The Working Adult's Triathlon Training Schedule

When I first started doing triathlons, I set a goal of finishing an Ironman

. The ultimate distance, it covers a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run. But I encountered a similar problem as most people - finding the time to train. Finishing an event of that distance requires an unbelievable weekly time commitment for training.

At the time, I was in law school. Fast forward to 2008, when I started training for my first Ironman. I was working full time with a family. I had limited time to train. So I set up my training schedule accordingly, and I still use it today.

1) Monday Run:

I used to do my long run on Saturday and my long ride on Sunday. But then I realized that there were other things I wanted to do on the weekends, and I couldn't spend both Saturday and Sunday afternoon/evening recovering from the morning's workout. So I changed the long run to Monday. Not only has it worked, but it has also made my weekends much more productive. Even on my longest runs of three hours, I can still easily fit the run in before I head off to work in the morning.

2) Tuesday Bike:

Sunday and Monday are hard days. Unfortunately I have to schedule my long bike and long run back-to-back. But I use Tuesday to recover. The key is to really use this workout as a recovery, and not as a chance to go hard for a short period of time.

3) Wednesday Swimming:

Wednesday is the only day of the week that I swim. I figure that it is the shortest part of the race and I will never be great at swimming, so I only do it once per week. But I make the most of it, by making it a long workout that incorporates distance, speed work, and drills.

4) Thursday Speed Bike:

Thursday is another hard bike workout. I focus on speed an strength, and this usually lasts between one and two hours. It is enough to get my legs burning, but not so much that I am spent for the next three days.

5) Friday:

On Friday, I do a hard run. It is either a tempo run or a speed workout at the track. For the tempo run, which I hold in high regard early in the season, I warm up, then do twenty-five to forty minutes of lactate threshold work, then cool down. For speed work, I mostly do repeats of 800-meters, with the appropriate warm up and cool down. Both help me with a faster run.

6) Saturday Weights:

The only day that I lift weights is Saturday. I don't have time for more than that, and I have to sacrifice somewhere. But I do make the workout count. Usually it is an hour long session, all upper body and abdominals. This workout is solely to feed my own vanity, although it does hvae some affect on my swimming I'm sure.

7) Sunday Long Bike:

To keep up the base of my endurance, I try my hardest to make this at least fifty miles. But the point is to get a longer bike in every week on a consistent basis. The distance will vary depending on your goals and endurance level.

What else?

I am a firm believer in brick workouts. So after every bike session, I go for a short run to get my legs used to the feeling of running after biking.

I also add a swim session on Saturday later in the season. This is a short session, but helpful. Plus it's warm outside and being in the pool just feels right.

by: David J. Marquardt

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