FULL DISTANCE 140.6 TRAINING PLAN // BEGINNER, INTERMEDIATE to WALK THE MARATHON
18 WEEKS

This plan is designed for the beginner to intermediate age group athlete taking on the 140.6 distance intending on walking the marathon with 18 weeks training plan. The primary goal of this training plan is to prepare you for your FULL DISTANCE 140.6 race and WALKING the marathon.

Before starting the plan, you must be relatively fit, injury free and with no health concerns. Consult with your doctor before starting any training plan.

By relatively fit, I mean being able to:
- swim 500 meters continuously
- ride 60 minutes
- jog 45 minutes

A typical week includes:
- 3 swims (build to 3000 meters or yards)
- 4 bike rides (build to 100 miles)
- 3 runs (build to 17 miles)
- Workouts are bike heavy to compensate the necessity for excessive walking training

Starting 18 weeks before your race, this plan progresses through 6 build periods with recovery periods between prior to race specific training and tapering (14 hours average to 19 hours max - times are estimated and depends on the individual athlete when running/walking distance work). Your long ride is Saturday, long run is Sunday and off day is Monday.

This plan utilizes heart rate zones and reported perceived effort. Use of heart rate monitors is not required, but suggested. If distance is called out, perform workout to that distance. Times and distances are estimated for this plan to give a general idea of hours per week. Where time is called out, distances not assumed so totals for plan may reflect workouts with 0 miles. Where distance is called out, time is assumed. DO NOT feel obligated to meet time and distance. Do what's called out in the comments. Bike workouts typically meant for trainer or spin bike, but can be translated for outdoor rides. If the workout does not have a warm up listed, it is implied that there should be a 5 minute warm up jog/spin with dynamic stretching before getting into the main sets. If workouts will be done as a brick, wait for static stretching AFTER the last session for the brick.

TERMS
- EASY RUN // ZONE 2 to low 3 // Low intensity, conversational pace.
- GOAL RACE PACE (GRP) // ZONE 3 // The pace you are aiming to sustain for your race
- SIMULATION RACE RUN (MS): First half segment of run is performed at 60 sec/mile slower than GRP or easy pace, second half segment is performed at Goal Race Pace.
- LONG RUNS // ZONE 2 to low 3 // These runs are performed at 60-70 seconds slower per mile than GRP. Keep the pace easy and aerobic.
- ANAEROBIC THRESHOLD REPEATS (AT) // ZONE 4 to 5 // These repeats (essentially 1M-2KM in distance) should be performed at approximately 10km race pace. The recovery interval should consist of walking or easy running before performing the next repeat. A repeat is the amount of time that is performed at AT.
- STRIDES // Gentle sprints. Smooth, relaxed and easy running accelerations lasting about 10-15 seconds or 60-80 yards/meters. Reach a speed of about 80% of max. Rest about 1-2 minutes between strides
- WARM UP // RUN // 5 to 10 min easy pace + 5 min dynamic stretches
- WARM UP // BIKE // 10 min easy spin @ 90-100 rpm
- COOL DOWN // 5 to 10 min easy pace

My philosophy is very straightforward. Triathlon and endurance sports should complement your life, not make it difficult. These plans are boiled down to trim the fat into workouts that give you the best bang for your buck. Typical weeks run 10 or less hours and peak week gets to 13. You have to be diligent about getting at least 80% of the workouts per week done and at minimum the long work, or you may be suffering come race day. The non-negotiables are swim-bike-run workouts, proper nutrition, functional strength + flexibility and sleep. Without those at minimum, you will either get burnt out, chronic fatigue, injured or just plain quit. I don't want any of those for my athletes.