The Level 8-10 Sprint Triathlon Training Plans are best thought of as crash training plans for triathletes with a sound base of swim, bike, and run fitness who, for whatever reason, decide they want to peak for a sprint triathlon soon – in 12 weeks. The Level 10 plan packs as much sprint-focused training into 12 weeks as you will ever need to do. It’s not so much the raw volume as the volume of high-intensity training that will whip you into fantastic shape – or wear you down, if you’re not prepared to handle it.

The plan begins with a short, 3-week base phase. The following build phase is 4 weeks long and the final 5 weeks comprise the peak phase. There are 12 workouts in a typical week – 4 swims, 4 rides, and 4 runs. Weeks 2, 4, and 6 include an extra, 10-minute transition run after Friday’s ride; in weeks 8 and 10, the separate ride and run scheduled for Saturday are collapsed into a single bike-run brick workout. Monday is a rest day every week and weeks 4 and 8 are recovery weeks. The final week is a taper week.

The Level 10 plan begins with 9,700 yards of swimming, 5 hours and 20 minutes of cycling, and 3 hours and 3 minutes of running in Week 1. It peaks with 12,600 yards of swimming, 7 hours and 50 minutes of cycling, and 4 hours and 12 minutes of running in Week 11.