training program for newbies

[Iris616]

Hi,
I'm thinking of doing a sprint tri. It's been on my "To-do" list for a few years, and I think it's time to go for it.

Has any one tried this program:

http://www.trinewbies.com/

the 10 week sprint program is what I'm looking at.

Or do you have other suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

[alpinerabbit]

What's your background/level right now?

[Iris616]

What's your background/level right now?

I'm a beginner all the way around. I'm not fast at anything, but here's where I'm at:
Swimming: I can do 250 yard intervals in the pool with out breaks. 3 sets of that in a work out.

Biking- I do a 6.5 commute (each way) 4 days a week. There are some long stretches on that. Yesterday I did a 10 mile ride after work with no problems.

Running- I'm slow, and haven't run in a couple of months. In the past I did a 10K, soI know I can do it. But I do have a recurring injury that can act up if I push too hard. That is probably the main reason that I'm looking at the 10 week program.

What do you think?

[alpinerabbit]

Question 2 - what do you want?

If it's just finish,

• make sure you can cover the individual distances or a bit more.
  
• riding, try for significantly more. As much as you can. With climbs or intervals, but lacking that, just ride. A sprint takes around 90 minutes. If you can ride hard for 90-120 minutes, your base endurance will suffice.
  
• running, just slow and steady. Do a few bricks.
  
• Skip the weights - waste of time right now.
  
• I think 5 or 6 days a week is a lot of training for a sprint.

[KSH]

Just some feedback from what I looked at:

1) I agree that spinning with a high cadence is good. 90-100 is good. Get a bike computer to know what your cadence is. But on pg. 7 it states "You will probably bounce in your saddle while spinning. That's OK." No, it's not OK. There comes a point where you are giving away some of your power. To pedal like that the entire time you ride is not a good idea.

2) Since you are already riding some, I think you can do more distance on your bike days. Honestly, rides in the 15-20 mile range would NOT hurt you. If you think you might be weak on the run, train more for the bike portion. That way, you come off the 12 mile ride fresh.

3) Since you are already swimming, I would just combine the two days of swimming into one workout. You can get through a sprint only training one day a week in the pool. That way, you can cut your days from 5-6 to 4-5.

4) Like it was stated before, it's OK to lose the weights. Unless you already do them and feel comfortable leaving that portion in the training program.

5) Honestly, training 4 days a week for a sprint is enough. No need to train 5-6 days a week. It's overkill.

6) Since you have injuries associated with running, you might want to look at only doing 2 sessions a week. Now, that can be a stand alone run session and a brick.


That's my feedback. Please keep in mind though, I have a coach who tells me what to do. And I've been doing that for 2 of my 4 years of tri training.

Good luck and have fun! Get your rest and don't kill yourself training for this!

[KaceyDC]

I used the trinewbies 18-week intermediate sprint program last year - my first season of triathlon - and successfully completed 2 sprints. Though the training time was very long IMHO (I felt ready after 12 weeks), I was definitely prepared to complete the race. As a complete beginner, being able to follow the program and get the workouts in gave me the confidence that I could successfully do the distance.

Like the other posters said, you already seem to have a decent base for the sprint distance. If you're looking for a challenge, you might try doing 10 weeks of the intermediate program (first 8 weeks and then a taper) if the beginner's program seems too easy.

In any case, enjoy yourself!

[teigyr]

Is your tri swim in open water or a pool? I kind of skimmed through and didn't see if that was mentioned or not.

If it's in OW, try to get out to do an open water swim. OW swimming is totally different and even though I had gone out several times before my first tri, I was not prepared. It's not worse or even scary (at least for me) but it was definitely out of my "normal".

Other than that, I think you're on the right path. You've got the bike part down and I think you can do the run with relatively little work.

Do you know what tri you're going to do?

[Iris616]

Thanks for all the suggestions. There is a Sprint in Mid September that is on or near Cape Cod. I forgot the name of it, but have it bookmarked at work. So I believe the swim will be in open water (hopefully Bayside).

I think the run distance is what has me focused on the Sprint version. I'm very cautious of reinjuring my foot, as I was out for over a year last time