Week 6

Welcome to the sixth week of my training progression aimed toward the beginner triathlete wishing to complete a sprint-distance race in 2006. As the mileage and time is increasing slightly it is important to take a look at your nutrition -- make sure you are getting an adequate amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, along with minerals and vitamins. This will help your fitness levels, aid in recovery and provide you with enough energy stores to last through the gradually longer distances.

This second four-week block will still be geared toward your base and endurance phase; the mileage will be brought up slightly but the intensity will remain quite low.

Monday: OFF

Tuesday: Swim 30 minutes

200m warm-up, choice stroke
6 x 25m freestyle (as 2 fast arms/1 recovery, with 15 seconds rest after each 25)
2 x 150m (as 50m freestyle/50m backstroke/50m freestyle, with 45 seconds rest after each 150)
4 x 50m freestyle kick (as 25m fast, 25m easy, with 20 seconds rest after each 50)
200 easy cool-down, choice of stroke
Total: 1050m

When working on kick, concentrate on loose feet, kicking from your core and kicking up with your feet, as well as down.

Wednesday: Run/walk 30 minutes

5-minute warm-up walking
2 x (3-minute jog, 1- minute walk)
4 x (1-minute jog, 30 seconds faster than jog pace, 1-minute recovery walk)
5-minute cool-down walk

Faster than jog pace should raise your heart rate quite a bit. Remember to stay relaxed and maintain form and technique while increasing your intensity.

Thursday: Bike 40 minutes

15-minute warm-up spin
3 x (30 seconds fast-cadence spinning, 30 seconds recovery spin)
2-minute recovery spin
5 x (25 seconds left leg spinning, 35 seconds both, 25 seconds right, 35 seconds both)
10-minute cool-down spin

Single-leg work: As the interval increases in length and your leg becomes fatigued, remember to maintain foot rotation and consistency throughout the entire pedal stroke.

Friday: Swim 30 minutes

10 m warm up choice
6 x 25m (as 1 freestyle, 1 backstroke, with 20 seconds rest after each 25)
8 x 25m (as 1 breath every 3 strokes/1 breath every 5 strokes, with 30 seconds rest after each 25)
6 x 50 kick freestyle (25m easy, 25m fast, with 20 seconds rest)
200m cool-down, choice stroke
Total: 1000m

Breathe 3 or 5: Only take a breath every third or fifth stroke. Remember that breath control is essential when it comes to swimming. Remember to release the air by blowing out at a steady pace -- don’t hold your breath until the last stroke; likewise, don’t breathe all of your air out on the first stroke.

Saturday: Run/walk 40 minutes

10-minute warm-up walking
2 x (3-minute jog, 2-minute walk)
3 x (15 seconds jog, 45 seconds faster than jog pace, 3-minute recovery walk)
10-minute cool-down walk

Sunday: Bike 60 minutes

15-minute warm-up spin
4 x (30 seconds left leg, 30 seconds recovery spin, 30 seconds right leg, 30 seconds recovery spin)
3 minutes recovery spin
2 x (45 seconds standing, 75 seconds recovery spin)
3-minute recovery spin
4 x (30 seconds hard gear-low cadence, 90 seconds recovery spin)
15 minutes cool-down spin

TOTAL TRAINING TIME: 3 hours, 50 minutes
This sixth week is geared toward a tad more intensity and a definite increase in overall endurance. This is a great week to grab your training partner to help you get out the door. Next week we will be decreasing the length and mileage of the training sessions, while maintaining the same intensity.

Remember that if you would like to add a few minutes to the end of a workout, proceed with caution, and if you feel that it is too much load, go back to last week’s training. If you are fairly serious about your goals and specific training regime, and have many unanswered questions or concerns, consider consulting a coach to add some personal touches to reflect your own individual strengths, needs and overall well-rounded development