my summer tri training plan
Triathlon training officially starts this week! Woohoo! While I still am scared out of my mind, I am also so incredibly excited to take on a new challenge!
I originally planned on doing the Rec Plex Triathlon at the end of September, but that meant my training wouldn’t even start until the end of the summer. And smack dab in the middle of volleyball season and the beginning of the school year. That’s the hardest time of the year for me to train since I just simply don’t have time to dedicate to training. So I scratched off that one and searched for a different local tri.
I really wanted one for the end of July and actually ended up finding one out in Kirkwood (about 40 minutes from our house). It was a great, short sprint tri – 400m pool swim, 12 mile bike, and 5K run. There are no awards, making it a great one for newbies like me! Perfect!
Until… my friend Elena told me she was planning on doing the Alligator Creek Triathlon in August, which is much closer to home for me. It was even more perfect: a 300-yard pool swim, 18.6 mile bike, and 5K run. And the date – August 11 – is the day before I go back to work for the new school year and the start of volleyball season. What a great way to end my summer!
Which takes me to my training plan. Of course, I started with my tried and true, Hal Higdon. I really wanted a plan for runners since I am a runner through and through. I wanted a plan that would decrease my mileage a little bit, but I would still be running 4-5 days per week. And Hal certainly delivered with his Triathlon 2 training plan. Four days a week of running, several bricks mixed in, a gradual bump in mileage, and what seems like a great mix of all 3 sports.
For the runs, I am planning on really pushing my pace on the days where that is my only sport. I am also adding CrossFit to those days since that is my only sport as well. On the brick days, I will most likely be pushing the stroller and keeping a slower, recovery pace. I am hoping that will at least help me maintain my speed.
It didn’t take me long to realize that I just could not do CrossFit 5 days a week while training. So, instead, I’m going to hit those workouts hard, pushing myself as much as I can, and adding in some heavier, multijoint lifts (squats, deadlifts, presses, Olympic lifts) since I will have more time to recover between workouts.
I had to adapt Hal’s training plan a little bit to suit my needs, but I think it’s going to work out really well for me!
I’m so excited about this training plan. It’s going to definitely keep me on my toes and challenge me to a new level. I can’t wait to see where it takes me!
Do you follow a training plan when training for races?