Race Shape › Triathlon
TriathlonTriathlon training plans
Race Shape triathlon plans manage swimming, cycling and running as one training load, measured as Training Stress Score, so the weekly ramp applies to the total rather than to each sport on its own. Hard days never sit next to each other across any of the three, and bricks arrive in the build and peak.
Two sports that each look reasonable on their own are the commonest way triathletes dig themselves into a hole. Combined load is the number the plan protects.
Race-day targets are conservative on the bike by design — about three quarters of FTP for a 70.3 — because the run is where an over-cooked ride gets paid for.
A plan moves through base, build, peak and taper like a single-sport plan, but the proportions shift with the race. Sprint and Olympic plans lean on intensity; 70.3 and full-distance plans lean on long, steady bike volume, with the long run protected rather than pushed. Strength work sits on easy days and comes out entirely in race week.
Build my triathlon plan — freeWhat you need to get started
| A run time trial | A recent 5 km or 10 km sets run paces. |
|---|---|
| An FTP or threshold heart rate | For the bike, from a test where you ride. |
| A 400 m and 200 m swim | For Critical Swim Speed. |
| Current volume in each sport | The combined load starts from what you do now across all three. |
| The days and time you have | Hard days never sit next to each other across any sport, and every session fits the time you give it. |
Building a plan takes about four minutes and is free, and the first week is yours to train on. The whole block is paid for once, from R150.
Plans by distance
- 8-week sprint triathlon plan
- 12-week sprint triathlon plan
- 12-week Olympic triathlon plan
- 16-week Olympic triathlon plan
- 16-week 70.3 half Ironman plan
- 20-week 70.3 half Ironman plan
- 20-week full Ironman plan
- 24-week full Ironman plan