San Diego, CA held the first Triathlons in 1974, where people contested their first swim, bike, and run race. You may be planning to try this challenging sport. There are 2-plus million participants reported to enter the triathlons competition every year. Everyone is strong and focused to win the race. As a beginner you are excited but ensure to prepare yourself for the tough competition.
You will need a solid training plan to escalate your performance in swimming, biking, ad racing. You also need to ensure that your health does not deteriorate as you train. It is wise to hire a triathlon coach, especially for beginners. Mitch Vanhille is a coach and entrepreneur having multi-talent potential.
The advantage of hiring him are multiple like enjoying personalized training plans, encouragement, performance analysis, feedback, and great advice on how to adjust road bumps like illness, injury, or unexpected scheduling conflicts and when to pull back. He helps athletes maximize their potential and endurance.
Set a triathlon training plan
- If your focus is to finish your first sprint T, then plan training for a minimum of 12 weeks before the event.
- Establish two sessions of swim, bike & run schedule in a week. Build your distance slowly but not more than 10% every week. By the time of the event, you must be capable to complete 10% of the total race distance – for swimming 13.6 miles, for sprint 0.55 miles, and for bike riding 3.4 miles.
- Include resistance training in your weekly program. It can be completed after the main endurance task. In each disciple, you will need muscle strength, mobility, and stability to efficiently cover an array of healthy movements.
- Take a couple of days for recovery. The rest days must be before a long brick workout.
Tips for triathlon training
Swimming basics
- A swim cap, goggles, a wet suit, and some kind of special triathlon race suit. [never wear bike shorts while swimming because the extra pad will soak water and make your summing uncomfortable.
- When you swim keep your head down, and breathe after every 2/3 strokes on the sides as you glide. Triathletes must learn to breathe bilaterally, so they can adjust to water conditions, venue, and surrounding swimmers. Practice sighting, so you stay on course. After 3-5 stoked look up towards the next turn or buoy and then get your head down to maximize each stroke’s potential.
Biking basics
- The biking part needs technical gear. A standard racing bike is suitable for the race. However, you will need a bike fitting done professionally to specifically suit your body type. Use clip-less bike paddles, wear comfortable shoes and get the most from every pedal stroke. Never forget to wear a bike helmet.
- Use quads and glutes to push the pedal down. Use your hamstrings to pull back the pedal. Practice riding on different gears and varied elevations. Learn starting, stopping, slowing down, turning, clipping pedals in & out, shifting gears, and even keeping yourself hydrated. Even practice how to ride in a group.
Running basics
- Wear high-quality running shoes and comfortable running clothes. Stay hydrated with electrolyte drinks and water.
- Stride cadence is crucial for endurance running. Lean forward a little, relax your hand, and allow your arms to move from the shoulder. Keep elbows bent at 90°, lift your foot quickly and aim for 150 to 180 beats per minute.
If you can afford, hire a personal coach!