A triathlon is a race that consists of running, swimming and biking. Unlike marathons, which have a set distance, the distance varies for each part of a triathlon. Athletes use a variety of workouts when training for a triathlon.
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Running
Running is a lower-body impact sport. To prepare for the running portion of a triathlon, focus your running workouts on specific tasks, such as hill climbs or distance running.
Swimming
Swimming is a non-impact full body sport. According to RunnersWorld.com, the focus during swim training should be efficiency. Triathletes often try to be as effective as possible with each stroke as they swim.
Biking
Biking is a non-impact lower body sport. Like running workouts, bike workouts have a focus, such as hill climbing or distance workouts. Similar to their swim training, triathletes focus on efficiency by working on pedal technique. Efficient bicyclists learn to push pedals forward during the first half of the stroke and pull pedals back on the second half of the stroke to maintain an easy, consistent cadence.
Cardiovascular
Because each event in a triathlon is focused on cardiovascular exercise, most triathletes use additional cardiovascular exercises to supplement their training, such as deep water running or stair climbing.
Strength Training
Many triathletes use weights and other equipment during strength training sessions to work on weak areas and improve specific muscles for swimming, biking and running.
