Sprint Triathlon Training - Finishing On Race Day

Most first time triathletes have no idea how to prepare for their first race. They choose a race that is a month away and think they are going to have enough time to train. So Wrong! A triathlon training program should start about 12 weeks prior to race day. Workout 3 or 4 days a week and slowly build into 6 days a week. If you are already in relatively good shape and are already proficient in the swim, bike or run, it may be possible to get adequate training in only 8 weeks.

The majority of individuals that participate in triathlons have some background in one of the three sports. They are either a swimmer, a bicyclist or a runner. Even if you are world class in one of the three sports, it is still essential to practice all three every week. This will help develop and tone the proper muscles so that you are able to be proficient in all three legs. Once you are adding an extra day or two to your routine, emphasis can be placed on weaker aspects of your ability but no sport should be neglected for more than a week. By the 8th week, training twice a week in each sport should be feasible.

Brick workouts are essential to being able to compete well on race day. A sprint triathlon training program that does not include bricks will inevitably fail. A brick workout consists of transitioning between your swim to bicycling or your bicycling to a run. Your body needs to learn how it feels to switch from one discipline to another and brick workouts are the only way to make this possible. Transitions are often the "make or break" of new triathletes and should be practiced often. Start implementing them as early as week 4 and no later than week 8 of your training.

Who was it that said, "Never give up. Never surrender?" (Might have been Tim Allen from that movie Galaxy Quest) Totally cliche but this is the attitude you need during your sprint triathlon training and especially on race day. I had only 12 weeks from being a couch potato to finishing my first triathlon. It was 95 degrees outside on race day and they ran out of water during my final leg. But you know what? I Finished! (Second to last, but that doesn't matter) The reason? I was not going to go through all of that and not finish! I not only was determined to finish; I KNEW I would finish. Some have said that attitude is everything. During your first sprint triathlon, that may be fairly close to the truth.