This training plan is designed to not only get you to the starting line, but also get you across the finish line with confidence. With achievable and realistic workouts that can be structured around your daily life, this plan utilizes a four-week progressive cycle of three building weeks, followed by a deloading week of active recovery.
Highlights:
- Daily workouts structured to your training and endurance levels, so you are always training at the right pace for you
- Each week typically consists of 2 swim days, 1-2 bike days and 1-2 running days, building in brick workouts mid-training to simulate race day
- 3-6 hours/week of structured workouts
- Designated strength day mid-week to supercharge your fitness
- Practical daily and weekly expectations that will help you build your endurance and make you race-day ready
This plan utilizes "Rate of Perceived Exertion" (RPE) to help guide you through each workout. As your fitness improves, your pacing and speed will change and your RPE will adjust to accommodate those improvements. For this training plan, RPE is as follows:
1 - At rest
2 - Really easy
3 - Easy
4 - Moderate
5 - Challenging
6 - Hard
7 - Hard(er)
8 - Really hard
9 - Really, really hard
10 - Max effort; all out
RPE 1-2 are conversational pace - you can hold a conversation without difficulty and speak in full sentences. Best for warm-ups and cool-downs or active recovery days.
RPE 3-4 are slightly harder - you can still talk but sentences are short and your breathing is heavier; you start to break a sweat. This is where a bulk of your training will be to build endurance.
RPE 5-7 you are working; you can only answer in one or two words at most; breathing is heavy and somewhat ragged. When I ask for more effort on an interval, this is where you should aim to be.
RPE 8-9 are almost all-out efforts; you are unable to speak at all and breathing is difficult; at most you could hold this effort for 1-2 minutes. Efforts here are short but intense and will help increase your overall fitness and VO2 max.
RPE 10 is max effort; something you could sustain for no more than :15-:20 or a sprint to the finish line.
While a heart rate monitor and power meter are great additions, they are not required to make this plan work for you. All you need are the basics - swimming gear, a working bike, and comfortable running shoes - and you will be able to successfully navigate this 12-week plan.
This plan is best for someone that can swim 200 yards with minimal stopping, can comfortably ride a bike for a minimum of 30 minutes at any pace, and can run/walk a 5k at any pace. We will begin by building your endurance throughout the first four week training block, starting with shorter workouts designed to get your body comfortable with an increase in exercise volume over the duration of the block.
The next four week block will transition into your build phase - we will add both volume and intensity to your workout weeks, including brick workouts designed to help you transition from the bike to the run.
The final four week block will be two weeks of a final build - where you will see your highest volume and intensity - leading to a two week taper into your race week - volume will decrease with short, intense workouts designed to keep you sharp for race day.
A strength day is built in to every week and I highly encourage you to take advantage of it. Whether it is a structured full-body lifting routine or a class that incorporates weights and plyometric movements, strength training is an important piece of your training and will drastically increase your overall fitness and health.
The plan will be available directly to your TrainingPeaks account and can be used multiple times. The purchase of this plan comes with a free, 15-minute consultation to go through the plan and discuss any questions that you might have. Contact your coach at Thresholdperformancegroup@gmail.com to schedule your consultation.
Elevate Your Threshold....
Threshold Performance Group provides coaching for triathletes and endurance athletes of all ages, abilities and distances. Training plans are realistic and built around your needs as both an athlete and a person. We know that you have jobs and responsibilities outside of training for your A-race and our coaching is adaptable to your changing life and goals.