How to Train for My First Triathlon?

photo courtesy of Billy Brown

Triathlons are more than an athletic endeavor--they also are an exercise in planning and organization. Because a triathlete has to excel at running, biking and swimming, it takes a solid game plan to give each discipline the attention that it needs. Given the sport's difficulty, it's best to ease into it with a "sprint" distance triathlon, which typically consists of a 1/2-mile swim, a 10- to 15-mile bike ride, and a 3- to 6-mile run.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Training

Things You’ll Need:

Running shoes Swimsuit or wetsuit Bicycle and helmet
Running shoes
Swimsuit or wetsuit
Bicycle and helmet

Step 1

Establish a training schedule that you can stick with. To start with, run two days, bike two days and swim two days each week, giving yourself one rest day to recover. This gives each discipline an equal amount of attention while allowing your body to adapt to your routine.

Step 2

Ease into the training to prevent yourself from burning out or getting injured. Start out running/walking 20 minutes at a time, biking 5 to 10 miles and swimming for about 10 to 20 minutes at a time, taking breaks as needed. Slowly increase your training load, working your way up to the distances you'll be covering in the race.

Step 3

Once you're able to cover the distances that you will run, bike and swim on race day, start combining your workouts. Start running after your bike workout to get used to the feeling of running immediately after a bike ride, and a swim workout can be surprisingly refreshing after a long run.

Step 4

As the race approaches, make sure that you've logged at least one swim workout in open water to get used to dealing with waves and keeping the proper course.

Step 5

Ease off on the training the week before the race to keep yourself from being fatigued on race day. Keep your workouts short, focusing on keeping your muscles loose and your form tight.

Article Written By Billy Brown

Billy Brown is an outdoor sports writer living in Northern California. An avid rock climber and trail runner, he's been writing about outdoor activities, fitness and gear since 2005. He regularly contributes to "The Record Searchlight," uncooped.com, and Trails.com, as well as other print and online publications. Brown holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Simpson University and is a NASM-certified personal trainer.

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