First Month
Focus on building up you mileage/distances for each of the swim; bike and run disciplines and preparing yourself for racing at 3 different sports all in one go.
- Your main aim is to be able to complete the race distance that you have chosen to compete in. It is important to build up to this slowly especially if you are out of shape or haven’t raced triathlon before.
- Increase your workload slightly over the weeks upping your distances approx. 10% every week, doing it this way will prevent injury and illness and will keep you focussed instead of feeling fatigued.
- Keep sessions slow, your speed will come naturally when you start to get stronger, the real speed will come at a later stage once your ability improves
- Good technique is important
- If possible get a coach
- Make sure your diet is adequate
SWIM
Try to swim a little bit further than the distance your actually going to race, so for example if your race is 750m then train for about a 1000m, don’t worry if you can’t do this all in one go break it down and aim to cover the distance, increase per session and an early goal to set yourself would be to reach the distance in one go, the more you swim the better you will feel and stronger you will become.
BIKE
Make sure you have all the relevant equipment
For example:
A roadworthy bike – may be worth getting it serviced if you haven’t used it in a while
A helmet – compulsory for races so get used to wearing it, make sure it’s comfortable and fits well
Shoes – these don’t have to be cycling shoes but if they are trying them out before you go on your first long ride to make sure you can get in and out of your pedals.
Clothing – make sure all clothing is comfortable and not too tight
For your first ride it may be worth have someone to accompany you and make sure that the terrain is not too difficult. Build the rides up to longer distances over the first few weeks, and as with the swim it is a good idea to cover the race distance at least.
Run
Running is normally the easiest discipline out of the three to do but at the end of a triathlon your legs sometimes don’t feel like your own, but to start we don’t want to think about that…. Build your running up gradually to develop strength, to do this long, steady runs will be beneficial, again run with a partner if possible and make sure you are running at a pace that you can still hold a chat, this will help take your mind off training.
