Training Library

A sprint usually combines a 750m swim, 20km bike and 5km run. Standard distance is 1.5km, 40km and 10km. Race formats vary, so check the organiser’s distances before entering.

Start with an event whose distances, swim setting and cut-offs fit your current ability and preparation time. A shorter event gives you the chance to learn how the three disciplines fit together without making distance the main challenge.

There is no single timeline. Your starting fitness, swimming confidence, chosen distance and weekly availability all matter. Work backwards from the event with a realistic plan, allowing time to develop skills as well as endurance.

Start with a safe, suitable bike, a correctly fitting helmet, swimming essentials and comfortable running shoes. Check the event’s kit requirements. Consistent preparation and confidence with your equipment come before expensive upgrades.

A brick links two disciplines back to back, often cycling followed by running. It lets you practise the change between sports. Start with a manageable combination rather than making every brick a race simulation.

T1 is the change from swimming to cycling; T2 is cycling to running. Practise a simple kit routine and learn the event’s entry, exit, mount and dismount points. Read the race briefing for the rules that apply.

Use a supervised venue or a lifeguarded beach, go with someone and check local conditions. Enter slowly to acclimatise. Build confidence close to a safe exit before adding distance, and take a way to call for help.

Ask a coach to identify a small number of priorities, then practise them consistently. Balance technique work with relaxed swimming so the skill transfers to your normal stroke. More effort is not always the answer to moving more effectively.

Look at your event, your current strengths and the time you can sustain each week. Keep all three disciplines in the picture, but give skills and weaker areas purposeful attention. Recovery needs to fit into the same schedule.

A taper reduces training before an important event so you can arrive fresher. Its length and size depend on the race and your training. Avoid using the final days to catch up on missed sessions.

Begin with short, comfortable sessions that mix running and walking. Repeat a manageable routine before increasing it. Let your response guide the next step rather than trying to match another runner’s pace or distance.

Choose a frequency you can recover from and maintain alongside work, family and other training. More runs are not automatically better. Build a repeatable routine first, then review whether adding another session supports your goal.

Easy running should feel relaxed enough for a full conversation. Pace will change with hills, heat and fatigue. Use effort alongside your watch so an easy day does not quietly become another demanding session.

Build consistency, keep easy days comfortable and introduce harder work in manageable amounts. Intervals can help you practise faster running, but they need recovery around them. Choose a realistic progression from your current fitness.

A tempo or threshold effort is sustained, controlled work at a challenging intensity. Intervals divide harder running into repetitions separated by recovery. Both have a purpose; neither should turn every training day into a test.

Progress from the running you can already manage comfortably. Add distance gradually and reassess how you recover before adding more. A fixed percentage is not a guarantee of safety; your training history and response matter.

Strength work can complement running and help you develop the capacity to handle training. Choose exercises and loads appropriate to your experience, learn the movements well and fit them around your key running sessions.

Restart below your previous training load, even if you remember feeling much fitter. Run–walk sessions can be useful. Rebuild easy running before speed and allow more recovery as you find a sustainable routine.

Longer sessions often benefit from carbohydrate and fluid intake. Your needs depend on duration, intensity, conditions and tolerance. Practise your approach in training, build it gradually and use a personalised plan for demanding events.

Recovery is part of training. Place easier days around demanding sessions and pay attention to sleep, energy and persistent soreness. If fatigue keeps building, reduce the load and review the plan rather than pushing through by default.