Sprint Triathlon Training Plan

8 weeks·sprint·intermediate

Weeks: 8
Sessions: 68
Peak week: 6h 55; week 7
Long ride: 1h 30; week 6
Taper: 1 wk

BaseBuildCutbackPeakRace

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	9 · 4 key	4h 40	Long ride 1 h
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 25 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 60 min Long ride, Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · fuel 60–80 g carbs per hour Sun Oct 11 Swim speed 20 min 10 × 50 @ 1:41/100 yd · wetsuit if racing in one Sun Oct 11 Long run 45 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · flat to rolling route
Weeks 2–8 locked Unlock the full plan. Every session, every week Paces and loads from your numbers PDF, calendar and Garmin export Re-plans when you miss a key session Billing period$79 / year$14 / month Annual works out at $6.58 a month Secure checkout with Stripe · Cancel any time
02	Base: technique + aerobicLong ride 1 h 15 min	9 · 4 key	5h 05	Long ride 1 h 15 min
03	Build: threshold + weekly brickLong ride 1 h 15 min	9 · 5 key	5h 35	Long ride 1 h 15 min
04	Recovery weekLong ride 1 h	9 · 2 key	4h 15	Long ride 1 h
05	Build: threshold + weekly brickLong ride 1 h 15 min	9 · 5 key	5h 55	Long ride 1 h 15 min
06	Peak: race-specific bricksLong ride 1 h 30 min	9 · 5 key	6h 30	Long ride 1 h 30 min
07	Peak: race-specific bricksLong ride 1 h 30 min	9 · 5 key	6h 55	Long ride 1 h 30 min
08	Race weekRace	5 · 1 key	2h 05	Race

Your paces

Swim CSS: 1:45/100 ydcritical swim speed
Run easy: 10:25/mi
Run threshold: 7:53/mi
Run race pace: 7:27/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 sprint triathlon training plan runs 8 weeks for an intermediate athlete, from 4.7 hours in week 1 to 6.9 hours in week 7. Week 4 is 4.3 h, split about 22% swim, 45% bike and 33% run across 9 sessions. Over the plan that is 23 swims, 22 rides and 22 runs for a 750 m / 20 km / 5 km race.

Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) carries the 1 h 30 min long ride of week 6; Zone 4 (159–172 bpm) is for the sprint triathlon intervals. 23 swims use a 1:45/100 yd critical swim speed; 4 bricks follow long rides.

Recovery weeks: week 4 (4.3 h). The 1 taper week go from 6.9 h to 2.1 h; the 41-hour block ends with run race pace near 7:27/mi.

Week 1, shown in full above, is 4.7 hours: Tuesday — swim technique + aerobic, 20 min; Wednesday — bike intervals, 40 min; Saturday — long ride, 60 min; Sunday — long run, 45 min; plus 5 easier sessions.

The phases run base weeks 1–2 (4.7–5.1 h), build weeks 3–5 (5.6–5.9 h), peak weeks 6–7 (6.5–6.9 h) and race week 8 (2.1 h).

Questions

FAQ

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

4.7 hours in week 1, 4.3 h in week 4, 6.9 hours in week 7; 41 hours in all.

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

Karvonen zones: Zone 2 133–146 bpm for 4.3 h weeks like week 4, Zone 4 159–172 bpm for the 31 key sessions.

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

4 bricks across 8 weeks, the longest behind a 1 h 30 min ride.

How long do rides get on the sprint triathlon training plan?

1 h 30 min, in week 6, before a 1-week taper to 2.1 h.

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