Train for the Triathlon Swim-Time Percentage

My Triathlon Training Program for Swimming
The swim training program that I have come up with and am currently using to train for my upcoming triathlon is basically designed to help me peak when the triathlon occurs. Most of it is based on time and percentages. Now whether or not it is going to work out in the end, I don't know. But I do know that I am getting good results from it so far.

Beginner Sprint Swim Training for my Triathlon
Here is a breakdown of how my swim training works. I am not a good swimmer by any means so I had to come up with a way so that I could gradually allow myself to be able to complete the .3 miles of swim that I have to start out with in the triathlon. I had to do some math first. I wanted to figure out how many yards I would have to swim. Since there is 5,280 feet in a mile, I multiplied that number by .3 which comes out to be 1,584 feet. I then took that number and divided it by 3 since there are 3 feet in a yard. The number of yards that I arrived at for the swimming distance is 528 yards. My buddy lives near the beach so we found a starting reference point. We then used my digital range finder (which measures up to 600 yards), to find another visual reference point that was 528 yards away. We now had a pretty good section of area where we could train for our swimming.

The first thing that we did was we used a timer to see how long it would take us to swim the total distance. I had to stop a lot of times because I was not in shape and like I said before I don't swim very well. It took me 19:26 to swim that distance. That time is horrible but it has served as my reference time for my training which I will now explain.

Swim Training for the Triathlon
Almost my entire triathlon training is based on percentage and time. Here is my percentage breakdown:

60%
70%
65%
Mini Tri-55%

70%
80%
75%
Mini Tri-65%

80%
90%
85%
Mini Tri-75%

90%
100%
95%
Mini Tri-85%

100%
110%
105%
Mini Tri-95%

I have used these percentages to create an 11 week training program that I use for all three events in the triathlon. Since I knew that my total swim time was 19:26, I figured out the times based on the above percentages. I then used that new time for my training. So for example, 60% of 19:26 is roughly 12 minutes. So for my first training day I swam in my pool for 12 straight minutes. I have an entire chart which lists my training times and distances for each day leading up to my triathlon. And I am using the percentages from above to get my times. I will show my chart in my next post.

I hope that I am making sense. You will also notice the Mini Tri's that I have listed above. Every other Saturday serves as my mini triathlon. I perform all three events, including transitions, so I gradually get the feel of competing in the real triathlon. As you can see from the percentages, you do have a couple of weeks where you actually train at 100% or above. This hopefully will help me to gain some extra endurance. But you will notice that my final mini tri is only at 95%. This should help me from burning out before the triathlon. I am counting on adrenaline and pure excitement to push me over 100% the day of the event.

Sprint Triathlon Training Program Summary
Like I said before, I will list my personal training chart in my next post, and then I will outline how I train for biking and running. It is almost identical to my swim training. I hope it works and I look forward to hearing from any of you, about what you think about my BEGINNER SPRINT TRIATHLON TRAINING PROGRAM

My Beginner Sprint Triathlon Training Log

Training For My First Triathlon
Hi, my name is Chris and I live near Jacksonville, Fl and I am currently training for my first sprint triathlon. Obviously I am only a rookie, but I wanted to post my progress and my plans for everyone to see. As a newbie to the sport of triathlons, I have been doing a lot of research on the internet to find tips, tricks, drills, schedules, plans, and workouts to help me in my goal and quest to be a successful triathlete.

Triathlon Training Log
As a beginner, I am guaranteed to make mistakes along the way, but I figure by putting my information here, it will help others to hopefully find success as well, whether it comes from learning from my mistakes or from benefiting from areas in which I am successful. If you have had success in sprint triathlons and you would like to pass on some of your wisdom in training, preparing, or participating in a triathlon, I would love to hear your comments. I am going to be keeping an ongoing training log, which will outline my training for swimming, biking, and running. I will also pass on what equipment I have and will be using and what things I still plan on getting.

Beginner Triathlete
The triathlon that I am currently training for will be in Clearwater, Fl. The date is Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009. My background for this event is very limited. I have not competed or been involved in any event involving swimming or running. However, I have trained and successfully rode my bicycle for a charity event earlier this year, which involved riding 100 miles over two days. At that event, I caught the bug to want to push myself harder. So this is why I have chosen to compete in a triathlon. My biggest weakness is swimming, but I am working on that and I will post separately my swim progress as well as how I am doing in cycling and running.

The triathlon that I am competing in involves a .3 mile swim, biking 11 miles, and running 5k. I have come up with a progress training schedule that hopefully will allow me to peak at the time of the race. I will fill you in on this schedule later.

Beginner Sprint Triathlon
So welcome to my blog dedicated to my first triathlon. I hope you enjoy reading about my progress and I hope some will benefit from my information. I also look forward to hearing from any of you who have competed before, because I can use all the help that I can get. Ha ha. So keep checking back as I develop for all My Beginner Sprint Triathlon Training Log