How should a beginner train for a triathlon?

If you’re not already going to the gym a few days a week, start your training with four weeks of doing some type of cardiovascular exercise two to three times a week, just to build your base. “As a beginner triathlete starts their training, I suggest doing two swims, two bikes and two runs per week,” says Ms.

Can a beginner do a triathlon?

Training Plans As a triathlon beginner, we recommend starting with a sprint triathlon (generally a 500-meter swim, a 20K bike, and a 5K run), but if you’re interested in longer distances you can learn more about what those entail here. Now here are some beginner triathlon training plans to get you started.

How do you get in shape for a triathlon?

Depending on your current level of fitness, you’ll likely need at least 8 –12 weeks of consistent training before a super sprint (400-meter swim, 10K bike, 2.5K run) or sprint distance triathlon (750-meter swim, 20K bike, 5K run). Each week, plan to train 4–6 hours of total exercise time over five days.

How many days rest before a triathlon?

A successful strategy is to take off two days before the race to rest. Complete your final workout the day before the race. In that workout, if it is possible to swim on the race course, try to get into the water at the same time your swim wave will go off on race day.

How long is a beginner triathlon?

What distance should my first triathlon be? Most beginner athletes start with a Sprint distance race for their first triathlon. While the distance of Sprint triathlons can vary from race to race, the standard length of each leg is a 0.5 miles (750m) swim, 12.4 miles (20km) bike, and 3.1 miles (5km) run.

What is the best triathlon for beginners?

Whether you want to get in shape or simply take on a new challenge in 2019, here are five of the best triathlons for beginners.

• Blenheim Palace Triathlon.
• Castle Howard Triathlon.
• The Slateman.
• IRONMAN Austria-Kärnten.
• Novice Triathlons in Shetland.

Is a sprint triathlon for beginners?

Both Sprint Triathlon and Ironman are specific distances of triathlon. Because of their shorter distances, sprint triathlons have become well-known and are ideal for beginner or novice athletes.

Can you train for a triathlon in 4 weeks?

Sprint Training Plan: The Program This sprint training plan begins six weeks prior to your first sprint triathlon. Before starting, you should be generally aerobically fit and able to swim, bike and run. Weeks 4 and 5 continue to focus on race-pace fitness, and will give you practice running off the bike.

How many hours a week do triathletes train?

The truth is that most age group triathletes excel with around 9-14 hours per week of training. You can accomplish a lot with 10 hours a week if you stay focused, put everything into your intervals and cut out all the junk miles and wasted time like long bike stop groups and hanging out in the locker room to talk.

How difficult is a triathlon?

For most, the hardest part will be either the swim or the run. The swim is obviously the most challenging leg of the event if you don’t know how to swim (see below)​. The run poses problems especially if you carry more weight than you should, and have been sedentary for many years.

How far do you run in a triathlon?

This triathlon distance requires a 2.4 mile swim (3.9K), 112 mile bike (180.2K), and 26.2 mile run (42.2K). Depending on your fitness level, course conditions, and the weather on race day, you can expect to complete these three legs in about 10 to 17 hours.

Do you wear socks in a triathlon?

Most pro triathletes don’t wear socks for sprint and Olympic distance events and are wearing some for longer events. However, over a full Ironman distance, it is rather insignificant. The comfort of socks over such a big distance is, for most people, well worth those couple of seconds.

Do I need to eat during a sprint triathlon?

For shorter races, it isn’t essential to have large amounts of food, but it is important to eat enough to top up liver glycogen stores and prevent hunger. For later races, triathletes will generally aim for a meal 3-4 hours before the race and then a smaller ‘top-up’ snack 1-2 hours before race start.

Can you backstroke in a triathlon?

Triathlons allow swimmers to utilize any stroke and as many different strokes as preferred to propel themselves through the water. Not only can the competitive strokes be used but others as well, e.g. sidestroke, elementary backstroke, trudgen crawl even treading water.