Click here For Tips From other Clydesdale Athletes

Ok We have got a good base in . We can swim 1200 yrds without a problem,  we can bike 20 miles comfortably and we can run a 10k.1st tri is alttle over month away. Time to mix up the schedule. You now have to decide how much time you can to put in . Ideally you want to swim, bike and run 3 times a week. That's 9 sessions so that's at least 3, 2 a days. You also want to break up the workouts up.. You cannot go hard everyday and remember to take your rest day.. Some time in the next 4 weeks do a mini duathlon. Whatever your first race distance is take 1/2 to 3/4 of the run and bike distances and see if you can complete it back to back. This will help your body get used to coming off the bike and running right away. That 1st mile that I'm off the bike my legs are calling me nasty names.. Here is another  schedule adapt it to fit your life style And have fun:

 * My favorite swim workout 1X100 on 2 min, 1X200 on 4 min, 1X300 on 6min, 1X400 on 9min, 1X300 on 6min, 1X200 on 4 min and 1X100.. Make sure your warm up with some arm pulls and kicks before starting any swim workout.     
** 800 yard swim followed by 5-10 X100's on 2 min
*** Ride 5-10 miles to loosen up, then ride hard for a minute , rest for a minute and repeat. adjust time as needed. Do 5-10 miles like this.. Great workout.    

Don't forget to lift weights!!  At least 2 times a week!!!

Here is a training schedule for those of you who are just starting out. The emphasis for the next month or so is on good form and building endurance. Take it slow, Building a good base early will help prevent injury later. Here is my 1st four weeks of tri training schedule. If you live in a northern climate like I do you may have to adjust the days due to weather. Example is biking, In the beginning of the week I check out the 5-7 day weather forecast and try to schedule my bike for those days which are the warmest and driest. The following is a schedule in which I try to follow. The goal is to have a good base by mid April and to be able to do the distances at the upper end of the chart..

   Tips:

Swim: Work on form and enduarance. If your a beginner swimmer try to get some instruction. Don't worry if you can't complete 8oo yards at once. Swim the distance in any combination you want at first, working your way up to 800yrd. Ex. swim 1x300,1x200,3x100 =800 Then gradually increase your distance by reducing the sets and  increasing your yardage until you can swim 800 yards at once, then work your way up to 1200. 
Bike: Once again work on endurance. keep it in the low ring, Take your time, later in the season you'll start pushing yourself here. At most tri's this is where you spend your most time. Work your way up to 20 miles at once.
Run: This is the toughest event in triathlon and for big men its even tougher. if you have to miss a day DO NOT miss your run day. Try to get 1 long run and 1 shorter run in each week . If your able to run a 10k comfortably Try to slip in another short run sometime during the week if you can.  
Rest Day: TAKE IT!!! You need a rest day to help your body recover. The number 1 reason for injury is over training. Your body must have a day to repair itself, if you don't your only asking for trouble down the road. I picked Fri as my rest day because most of my races are on sat. and Friday would be my off day before the race. 

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Considerations Specific to the Clydesdale Runner:

1) Compete with yourself and your own weight class. Extra weight, even if your weight is muscle, makes it harder to compete against lighter athletes. It costs more oxygen for the heavy athlete to run and can be more difficult to dissipate body heat than your lighter counterpart.

2) Be alert to dehydration . Take your body weight in pounds, divide it in half, and that is roughly the water  intake in ounces you need per day. Add another 8 ounces for every 20 minutes you run. Thus you will need more water than smaller runners would. During a race don't be shy about drinking several glasses of water.

3) Gradually increase your mileage or speed in your training. While every runner regardless of weight, needs to listen to his or her body carefully in training, the heavier runner is even more prone to getting injured by increases in mileage or speed. Because of this Clydesdale runners should try for only 5-10% increase in weekly mileage or time and just 5-10% of your total time or mileage per week as speed work. Be sure you count races as speed work. If you have  increased soreness, pain  or resting heartrate, decrease your training. Overall its better to be consistent in your training rather than to get sick or injured and not be able to train at all.  

From: Walevall
To: Heavyracer
CC: Walevall

I want to run my first mini-tirathlon which consists of a .5 mile swim, 20 mile bike and 5K run. I'm not sure how to train for this event. I run regularly and have been swimming on a regular basis but I haven't been able to find a suggested schedule that would prepare me. I could design one myself but I would only be guessing at it's effectiveness. I would like to know how much to swim/ride/run per week. Would you have any suggestions where I could find a such a schedule?

  fogdog

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Last modified: May 10, 2000