Olympic Triathlon Training Plan

12 weeks·olympic·intermediate

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Weeks: 12
Sessions: 104
Peak week: 8h 25; week 10
Long ride: 2h 00; week 10
Taper: 2 wk

BaseCutbackBuildPeakTaperRace

Heart-rate zones use the Karvonen formula from max HR 185 and resting HR 55. Enter yours to recalculate.

Week-by-week training plan
Wk	Focus	Sessions	Volume	Biggest session
01	Base: technique + aerobicLong ride 1 h 15 min	9 · 4 key	5h 00	Long ride 1 h 15 min
Tue Oct 6 Swim technique + aerobic 20 min 8 × 50 drill/swim 4 × 100 @ 1:52/100 yd, 15 s rest Wed Oct 7 Bike intervals 40 min 10–15 min warm-up 3 × 5 min Zone 3 (146–159 bpm), 3 min easy 10 min easy Thu Oct 8 Swim endurance 20 min continuous or broken 400s @ 1:54/100 yd · bilateral breathing, sighting every 6–8 strokes Thu Oct 8 Run + strides 30 min easy with 6 × 20 s strides Fri Oct 9 Endurance ride 30 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · high cadence, flat route or trainer Fri Oct 9 Easy run 20 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · about 10:25/mi Sat Oct 10 Long ride 75 min Long ride, Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · fuel 60–80 g carbs per hour Sun Oct 11 Open-water / long swim 20 min continuous swim @ 1:51/100 yd · wetsuit if racing in one Sun Oct 11 Long run 45 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · flat to rolling route
02	Base: technique + aerobicLong ride 1 h 15 min	9 · 4 key	5h 20	Long ride 1 h 15 min
9 sessions Tue Oct 13 Swim technique + aerobic 20 min 8 × 50 drill/swim 5 × 100 @ 1:52/100 yd, 15 s rest Wed Oct 14 Bike intervals 45 min 10–15 min warm-up 3 × 5 min Zone 3 (146–159 bpm), 3 min easy 10 min easy Thu Oct 15 Swim endurance 20 min continuous or broken 400s @ 1:54/100 yd · bilateral breathing, sighting every 6–8 strokes Thu Oct 15 Run + strides 35 min easy with 6 × 20 s strides Fri Oct 16 Endurance ride 30 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · high cadence, flat route or trainer Fri Oct 16 Easy run 25 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · about 10:25/mi Sat Oct 17 Long ride 75 min Long ride, Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · fuel 60–80 g carbs per hour Sun Oct 18 Open-water / long swim 20 min continuous swim @ 1:51/100 yd · wetsuit if racing in one Sun Oct 18 Long run 50 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · flat to rolling route
03	Base: technique + aerobicLong ride 1 h 15 min	9 · 4 key	5h 50	Long ride 1 h 15 min
9 sessions Tue Oct 20 Swim technique + aerobic 25 min 8 × 50 drill/swim 6 × 100 @ 1:52/100 yd, 15 s rest Wed Oct 21 Bike intervals 50 min 10–15 min warm-up 4 × 5 min Zone 3 (146–159 bpm), 3 min easy 10 min easy Thu Oct 22 Swim endurance 25 min continuous or broken 400s @ 1:54/100 yd · bilateral breathing, sighting every 6–8 strokes Thu Oct 22 Run + strides 40 min easy with 6 × 20 s strides Fri Oct 23 Endurance ride 35 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · high cadence, flat route or trainer Fri Oct 23 Easy run 25 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · about 10:25/mi Sat Oct 24 Long ride 75 min Long ride, Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · fuel 60–80 g carbs per hour Sun Oct 25 Open-water / long swim 25 min continuous swim @ 1:51/100 yd · wetsuit if racing in one Sun Oct 25 Long run 50 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · flat to rolling route
04	Recovery weekLong ride 1 h	9 · 2 key	4h 05	Long ride 1 h
9 sessions Tue Oct 27 Easy swim + drills 15 min drills and easy aerobic swimming, no clock Wed Oct 28 Easy spin 35 min 10–15 min warm-up Zone 2 (133–146 bpm), cadence 90+ 10 min easy Thu Oct 29 Swim endurance 15 min continuous or broken 400s @ 1:54/100 yd · bilateral breathing, sighting every 6–8 strokes Thu Oct 29 Easy run 25 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) Fri Oct 30 Endurance ride 25 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · high cadence, flat route or trainer Fri Oct 30 Easy run 20 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · about 10:25/mi Sat Oct 31 Long ride 60 min Long ride, Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · fuel 60–80 g carbs per hour Sun Nov 1 Open-water / long swim 15 min continuous swim @ 1:51/100 yd · wetsuit if racing in one Sun Nov 1 Long run 35 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · flat to rolling route
05	Build: threshold + weekly brickLong ride 1 h 30 min	9 · 5 key	6h 20	Long ride 1 h 30 min
9 sessions Tue Nov 3 Swim CSS intervals 25 min 11 × 100 @ CSS 1:45/100 yd, 10–15 s rest Wed Nov 4 Bike intervals 55 min 10–15 min warm-up 3 × 10 min sweet spot, high Zone 3 to low Zone 4 (159–172 bpm) 10 min easy Thu Nov 5 Swim endurance 25 min continuous or broken 400s @ 1:54/100 yd · bilateral breathing, sighting every 6–8 strokes Thu Nov 5 Run quality 35 min 4 × 5 min @ threshold 7:53/mi, 90 s jog Fri Nov 6 Endurance ride 35 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · high cadence, flat route or trainer Fri Nov 6 Easy run 25 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · about 10:25/mi Sat Nov 7 Brick: long ride + 20 min run 110 min Long ride, Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · fuel 60–80 g carbs per hour 20 min run off the bike · first 5 min at race pace 7:43/mi, then easy Sun Nov 8 Open-water / long swim 25 min continuous swim @ 1:51/100 yd · wetsuit if racing in one Sun Nov 8 Long run 45 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · flat to rolling route
06	Build: threshold + weekly brickLong ride 1 h 30 min	9 · 5 key	6h 35	Long ride 1 h 30 min
9 sessions Tue Nov 10 Swim CSS intervals 25 min 11 × 100 @ CSS 1:45/100 yd, 10–15 s rest Wed Nov 11 Bike intervals 55 min 10–15 min warm-up 3 × 10 min sweet spot, high Zone 3 to low Zone 4 (159–172 bpm) 10 min easy Thu Nov 12 Swim endurance 25 min continuous or broken 400s @ 1:54/100 yd · bilateral breathing, sighting every 6–8 strokes Thu Nov 12 Run quality 35 min 5 × 5 min @ threshold 7:53/mi, 90 s jog Fri Nov 13 Endurance ride 40 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · high cadence, flat route or trainer Fri Nov 13 Easy run 25 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · about 10:25/mi Sat Nov 14 Brick: long ride + 25 min run 115 min Long ride, Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · fuel 60–80 g carbs per hour 25 min run off the bike · first 5 min at race pace 7:43/mi, then easy Sun Nov 15 Open-water / long swim 25 min continuous swim @ 1:51/100 yd · wetsuit if racing in one Sun Nov 15 Long run 50 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · flat to rolling route
07	Build: threshold + weekly brickLong ride 1 h 45 min	9 · 5 key	7h 10	Long ride 1 h 45 min
9 sessions Tue Nov 17 Swim CSS intervals 30 min 12 × 100 @ CSS 1:45/100 yd, 10–15 s rest Wed Nov 18 Bike intervals 60 min 10–15 min warm-up 3 × 10 min sweet spot, high Zone 3 to low Zone 4 (159–172 bpm) 10 min easy Thu Nov 19 Swim endurance 30 min continuous or broken 400s @ 1:54/100 yd · bilateral breathing, sighting every 6–8 strokes Thu Nov 19 Run quality 40 min 5 × 5 min @ threshold 7:53/mi, 90 s jog Fri Nov 20 Endurance ride 30 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · high cadence, flat route or trainer Fri Nov 20 Easy run 25 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · about 10:25/mi Sat Nov 21 Brick: long ride + 30 min run 135 min Long ride, Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · fuel 60–80 g carbs per hour 30 min run off the bike · first 5 min at race pace 7:43/mi, then easy Sun Nov 22 Open-water / long swim 30 min continuous swim @ 1:51/100 yd · wetsuit if racing in one Sun Nov 22 Long run 50 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · flat to rolling route
08	Recovery weekLong ride 1 h 15 min	9 · 2 key	5h 15	Long ride 1 h 15 min
9 sessions Tue Nov 24 Easy swim + drills 20 min drills and easy aerobic swimming, no clock Wed Nov 25 Easy spin 45 min 10–15 min warm-up Zone 2 (133–146 bpm), cadence 90+ 10 min easy Thu Nov 26 Swim endurance 20 min continuous or broken 400s @ 1:54/100 yd · bilateral breathing, sighting every 6–8 strokes Thu Nov 26 Easy run 35 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) Fri Nov 27 Endurance ride 30 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · high cadence, flat route or trainer Fri Nov 27 Easy run 25 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · about 10:25/mi Sat Nov 28 Long ride 75 min Long ride, Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · fuel 60–80 g carbs per hour Sun Nov 29 Open-water / long swim 20 min continuous swim @ 1:51/100 yd · wetsuit if racing in one Sun Nov 29 Long run 45 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · flat to rolling route
09	Peak: race-specific bricksLong ride 1 h 45 min	9 · 5 key	7h 40	Long ride 1 h 45 min
9 sessions Tue Dec 1 Swim race-pace sets 30 min 6 × 400 @ 1:48/100 yd, 30 s rest Wed Dec 2 Bike intervals 65 min 10–15 min warm-up 5 × 5 min Zone 4–5 (159–172 bpm and up), 3 min easy 10 min easy Thu Dec 3 Swim endurance 30 min continuous or broken 400s @ 1:54/100 yd · bilateral breathing, sighting every 6–8 strokes Thu Dec 3 Run quality 40 min 4 × 10 min @ race pace 7:43/mi Fri Dec 4 Endurance ride 45 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · high cadence, flat route or trainer Fri Dec 4 Easy run 30 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · about 10:25/mi Sat Dec 5 Brick: long ride + 30 min run 135 min Long ride, Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · middle third at race effort, Zone 3 (146–159 bpm) 30 min run off the bike · first 5 min at race pace 7:43/mi, then easy Sun Dec 6 Open-water / long swim 30 min continuous swim @ 1:51/100 yd · wetsuit if racing in one Sun Dec 6 Long run 55 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · last 15 min at race pace 7:43/mi
10	Peak: race-specific bricksLong ride 2 h	9 · 5 key	8h 25	Long ride 2 h
9 sessions Tue Dec 8 Swim race-pace sets 35 min 6 × 400 @ 1:48/100 yd, 30 s rest Wed Dec 9 Bike intervals 70 min 10–15 min warm-up 5 × 5 min Zone 4–5 (159–172 bpm and up), 3 min easy 10 min easy Thu Dec 10 Swim endurance 35 min continuous or broken 400s @ 1:54/100 yd · bilateral breathing, sighting every 6–8 strokes Thu Dec 10 Run quality 45 min 4 × 10 min @ race pace 7:43/mi Fri Dec 11 Endurance ride 40 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · high cadence, flat route or trainer Fri Dec 11 Easy run 30 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · about 10:25/mi Sat Dec 12 Brick: long ride + 35 min run 155 min Long ride, Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · middle third at race effort, Zone 3 (146–159 bpm) 35 min run off the bike · first 5 min at race pace 7:43/mi, then easy Sun Dec 13 Open-water / long swim 35 min continuous swim @ 1:51/100 yd · wetsuit if racing in one Sun Dec 13 Long run 60 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · last 15 min at race pace 7:43/mi
11	Taper: less volume, keep intensityLong ride 1 h 30 min	9 · 5 key	6h 20	Long ride 1 h 30 min
9 sessions Tue Dec 15 Swim sharpening 25 min 6 × 50 fast @ 1:41/100 yd 200 easy Wed Dec 16 Bike intervals 55 min 10–15 min warm-up 3 × 3 min at race effort inside an easy spin 10 min easy Thu Dec 17 Swim endurance 25 min continuous or broken 400s @ 1:54/100 yd · bilateral breathing, sighting every 6–8 strokes Thu Dec 17 Run quality 30 min 4 × 3 min @ race pace, 2 min jog Fri Dec 18 Endurance ride 35 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · high cadence, flat route or trainer Fri Dec 18 Easy run 20 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · about 10:25/mi Sat Dec 19 Brick: long ride + 35 min run 125 min Long ride, Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · fuel 60–80 g carbs per hour 35 min run off the bike · first 5 min at race pace 7:43/mi, then easy Sun Dec 20 Open-water / long swim 25 min continuous swim @ 1:51/100 yd · wetsuit if racing in one Sun Dec 20 Long run 40 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · flat to rolling route
12	Race weekRace	5 · 1 key	1h 55	Race
5 sessions Tue Dec 22 Swim sharpening 25 min 6 × 50 fast @ 1:41/100 yd 200 easy Wed Dec 23 Bike intervals 40 min 10–15 min warm-up 3 × 3 min at race effort inside an easy spin 10 min easy Thu Dec 24 Swim endurance 25 min continuous or broken 400s @ 1:54/100 yd · bilateral breathing, sighting every 6–8 strokes Thu Dec 24 Run quality 25 min 4 × 3 min @ race pace, 2 min jog Sun Dec 27 Race day: Olympic-distance triathlon Swim 1500 m · settle at 1:50/100 yd Bike 25 mi · Zone 4 (159–172 bpm) Run 6.2 mi · target 7:43/mi if the bike was controlled

Your paces

Swim CSS: 1:45/100 ydcritical swim speed
Run easy: 10:25/mi
Run threshold: 7:53/mi
Run race pace: 7:43/miopen-run pace; expect 3–8% slower off the bike

Heart-rate zones · Karvonen

Zone 1: 120–133 bpmrecovery
Zone 2: 133–146 bpmaerobic base
Zone 3: 146–159 bpmtempo
Zone 4: 159–172 bpmthreshold
Zone 5: 172–185 bpmVO2max

The numbers

About this plan

This olympic triathlon training plan runs 12 weeks for an intermediate athlete, from 5 hours in week 1 to 8.4 hours in week 10. Week 6 is 6.6 h, split about 20% swim, 47% bike and 33% run across 9 sessions. 35 swims, 34 rides and 34 runs prepare you for 1500 m, 40 km and 10 km.

Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) carries the 2 h long ride of week 10; Zone 4 (159–172 bpm) is for the Olympic-distance triathlon intervals. 35 swims use a 1:45/100 yd critical swim speed; 6 bricks follow long rides.

Recovery weeks: week 4 (4.1 h) and week 8 (5.3 h). The 2 taper weeks go from 8.4 h to 1.9 h; the 70-hour block ends with run race pace near 7:43/mi.

Week 1 of 12 is 5 hours in 9 sessions; the biggest is Saturday's 75 min, and the key work is swim technique + aerobic, bike intervals and long ride.

The phases run base weeks 1–3 (5–5.8 h), build weeks 5–7 (6.3–7.2 h), peak weeks 9–10 (7.7–8.4 h), taper week 11 (6.3 h) and race week 12 (1.9 h).

Questions

FAQ

How many hours a week is this olympic triathlon training plan?

5 hours in week 1, 6.6 h in week 6, 8.4 hours in week 10; 70 hours in all.

What heart-rate zones does the olympic triathlon training plan use?

Zone 2 is 133–146 bpm and Zone 4 159–172 bpm at the default heart rates; your own recalculate all 12 weeks and 70 hours.

How many brick workouts are in the olympic triathlon training plan?

6 bricks across 12 weeks, the longest behind a 2 h ride.

What is the longest bike ride before the Olympic-distance triathlon?

2 h, in week 10, before a 2-week taper to 1.9 h.

Keep exploring

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