The goal is in place. The race is penciled in the calendar. Permission has been
granted from the significant other, or forgiveness will be sought at a later date.
Now it’s time to put a training plan into action. Jaime, my coach, likes to say, “It
isn’t real until it’s down on paper.”
As I mentioned earlier, most training plans for a sprint triathlon run the course of
ten to twelve weeks. Jaime has developed a twelve-week planning program that
concludes with a sprint race. There are shorter training programs but these are
usually for athletes who are moving into triathlons from another discipline.
Remember the mantra – start slow and work up.
By typing ‘training plans for a sprint triathlon’ into a search engine a myriad of
results and programs come up for you to choose from. All provide various plans
to get you to your first sprint but it should be noted that they lack knowledge of
you, your situation, your goal, and your daily commitments and responsibilities.
This is where a coach can help you meet your goals – have I introduced you to
my friend Jaime? A coach can work within your current responsibilities to tailor a
program that is realistic and attainable. More importantly, they can provide a
sense of accountability that keeps your eye on the prize.
Not everyone has the ability to afford a coach. One option is to look at
trainingpeaks.com. This site, which was developed by Joe Friel, provides plans
that you can configure to fit your schedule and needs. It also gives you the ability
to log and track your progress.
When coming up with a training plan it is vitally important to take into
consideration what is already going on in your life. If you have a commitment on
a certain evening make sure that is built into your schedule. The last thing you
need is to be stressed because you’re crunched for time and can’t get a training
session completed. Be realistic and again, the goal is to succeed, not to fail.
Don’t set yourself up for failure by not factoring in commitments and
responsibilities. Remember, it boils down to enjoying the process. A training
plan is a huge chunk of the process. A realistic training plan sets you up to
succeed, complete your race, and meet your goal.
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