7 Weeks to a Triathlon: The Complete Day-by-Day Program to Train for Your First Race or Improve Your Fastest Time
By Brett Stewart and Lewis Elliot
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About this ebook
—Desiree Ficker, Professional Triathlete
BECOME A TRIATHLETE IN JUST 7 WEEKS
Follow the 7-week programs in this book, and you’ll quickly gain the strength and stamina needed to complete any triathlon—sprint, standard, Olympic and even Ironman challenges.
Packed with clear charts and helpful photos, 7 Weeks to a Triathlon has everything you need to know about the ultimate endurance challenge:
• Easy-to-follow progressive training programs
• Pro tips for each discipline—swim, bike, run
• Triathlon-specific cross-training techniques
• Motivational advice on pushing harder and crushing your race goal
Offering field-tested, day-by-day programs and a comprehensive description of how to get through race day, this book has something for everyone, from beginners getting started in the sport to seasoned triathletes looking to take their training to the next level.
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7 Weeks to a Triathlon - Brett Stewart
Part 1 : OVERVIEW
Introduction
The sunlight begins to glint through the tallest of the pines rimming a pristine New England lake, illuminating the thick layer of haze that’s slowly releasing its grip on the water and providing glimpses through to the sapphire below. Standing on the edge of a quiet dock, the moist wood slippery under bare feet, the solitary athlete absorbs a view that’s all at once majestic and ephemeral as the day arrives. As you dip your toe, the summery warmth of the water dispels any allusion to fall as more colors continue to appear in the water; neon orange and lime green orbs now bob within feet of each other and within minutes the area directly in front of the dock has been transformed into a floating Mardi Gras parade awash with bright and garish colors.
It’s now your turn to take the plunge, adding the color of your swim cap to the dots floating just above the surface. You hit the water and feel the lake grip at your wetsuit, and the sparkling water washes over your face as you bob gently, buoyant from the neoprene and your legs treading water below you. All those thoughts of the race yet to unfold that ran through your head while standing on the dock fade from your mind as you focus on the task at hand. Weeks of training and planning have prepared for this one moment. The millions of thoughts ranging from conditions to nutrition, gear to competition all dissipate like the haze over the water. You are confident in your preparation. You are confident in your ability and you are ready to race right here, right now. The only thought that sticks in your mind is to keep moving forward: in the water, on the bike and during the run.
All at once the enormity of the day reveals itself in your mind: swimming side by side with hundreds of other athletes all vying for position, a washing machine of flailing arms and legs stretched out over a thousand meters in open water, before returning to shore and rapidly switching gears—literally—by shedding your swimming gear and transforming into a cyclist for the next stage of the day’s competition. Through the twists and turns, speedy downhills and grueling ascents, the steely determination to pass or be passed overtakes the next two hours of exhausting effort as you push your quads to their limit and keep turning the cranks with every ounce of energy you have left. Returning to transition is a blur of rapid motion, a cacophony of sounds as the announcer whips the crowd into a frenzy; friends and family scream your name as you perform a coordinated dance of returning your bike back to its perch on the rack while ripping off your helmet and bike shoes and applying the required gear for the run. The final challenge between you and the finish line, the run is where mental and physical strength are paramount—pushing your body through barriers of exhaustion toward the euphoric highs as you power around the course, one foot in front of the other, until...
You finish the day as a newer version of yourself—you will have been transformed into a triathlete.
Many people settle for things in life. They settle for a crappy job, marriage, friends, food, place to live and overall fitness and health. Those who desire more, or those who want more out of life than a drive-thru window and boring sitcom, will choose triathlon or an activity that makes them happy–an activity that will change their life.
–Nick Clark, Clark Endurance
How Did I Get Here?
Hi, I’m Brett. Running was never my thing. I wasn’t fast and surely didn’t have much in the way of endurance, but at least I was a lousy swimmer too. It’s easy to see how I’d become a triathlete with a background like that, right? Prior to my first triathlon, the last time I’d ridden a road bike was when I was 15 years old—nearly 20 years earlier.
At the age of 34, most life-altering changes are spawned by one stark, defining moment. A guy might lose his job and decide to hike the Appalachian Trail. A woman may get divorced, devote herself to yoga and open her own studio. In my case, it was an anecdotal comment by my friend Chris Goggin, who told me how impressed he was that a mutual friend, Matt Perkins, had recently completed his first triathlon. I was immediately awestruck. Prior to Matt tackling that Winding Trails event, I knew exactly zero people who had ever competed in a triathlon. Suddenly, a new door opened and completing a triathlon seemed somewhat possible. I say somewhat
because the longest I’d ever run was 2 miles, with the aforementioned Chris Goggin, in my first race ever—a little duathlon on the Connecticut shoreline in 2004.
After running close to a half mile and walking the rest, the bike portion of that first race was spent chasing after a dropped water bottle, fixing my chain that was continually falling off and pushing my sad excuse for a mountain bike up anything that resembled a hill. The final insult was another run of 2 miles once I’d parked the bike, and I was dreading every step until something strange happened: I heard the crowd, saw my family and observed the other competitors doing something nearly unbelievable to my fatigued mind—they were enjoying themselves! I let the energy and emotion wash over me for a moment, then figured, What the hell? I’ m here, I’m already tired and sweaty—why not try to have some fun?
And I did.
In my very first multisport event I learned the lessons of the highs and lows of endurance racing, and that knowledge has served me well for the better part of a decade. The birth of my children and wedding day (the second one) aside, crossing that finish line was one of the best moments of my life. Immediately afterward over coffee and a bagel, Chris and I planned our next event—we were going to do a triathlon ourselves.
The story on pages 7 and 8 was based on the memory of my first triathlon in 2005, the Timberman Short Course at Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. The reason I introduced myself is to set my multisport expertise apart from that of my coauthor, Lewis Elliot, a professional triathlete. While I’m an experienced triathlete and extremely passionate about the sport, my forte is getting first-timers into it through education and training to promote comfort and confidence. As a trainer, coach and tri-race director, I’ve had the opportunity to introduce hundreds of newbies
to the sport of triathlon and have been blessed to train clients for events ranging from finishing their first sprint tri all the way up to setting a new ultra-distance personal best.
When cofounding the ESPN Triathlon Team back in 2005 with Michael DeAngelo and Nicole Greene, it was immediately apparent to us that so many athletes knew so little about the sport of triathlon, whether it be a lack of knowledge about equipment, training, race format or even signing up for their first race. Triathlon is not a sport where you just show up and start racing—it all starts with learning the basics. This book is dedicated to educating new athletes getting into the sport (yeah, you’re called a newbie
), and also to train experienced triathletes to get to the next level with pro tips plucked from Lewis’s bag of tricks. So, whether you’re interested in tri-ing
for yourself or are already hooked on multisport, this book has something for athletes of all levels.
This sport called triathlon becomes a part of you. You start to plan your entire year around sprint, international, half iron- or full iron-distance races. Your vacations become racing, and you start to realize that this could become a life-long adventure.
–Nick Clark, Clark Endurance
003About the Book
Even if you’re not an accomplished swimmer, biker or runner, becoming a triathlete is a life-changing accomplishment that everyone can attain. The multisport community is filled with competitors of every age, height, weight and athletic ability. I’ve had the honor of competing alongside blind triathletes, athletes missing limbs and heroes who were injured in battle, I’ve been passed on the bike by women double my age and twice my size, and even been humbled by an octogenarian who passed me within sight of the finish line during a long-distance race. Triathlon is truly a sport for everyone.
Throughout the pages of this book we’ve assembled tips, tricks and techniques to help you survive your first triathlon or gain more insight into becoming even faster on the course.
Part I introduces the sport of triathlon: the history, individual race distances and frequently asked questions. Getting Started in Triathlon
on page 26 covers everything a first-timer needs to know before they take the plunge at their first race. Taking It to the Next Level
on page 41 delivers a wealth of information in the form of 35 pro-quality tips to help experienced triathletes improve their technique and times.
Part II contains two training programs. The first is the seven-week Beginner program, which covers all the basics, from getting in the water for the first time to running a solid 5k to completing your first sprint or Olympic-distance triathlon. Complete with tips, tricks and advice to make the sport less daunting, this program has been developed for the first-timer or novice who wants to learn more to be able to truly enjoy the sport of triathlon.
The Advanced program is designed for the experienced multisport athlete to take their fitness and racing to the next level. Whether your goal is racing a long course or ultra distance, this section contains the same training used by top triathletes to help transform your body and meet your goals.
Part III explains the importance of cross-training for triathlon success and describes over two dozen different exercises, stretches and drills to strengthen your body, build endurance and flexibility, and improve your triathlon results.
Here you’ll also find stretches