Dirtbagfitness

I've spent some time browsing the Google looking for a good Olympic distance training plan and haven't had much luck finding something I like. Anyone have a place they like to go to for plans? There are a lot of books out there on training too, suggestions for one with the best plans?

waupaca11

beginnertriathlete.com has great Oly distance training plans on their free platform.

sirious94

I would recommend taking one of the plans and then alter it to your likes, use it as an outline, then change the workouts until it suits you.

900aero

If you're after a book - Joe Friels books ( The Triathletes Bible and Going Long) are both good although very, very detailed. Going Long is definitely IM oriented but still helpful to read. Another book/site is Chris Carmicheal, The Time -Crunched Cyclist . Obviously, its only about cycling but the program is a pretty good fit for Oly - half IM distance racing and has very specific plans laid out for you. Carmicheal is Lances coach ( which you may or may not like....works for me) and has some very good basic knowledge about training and nutrition included in the book. I've learnt a lot from all these books.

I'd also recommend the articles and forums on slowtwitch.com . These guys have been tri-obsessed longer than most and their sense of detail seems to know no bounds.

However, you'll need to work through all of these resources to find specifics for Olympic distance. Please post any good finds - this is the distance that I'm chasing this season too.

cjbruin

When is your race? What race is it?
What's your current fitness level (for each sport)?
How much time do you have to train?
Do you have a goal time or do you just want to complete it?

Dirtbagfitness

Thanks for the books and links, I'll be checking those out. Beginnertriathlete.com's plans seem like the best at the moment for use and modification, but I'll look at those books and at slowtwitch, which I'm a member of but haven't been to in a while.

@cjbruin
The race is the Honolulu Tri May 15th, so I have plenty of time, just planning ahead.
Current fitness level is good for the swim. I plan my workouts with a 1:30/100m standard and that normally give me decent rest time. And at the end of my last training cycle for my last sprint I was thinking I should be moving that standard down.
Bike is ok. I'm very new to cycling (four months), think my average speed is between 15-17mph. Longest ride so far was 30 miles which I did in 2 hours.Still building base miles there.
Run isn't blazing but is improving. A solid run has a 9min/mile pace, but that's getting better. Longest run during my training cycle was just over six miles in an hour, which I know is slower than a 9 minute mile but that's the longest I've ever run so far.
I'm a teacher so I swim in the am before school when I can't after and try to make as much time as possible. I can probably find 8-10 hours a week if I look hard enough.
I have no goal time for the Olympic, I've never done before. So I'd like to complete it strongly. I've done two sprints so far and times dropped between each. Rather than a goal time, I'd like my cycle to average at least 18mph, and I think I can do better, and my run splits to be around an 8:30 mile. The swim I'm not concerned about, I know how to train a swim.

Thanks again.

900aero

Just noticed that Chris Carmichael & Jim Rutberg ( Time Crunched Cyclist) now have a Time Crunched Triathlete book on sale. In the extract thats on the net, Carmichael points out that his cycling programs are NOT suitable for inclusion in a triathlete program as they will overpower the other disciplines and the athlete will burn out. I'm not experienced enough to know ( and part of me is cynical enough to realise that these guys are in the business of selling books after all.......) but if you haven't bought the cycling book, perhaps go for the tri one instead. Balance is important and its good that Carmichael has acknowledged this and how much more important it is for triathletes than single-sport athletes.

southern rider

depending on your commitment (not initial levels of fitness) I highly recommend hiring a local trainer. Usually you can get on board for about $150.00 - 200.00 per month. I found a guy to help me with my general cycling and prep for 1/2 iron distance. My times were much better than my friends that were further along with their fitness than I was. Also we planned out my workouts a week in advance allowing family and work to take first place and modify the training with the days and times available. One of my requests was to continue using group rides as much as possible so he had me do certain interval training each week. Also each week he assessed my weakness and gave me a run or bike assignment as well. From him I have learned quite a bit and I will carry this knowledge with me as a I train for other tri's, bike races, running events, etc...

cjbruin

OK. How lame is it that I asked you for info and then took two weeks to respond? Sorry.

For starters, you have 24 weeks which if it were me, I would break down into three phases. 11 Weeks of Base (starting now), 10 Weeks of Race Prep, and 3 Weeks of Taper.

There are a lot of Base programs (i.e. Mark Allen's Low-HR plan). For an Olympic, I wouldn't make it too complicated. Eight to ten hours per weeks is definitely sufficient though it sounds like you do a lot more swimming than I would. Just keep your effort low and resist the urge to chase down the rabbits who pass you while you're running or biking. If you can, get in a long ride of 2-3 hrs and a long run of 60-90 min every week. I find that these are the key builders while the rest of your workouts are pretty much just maintenance. If a "solid run" is a 9 min pace, you should probably be doing your base runs around 11:30-12:00. I know that sounds painfully slow...and it will feel like it the first few times. Trust me, it's the right thing to do. Google McMillian Running to check out a cool tool.

Your goals for the Base phase are to build your aerobic engine (think of yourself as having a big diesel engine that can chug along forever) and to stay injury free. If you feel tired, sick, or just like you don't want to work out one day...skip it. It's not a big deal so long as you don't make a habit of it.

When you get to the Race Prep phase, most of your workouts will be pretty similar but you will throw in some intervals to train your body to go faster. Since you'd like to avg 18 on the bike and 8:30's on the run, here's what I recommend. Designate one day per week as interval day and swap bike and run each week. Something like this:

Week 1 - Bike Intervals - 4X 3 min @ 20 mph with 2 min rest in between each interval
Week 2 - Run Intervals - 4X 1/4 mi @ 2:00-2:05 (8:00-8:20/mi pace) with 2 min rest
Week 3 - Bike Intervals - 6X 3 min @ 20 mph with 2 min rest
Week 4 - Run Intervals - 6X 1/4 mi @ 2:00-2:05 with 2 min rest
Week 5 - Bike Intervals - 8X 3 min @ 20 mph with 2 min rest
Week 6 - Run Intervals - 8X 1/4 mi @ 1:55-2:00 with 2 min rest

Your interval goal for the first six weeks is to get your body used to riding and running faster than your race pace. Part of the reason for this is because once you're out there 18 mph and 8:30/mi won't feel like you're red-lining (because you won't be). Remember to incorporate warm up and cool down into these workouts and adjust them to reflect your ability. If you find they are too hard, cut back an interval or change up the pace. These are just guidelines.

Week 7 - Threshold ride - 30 min @ 20 mph
Week 8 - Threshold run - 3 miles @ 8:15
Week 9 - Threshold ride - 40 min @ 20 mph
Week 10 - Threshold run - 5 miles @ 8:15

Now it's time to start your taper. Don't fall into the trap that most people do and use it as an excuse to stop training because you're tired. You still need to do your long ride and run every week, just cut the mileage a little bit. You still want to do a little bit of speed work but not as many intervals or shorten their distance or even take a little longer rest.

I'm not a coach so take this just as how I would likely prepare for that race. Modify it to suit you and most importantly, enjoy your workouts as much as you plan to enjoy the race. Once you've crossed the finish line, Ironman Hawaii 70.3 on the Big Island will only be a couple of weeks away and you'll be in great shape to do it. I highly recommend that race

Dirtbagfitness

Holy crap, cj. That's awesome. I'm completely going to print that up and modify to fit. I'm going to have a three week hole in base training in December (honeymoon in New Zealand and the wife is pretty strong about "vacation, honeymoon, not so much training" and how or why argue?) but your plan will still fly. Much gracias.

Oysterboy

Yeah thanks CJ, looks like a great plan, got a sprint in April and my running is soooo slow. The interval training sounds just right (and makes a ton of sense).

cjbruin

Try to negotiate for 30 min runs 3 times per week. That's generally enough to maintain your fitness level and can generally be done at a time that won't piss off the wife. Enjoy NZ!

cjbruin

Both McMillian & Jack Daniels (Daniel's Running Formula) have good information on the paces you should be using for your workouts (from Easy Jogs all the way through intervals). If you're going to be doing a sprint you can start with a one mile time trial...plug in your time and check out the suggestions.