Your First Sprint Triathlon Training Plan WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF TRIATHLON IRONGEEZER & IRONGEEZELLE Sprint Triathlon - Swim - Bike - Run This plan will be posted here thru 2010. Put his site in your favorites, and refer to it as often as you need to when you start your training plan. Tell a friend about this program! No sign in - No ads  - No spam - Free This program is for beginners of ALL AGES! It is not based on speed, but on endurance. You can go as slow, or fast as you want. The training schedule is in minutes, not yards or miles. Since this is your FIRST triathlon, the goal is to finish and to have fun! This plan is a record of what we did. We are not recommending that you follow this plan. Your plan is up to you, your doctor, and your coach. Before starting this program, you should have been walking, biking, or running consistently. If not, work on being able to swim for 20 minutes, bike 30 minutes and run/walk 20-30 minutes. If you can't do all the minutes in the program below, don't worry. 45 min. of running or 35 min. of swimming does sound like a lot. Just do the best you can. On race day, you will get an extra boost from race day adrenaline. However, make sure that you have done at least one 800 yard swim before your event, especially if your first tri is in a lake or the ocean and not in a pool. Biking will be easy at the sprint tri distance. During the run, you can stop and walk as much as is needed, it's allowed in an event. Week Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun 1 Swim 15 Run 20 off Bike 35 Run 20 Swim 30 off Bike 40 2 Swim 20 Run 25 off Bike 35 Run 20 Swim 30 off Bike 45 3 Swim 20 Run 25 off Bike 30 Run 25 Swim 35 off Bike 45 4 Swim 20 Bike 30 off Run 25 Swim 25 Bike 45 off Run 30 5 Swim 25 Run 30 off Run 25 Run 30 Swim 30 off Bike 45 6 EZ Run 15 off Bike 25 Run 15 Bike 25 off Swim 20 7 Run 20 off Bike 30 Bike 25 Run 20 off Swim 25 8 Swim 25 Bike 35 off Run 35 Bike 50 Swim 30 off Run 35 9 Swim 25 Bike 35 off Run 25 Swim 30 Bike 35 Run 20 off Run 35 10 Swim 30 Run 30 off Bike 45 Run 45 Swim 35 off Bike 60 11 Swim 20 Bike 30 off Run 25 Bike 35 Swim 20 off Bike 55 Run 30 12 Swim 20 off off Run 30 Bike 45 off Swim20 Race off Bike 15 off Swim 10 Run 10 off Race enjoy! A typical sprint triathlon is a 500 yard swim, 12 mile bike ride, and a 3 mile run. These distances are often expressed metrically: 400m swim, 20k bike and a 5k run. This training plan is in minutes, not miles or yards. Naturally, you can change the days of the week to suit your schedule.

START - SWIM - TRANSITION #1 - BIKE - TRANSITION #2 - RUN - FINISH The Start: Your race may start on dry land, or in the water. This information will be available when you sign up for the event. Find out about the start, and practice that type of start. Transition #1: Known as T1, swim to bike. After leaving the water, you will proceed to a transition area. You will need to don and fasten your bike helmet, shoes, glasses, race number, and whatever you need before mounting your bike. Your race web site and race packet will explain where the transition area will be located, and how to enter and exit. If not, check this out first thing race morning. Be sure to practice the swim to bike transition during your training. Transition #2: Known as T2, bike to run. You will return to the area that you left on your bike. You will remove your bike helmet, after racking your bike etc. Put on your running shoes, cap and any other special equipment (no personal audio equipment) that you prefer to have while you run. Practice the bike to run transition in your training. Tip 1: If at all possible, we recommend that you watch a triathlon in person, before you participate in your first one. It will make your first triathlon a little easier. Tip 2: Know the course. If the course is near your home, and it is safe to do so, practice on that course, at least once. Tip 3: Know the rules of triathlon. A sanctioned race - sanctioned by the governing body USAT - will adhere to the competitive rules of that organization. You should review these rules, especially the drafting rules. www.usatriathlon.org Tip 4: You will here the word "brick" from triathletes during your training. A brick is when, in your training, you swim/bike, or bike/run, or swim/bike/run quickly in that order. It is what you will do in a triathlon, so it is a good idea to practice bricks. It will help your muscles adapt to the demands that you are making on race day. Reading List: Your First Triathlon. Joe Friel. A 12 week program for the beginning triathlete, that will allow the newbie to complete a sprint triathlon with a five hour a week training program. Questions? Help? Contact us: irongeezelle@msn.com Caution: Always check with your doctor before starting any new exercise, or increasing the intensity of your present programs. The source for some of the information on this page is from: www.beginnertriathlete.com & www.irongeezer.com  Open Water Swimming By Irongeezelle OPEN WATER SWIMMING: Lakes, Rivers, Ocean ”The water is your friend.  You don't have to fight with water, just share the same spirit as the water, and it will help you move.” Alexander Popov Fears and Anxieties: They are natural. Admit them. Learn to overcome them.  Identify: What is my fear? 1. The Madding Crowd 2. Murky water – What no lane lines? 3. The Food Chain. 4. The Unknown. 5. Water quality. 6. Water and weather conditions. 7. Temperature, waves, surf. Why? Because it is all so different than on land or the pool. What Happens?  Any fear or anxiety may lead hyperventilating at the start of the race.  Breathing – breathing while swimming is usually the most difficult part of swimming technique. The breathing stroke, even in the pool, is the worst stroke. Technique, the ability to bi-laterally breathe and practice for open water swimming in the pool, if open water practice is impossible or impractical, will provide the skills necessary to breath properly and avoid hyperventilating due to anxiety. Pool Drills for Tri-Specific Open Water Swimming: 1. Get in the pool with a bunch of mates and share a lane. Practice following each other (drafting is legal).  Variation: Swim shoulder to shoulder. 2. Simulate wetsuit swimming – use a pull buoy to give yourself horizontal body position.  3. Get in the deep end where there are no lane lines, if possible, and make sure there are no divers – swim in circles there with out touching the walls.  4. Instead of pushing off hard, push off softly, or turn before the wall – there is no wall in the open water. 5. Do push-ups on the pool deck, then swim race pace for 50 yards. Hop on deck, repeat. Pay attention to your fatigue level and heart rate, please when doing this.  6. Get in the pool. Tread water, pretending you are at the start of your in water start race, then start as fast as your fastest pace for 50 yards, then settle down into a comfortable pace you can maintain. 7. Practice bi-lateral breathing. 8. Practice rolling over on your back to adjust your goggles. 9. Close your eyes while swimming the length of the pool. Do this in a lane  by yourself. 10. Learn to sight while breathing. 11. Heads-up swimming – like the old Tarzan films. 12. Play water polo. 13. Serpentine swim with others. 14. Visualize your swim in the open water.  15. Practice swimming with the wetsuit in the pool. 16. Swim the distance of your race, straight-through, no breaks, - even go over-distance.

RELAXATION The Goal:  Relaxation!  The ability to swim long distances and remain relaxed is a key to triathlon swimming.  Unlike competitive swimming in a pool, you will need to learn to conserve  energy and relax during your swim. When you finish the swim, you should feel race ready, not frazzled, exhausted or spent. You should feel warmed-up and ready for the bike.   Equipment for Open Water Swimming: If the event is wetsuit legal, swim with the wetsuit…no discussion on this point. The best triathlete swimmers do this. Up to and including 78 degrees F. >78, but<84 degrees, you can still wear the wet suit, but you are not eliglible for awards.  (USAT Rules) Wetsuit: Shorty, Sleeveless, Full. Swim Cap, Brightly Colored. Neoprene Cap.   Neoprene Booties. Body Glide, Cooking Spray. Goggles.   The Event: 1. If there are practice swims prior to the triathlon, do them. 2. Check the course – the buoy set - as soon as you get there. Pick your  sighting landmarks. 3. Check out the start and finish of swim. 4. Understand the entry and exit points of the swim to bike transition. 5. Take your time putting on your wetsuit. 6. Don’t miss your wave start. 7. Line up according to your ability level. 8. If conditions are tougher than you expected, high surf, for instance, and out of your ability range, call it a day. That’s the smart and safe triathlete’s decisions.   Safety, first:  Never Swim Alone!   -Select a supervised area. A trained lifeguard who can help in an emergency is the best safety factor.    -Select an area that has good water quality and safe natural conditions. Murky water, hidden underwater objects, unexpected drop-offs, and aquatic plant life are hazards. Water pollution can cause health problems for swimmers. Strong tides, big waves, and currents can turn an event that began as fun into a tragedy.    -Enter feet first, don’t dive in. Always look before jumping off a dock or raft to be sure no one is in the way.   -Never swim under a raft or dock. Avoid drainage ditches and arroyos. Drainage ditches and arroyos for water run-off are not good places for swimming or playing in the water. After heavy rains, they can quickly change into raging rivers that can easily take a human life. Even the strongest swimmers are no match for the power of the water. Fast water and debris in the current make ditches and arroyos very dangerous.   -Check the surf conditions before you enter the water. Check to see if a warning flag is up or check with a lifeguard for water conditions, beach conditions, or any potential hazards.   -Keep a lookout for aquatic life:  Avoid patches of plants. Leave animals alone.   -Make sure you always have enough energy to swim back to shore.   -Don’t try to swim against a current if caught in one. Swim gradually out of the current, by swimming across it.  Source: American Red Cross Water Safety.   Other Resources: *Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer   Lynne Cox. *Triathlon Swimming Made Easy: The Total Immersion Way for Anyone to          Master Open-Water Swimming. Terry Laughlin. *DVD: Freestyle Made Easy. Terry Laughlin.   *DVD: Swimming Upstream. (Against the odds, he found the strength to become a champion.) Movie.  *DVD: The Big Bad Swim. Movie.

click HERE to return to HOME page About Irongeezelle: Tatjana is an avid mulit-sport athlete. She walks, swims, surfs, hikes, dances, bowls,bikes, runs, kayaks, boogie-boards, and keeps the Irongeezer in line. She is an Ironman and Code Pink Boot Camp finisher. Irongeezelle.com policy: We do not sell or share your personal information, nor do we contact you, unless you have requested us to do so. None of the above named sites give medical advice: Always check with your doctor before starting any new activity or increasing your present activity. We and/or contributors to these Web sites will not accept liability for any injury, illness or death which results from application of advice or information contained in these pages. It is the viewer's responsibility to ensure that they are in a state of health which will enable them to safely undertake any strenuous exercise. The viewer is personally responsible for ensuring the safe application of any information described in these sites. We do not claim to possess the professional or academic qualifications of subjects presented on these sites. The information results from our own experience, or experiences we have read or been told about. Irongeezer™, IrongeezerSays™, IrongeezelleSays™ and Irongeezelle™ are Trademarks of Cliff & Tatjana Eggink. Cliff Eggink is the original Irongeezer™. Tatjana Eggink is the original Irongeezelle™. © 2004 - 2009 Irongeezelle.com. All rights reserved.