilometer bike ride and 10-kilometer run, is the international standard for triathlon competition. Although it's not nearly as grueling as an Iron Man's 140-mile distance, you still need serious preparation for an international-distance triathlon.
Training Schedule
Because you effectively have to train for three sports rather than one, developing a schedule that meets the needs of all three activities' demand is essential. The International Triathlon Union recommends triathletes swim and run two or three times each week and bike once or twice a week, while avid trainers should swim up to six times a week and bike up to three times weekly. Because it's essential you give your body time to rebuild itself, a novice triathlete should rest two days a week, while expert trainers only need a day of rest per week. Expert trainers should swim every workout day, and alternate between run and bike workouts each workout day.
Swimming
The international-length swim is just shy of a mile long, so you'll need endurance as well as technique to conquer your water leg. To successfully train for an international triathlon, you should be able to swim at a workout pace for 40 minutes continuously, although your time in the pool each day will vary. Alternate your workouts between continuous 30-minute swims, covering as much distance as possible, and sets of a shorter distance on a timed intervals to build your speed and stamina, such as 100-meter swims in 1:30--or whatever interval you can reasonably hold--or 50-meter sprints with 30 seconds of rest.
Biking
Although it's usually considered the least challenging leg of a triathlon, you'll still need to prepare yourself for a long haul on your bike. Rotate through a mixture of distance rides, from 40-km race-pace dry runs to 60-minute rides to push your stamina, and sprints, three 15-minute fast-paced stretches followed by two-minute cool downs, works both strength and endurance. Mix two-minute bursts of hard pedaling with breaks where you use your bike as a weight for 10 reps of rows, curls and front raises to combine upper-body conditioning into your regimen.
Running
Because a triathlon's run follows its swimming and cycling legs, you'll need to be prepared to make your 10-km run while you battle fatigue. You can build aerobic conditioning by tackling burst-speed intervals, such as a 20-minute challenge where you complete as many 200-meter runs as possible with a 30-second rest interval. Build stamina with 60-minute time trials and race-pace 10-km runs.
Resistance Training
As you make time for three disciplines in your workout schedule, you may be tempted to ignore weight training. Weightlifting can supplement endurance training, if tackled in the proper manner. Instead of high-weight, low-repetition anaerobic exercise, low-weight routines with a high number of repetitions aids endurance athletes such as triathletes; when supplemented with explosive, high-impact weight training, it has been shown to improve endurance.
Member Comments