WEEK 1 Here you should be building a routine and allocating time to train, learning skills and using drill work to improve technique. Remember to adapt sessions if you cannot complete them due to your fitness level or injury. Quality is more important than quantity! 20 mins 2km 10km 10 mins 600m 12km at RPE 4-5 2 min power walking at RPE 4 50m Freestyle (FS) at exertion) 4-5. 2 x 25m kicking with drill 50m FS at RPE 4-5 5 mins at RPE 4 15 mins at RPE 7 3- Increase your effort to RPE 5-6 for the rest of the distance. 4 x 100m Freestyle at RPE 5-6 Use your breathing to control your pace and effort. If your breathing is controlled, you avoid starting off too hard. Think about keeping your body position high in the water. 1 arm drill: 25m 1 arm, 25m FS x 4 1 x 150m FS + pull buoy at RPE 6 8km at RPE 7-8 at RPE 4-5 twice through: 3 mins run at RPE 7 1 min walk at RPE 5 100m at RPE 5 Starting off with a steady ride to get you moving. Use RPE and breathing rate to control your effort and use this to give yourself an idea of where your fitness is at for future sessions. Learning to pace yourself will be important when running off the bike. Use your RPE and breathing rate to control your effort and help pace. Swimming with a pull buoy allows you to rest your legs, while raising your hips to improve your position in the water. It s a great tool for helping you focus on body position and isolating your upper body. 50m FS at RPE 4-5 25m fist, 25m FS x 4 2 x 150m FS + pull buoy at RPE 6 50m at RPE 5 Feeling comfortable on the bike is important for endurance riding. Use these early session to set a yard stick that you can build on as the weeks progress. You can do this session inside or out. Intervals allow you to work at varying intensities above and below your comfortable speed which will lead to improvements in fitness. Run/Walk training is also useful for those new to running. Drill work will help your stroke formation and fitness. The fist drill helps you focus more on your whole forearm and not just your hand. Head outside for a ride, if possible over a route with some undulation to the terrain, which will provide some natural inclines for you to work on. Keep your effort between RPE 5-8 Riding outdoors will help improve bike handling skills as well as getting used to feeling what it s like riding over varying terrain and conditions. With higher impact, running places extra strain on your body. If you re new to running, starting off with just two runs in your first week will allow your body a little time to adapt. In place of this session you may opt for a gym based session on a cross-trainer or additional strength session 26
WEEK 2 Building on your first week, aim to match your pace over the three disciplines. If you want to include any group or club sessions, work them into your plan, as training with others can be beneficial. Keep hydrated while training, always take a water bottle with you poolside. 650m 20 mins 2km 12km 12 mins 15km 2.5km 50m Freestyle (FS) at exertion) 4-5 1 arm drill: 25m 1 arm drill, 25m FS x 4 5 mins at RPE 6 5 mins at RPE 8 5 mins at RPE 7 2 x 150m FS + pull buoy drill at RPE 6 1 min at RPE 4 2 mins at RPE 4 Run at RPE 7 for the rest of the distance. 50m FS at RPE 4-5 2 x 25m kicking with 4 x 100m FS at RPE 5-6 at RPE 4-5 8km at RPE 7 at RPE 4 2 min at RPE 4 2 mins at RPE 6 1 min at RPE 8 Working on your alignment will improve your efficiency in the water and help with speed. Imagine trying to be long and smooth in the water. Training to time keeps sessions specific and measurable. Use your breathing to judge your pacing, keeping it controlled. Use your breathing to control your pace and effort. If your breathing is controlled, you avoid going off too hard. Think about keeping your body position high in the water. Learning to hold a steady pace is important for endurance sport. Using these early sessions to give you an idea of what pace and speed you can maintain will help you train more specifically later on in the plan. Training to distance gives you a set goal to aim for. 4 x 25m kicking with with rest in between 1 x 200m FS at RPE 6 1 min at RPE 5 100m any stroke at RPE 4-5 Intervals at an easy aerobic pace and a more challenging pace will help you work out your pacing and boost your fitness. While kicking contributes relatively little to your swim speed, working on it will improve your body position in the water, making you faster. 100m at RPE 5 Intervals get you riding at different intensities above and below your sustainable effort level. This helps to break up training as well as provide fitness improvements. 100m FS at RPE 5 Building on last week s session, aim to maintain a similar pace, extending the distance. Use your gears to maintain effort on different terrain. Cycling at a comfortable cadence (pedal speed) will help you keep a good rhythm. 3 mins at RPE 4 Complete the rest of the distance at RPE 6-7. Work to a steady RPE, keep your breathing relaxed and focus on keeping your foot strike light. Aim to maintain your upright posture when you run, using your breathing to control your pace to keep yourself at a steady effort. 27
WEEK 3 This week, you are continuing to build on distance and pacing. As the session length increases, start to think about your hydration during training, how much water you re getting through and how much you will need to drink on race day. Plan ahead to fit your sessions into your day, and be sure to plan your meals so that you re fuelled and ready to go. 600m 25 mins 2km 600m 15km 14 mins 850m 20km 3.5km 50m Freestyle (FS) at exertion) 4-5 50m FS at RPE 4-5 2km at RPE 4 25m fist drill, 25m FS x 4 3km at RPE 7 at RPE 8 25m fist drill, 25m FS x 4 2 x 150m FS + pull buoy drill at RPE 6 4 mins at RPE 4 2 mins at RPE 4 Run at a comfortable pace for the rest of the distance at RPE 7. 50m FS at RPE 5 50m at RPE 5 Using the fist drill will help you think about the movement of your whole forearm and not just your hand, leading to better stroke movement underwater. Interval training to get you working above and below your comfortable pace. Aim for consistency in these sessions between sets. If you cannot sustain the pace later in the session, you will need to start slightly slower next time. 2 x 150m FS + pull buoy drill at RPE 6 Try to match or slightly better your time for last week s run over the same distance. Drill work will help your stroke formation and fitness. The fist drill helps you focus more on your whole forearm and not just your hand. at RPE 4 This session is easily completed on an indoor trainer or gym bike, but you can perform it outside if you have a relatively flat, uninterrupted route. 4 mins side step drills Repeat three times: 2 mins at RPE 6 1 min at RPE 8 1 min at RPE 4. Adding in drill work will help your efficiency by improving your foot strike and ground contact. 200m at RPE 4-5 50m kicking with 400m FS + pull buoy at RPE 5-6 200m FS at RPE 6-7 When breathing aim to keep one eye in the water and keep your strokes smooth. Continue kicking work to improve hip position. 3-5km at RPE 4-5 3 mins at RPE 4-5 Ride at a steady pace around RPE 7 using your gears to keep your effort matched to the terrain. Then complete the rest of your run at RPE 7. Riding outside will improve bike handling skills as well as learning to use your gearing more effectively to maintain effort and speed. Keep your breathing controlled and focus on being light on your feet. 28
WEEK 4 By 4 weeks into the training plan you should have a good idea of your base pace for your discipline. Use this to help pace you in future sessions or as a target to improve upon. If you re finding the session tough, you can break them down further, but aim to complete them where possible. If you re finding them easier you can add additional sets within each session or even another fitness session in the week. 750m 30 mins 2.5km 850m 18 mins 16 mins 25km 4km 200m 3 mins at RPE 4 4km at RPE 6 at RPE 9 three times: 1 min at RPE 8 200m FS at RPE 5 5 min at RPE 4 2-3 mins at RPE 4-5 1 min at RPE 5 Steady ride at RPE 6-7 with some hills included. Maintain steady cadence and rhythm. Run the remaining distance at RPE 7 at RPE 4 25m fist, 25m FS x 4 1 x 300m FS at RPE 6-7 2 x 150m FS at RPE 7-8 The aim of this session is to be able to repeat efforts at the same intensity over multiple repetitions. If you struggle to do this, you can adapt the ratio of rest to work, to give you self a little more recovery time between pushes. Increasing interval length to get you working for longer. Aim to be consistent with your pacing on the harder efforts, don t set off too quickly. Swimming longer distances will improve your fitness, keep working with your drills to help improve efficiency. Aim for consistency between intervals. Think about your position on the bike, using the drop bars to get lower on faster, flat sections, sitting on the tops when climbing or recovering. 100m Freestyle (FS) at exertion) 4-5 Fist and 1 arm drill: 25m fist, 25m FS, 50m 1 arm x2 3 x 150m FS + pull buoy Using the fist drill will help you think about the movement of your whole forearm and not just your hand, leading to better stroke movement underwater. 3 mins at RPE 8 2 mins at RPE 4 Increasing the length of the harder effort will make this a lot harder than the previous week. Adjust your speed/effort accordingly. at RPE 4-5 1.5km at RPE 8 at RPE 4 Running faster than your sustainable pace will improve speed and fitness. You may also adapt this as a run/walk session e.g. alternating between 2 mins walk and 3 mins harder run. 200m at RPE 4-5 50m Kicking with kickboard 400m FS + Pull buoy at RPE 5-6 200m FS at RPE 6-7 When breathing, aim to keep one eye in the water. Keep your strokes smooth. Continue kicking work to improve hip position. Using your runs from the first two weeks, aim to keep the pace similar or improve slightly. Use gears to maintain your effort on hills. 29
WEEK 5 When training you should test any new kit you are planning to use in the race to make sure it all fits and works how you expect it to. Start to think about areas outside your training you can be working on to improve performance; focus mainly on sleep and nutrition. OPEN WATER MIING It is strongly recommended you try to attend 1 or 2 coached or group open water sessions to help with confidence and technique. OWS 850m 35 mins 3km 1.4km 2 18 mins 30km 4.5km 200m Freestyle (FS) at exertion) 5 2km 4 mins leaping drills 4km at RPE 7 2km at RPE 8 three times: 1 min at RPE 9 at RPE 4 3 mins at RPE 5 By now you should be more familiar with your speeds at different intensities, so stick to them here as best you can. Work above and below your comfortable pace at the given intervals. The leaping drill is a great way of developing power in your legs, as well as getting you to focus on controlling your bodyweight as you land. 50m kicking with 400m FS + pull buoy at RPE 5-6 200m FS at RPE 6-7 When breathing aim to keep one eye in the water, so as not to lift your head too much. This helps prevent your legs from sinking. 5 times: 1 min at RPE 9 1 min at RPE 4 Working over three different levels of intensity will help you judge pace better, but also get you working at a higher intensity, while learning to recover too. at RPE 4 at RPE 6 at RPE 8 at RPE 4 Learning to run and sustain your race pace will help you hold a more consistent pace on race day. 100m FS at RPE 5 400m FS + pull buoy at RPE 6 2 x 200m FS at RPE 7 4 x 100m FS at RPE 8 100m FS at RPE 4 When doing shorter faster efforts, aim to be consistent between sets, to show that you can pace yourself. OPEN WATER (OWS) Take the time to fit your wetsuit properly. Get into the water slowly and flush water through your wetsuit. Focus on breathing and break up your efforts into shorter distances. For your first open water session, the focus should be about getting the wetsuit on, feeling what it s like to swim in one and the buoyancy you get from it. Take a look at the wetsuit fitting video. 5-10 mins at RPE 4-5 3-4 mins at RPE 5 Ride the remaining distance at a steady pace at RPE 6-8 with some harder efforts on hillier sections or flatter, uninterrupted sections of road. Complete the rest of your run building slowly from RPE 6 to 8 and finish strong. Building up beyond your race distance will improve your endurance and ensure you re easily able to complete the race distance. Learning to run slightly faster towards the end of a run is a useful pacing strategy for not setting out too fast as well as feeling what it s like to work harder towards the end of a race. 30
WEEK 6 Focus on your ability to hold higher efforts for longer. Intervals and speed work are where you put those finishing touches to your fitness. Consider joining a coached open water session as these will help your open water progress more. Wetsuit removal can be tricky, so practice this too. OWS 40 mins 2.5km 850m 23km 20 mins 35km 5.5km OPEN WATER 200m Freestyle (FS) at exertion) 5 25m fist drill, 25m FS x 4 1 x 300m FS at RPE 6-7 2 x 150m FS at RPE 7-8 Swimming longer distances will improve your fitness. Keep working with your drills to help improve efficiency. 200m FS at RPE 5 5 times: 1 min at RPE 9 at RPE 4 at RPE 6 at RPE 8 at RPE 5 1 min at RPE 4 Building on last week s session adding an extra minute at your race pace for each effort. 50m kicking with 400m FS + pull buoy at RPE 5-6 100m FS at RPE 6-7 100m FS at RPE 4 Similar structure to last week s session, with slightly reduced volume to compensate for your longer run this week. When breathing aim to keep one eye in the water, so as not to lift your head too much. This helps prevent your legs from sinking. 5km at RPE 7 2km at RPE 8 at RPE 4 1 min at RPE 5 Acclimatise to the wetsuit, water clarity & temperature Sighting drill: Practice sighting, lifting your head every 4-6 strokes. Work with the buoyancy of the suit, relax your leg kick and focus on hip rotation and arms. 5-10 mins at RPE 4-5 Head out on your longest ride, aiming to work just below your race pace at RPE 7. Use gearing to work slightly harder on hills. 3- Run the rest of the distance at a steady pace at RPE 6-7. When you get out, practice a quick wetsuit removal too. If you value some more time outside, you can aim to complete a similar session on the road, working above and below your race pace for a few km each time. Lengthening your effort time to get you to work at your race pace for longer. Open water sessions are for acclimatisation and skill work, you ll be a lot happier on race day if you can get comfortable in open water. As your longest bike session this will give you the confidence that you can easily complete the race distance. Running slightly longer than your race distance will give you the confidence to know you can easily complete it come race day. 31
WEEK 7 This is the final tough week before we start to taper. It is a good time to test your fitness and pacing to give you an idea of what you can expect on race day. With a high volume week like this you ll be able to go into next week confident that you are able to do the race distance easily. Nutrition and hydration are key. Think about what to eat before you race, something to fuel you that won t sit too heavily in your stomach. 1.4km 45 mins 3km 800m 25km 22 mins 25km 5km 2km at RPE 4-5 3 mins at RPE 4-5 3km at RPE 7 at RPE 8 3 mins at RPE 8 Continue your open water adaptation; putting on the wetsuit properly and flushing when you get into the water. Final at RPE 4 1 min at RPE 5 100m Freestyle (FS) at exertion) 5 1 x 400m FS + pull buoy at RPE 6 2 x 200m FS at RPE 7 4 x 100m FS at RPE 8 100m FS at RPE 4 By now you should feel speed improvements in the water and be aware of your body position more. Keep using your breathing as a way of pacing your efforts. 5 mins at RPE 4-5 3 mins at RPE 8 2 mins at RPE 5 1 min at RPE 9 800m FS at RPE 5 at RPE 4 Repeat twice through: at RPE 6 at RPE 9 at RPE 5 400m FS + pull buoy at RPE 5-6 150m FS at RPE 6-7 100m FS at RPE 5 4 mins at RPE 4 This session is broken into two blocks, the first focusing on aerobic efforts around your sustainable pace, and then shorter harder efforts, developing strength and speed. 50m kicking with Shorter efforts above and below your sustainable pace will get you working harder, which will help improve your fitness. When breathing aim to keep one eye in the water, so as not to lift your head too much. This helps prevent your legs from sinking. OPEN WATER You should feel a big difference between this session and similar sessions 6 weeks ago. Aim to sustain your efforts over each interval, you should now be going faster for the same effort level. Working for equal time at and below your race pace to help you improve your pacing. Practice starting and pacing as well as sighting during your swim. Use your breathing to pace yourself. By now you re hopefully feeling more comfortable in your wetsuit. If you are cycling after this, make sure you take time to practice getting your wetsuit off as soon as you exit the water. 5-10 mins at RPE 4-5 3- Ride the rest of the session aiming to maintain a steady average effort (at RPE 7-8), working slightly harder on any hills, using gearing to keep your cadence smooth. Run the rest of the session between RPE 5 and 8, getting slightly faster towards the end of the session if you can. Your last long ride before race day is a good chance to test yourself, make sure you re able to hold a steady pace as well as ensure you re drinking enough. Holding back on your pace, then increasing towards the end of your run will help you maintain pace, as well as teach to you finish strong. 32
RACE WEEK WEEK 8 The hard work is done, nothing you can do now will make you fitter in time for the race. Keep the sessions high quality with good pace work, and the reduced volume and distance will allow for recovery. Ensure good sleep and nutrition this week to get you to the start line in the best condition possible. Check your exact race date and distance online. RACE DAY 12km 3km 20 mins 1.5km (750m) (20km) (5km) Slow run at an easy pace to keep your legs feeling loose. RACE DAY RACE DAY RACE DAY Take time to do some light stretching work before and after the run. Do your best and enjoy! Do your best and enjoy! Do your best and enjoy! 200m Freestyle (FS) at RPE (rate of perceived exertion) 4 Repeat x 3: 50m at RPE 9 200m at RPE 6 Ride at RPE 5-7, a steady effort with some short harder bursts. 50m at RPE 4 Short sharp session, focus on your speed and technique. Think about your pacing over the longer efforts. Check your bike is in working order. After the ride, clean the bike and give the tyres a check. 3 min at RPE 4-5 Run at a slightly harder than race effort for the rest of the distance, around RPE 8-9 Running this short distance at a tough pace will give you some confidence with your fitness without fatiguing you too much. 100 m FS at RPE 4-5 3 x 100m FS at RPE 8 1 x 50m FS at RPE 9 50m FS at RPE 4 Last pool session, a chance to do a little speed work and test your fitness a few days before you race. 1 min at RPE 4 Short interval session working on speed while tapering. Focus on consistency with your efforts. 33