A view of the Ironman® Coeur d' Alene Swim Course

From time to time, the Endurance Nation coaches field questions on Facebook, Twitter or via the Support Tab on our Training Plan FAQ page. We reserve the right to share this information if we believe it could be beneficial to the at-large triathlon community!

“Rich or Patrick,

I have been looking for a new training plan for a while and like your ROI philosophy since I am VERY busy with my family and career. I am 30yr old male residing in Ohio. Most recent Triathlon experience is in 2010 (2 HIM, 1 Oly, 1 IM) while using 30 week BeIronFit book program. In 2011 no races and no structured training. Will be purchasing power meter and GPS watch soon so no long have to train only with HR and RPE.

This year I do not plan on racing. My main focus will be regaining fitness lost in 2011 and some major body composition changes (weight loss). I plan on doing weight training to help with weight loss & muscular strength and need a program for swim/bike/run. Since I do not plan on racing in 2012 what advice do you have and what recommendations would you give me on selecting one of your training plans.”

~~ Jake

From the Desk of Coach Rich:

I recommend you purchase the Short Course training plan. It’s similar to our OutSeason® plans, but swimming is written into the week, the weekend ride is about 2hrs and you can adjust the long run upwards if you like. In other words, it would be very valuable for you to schedule a weekly 2-2.5hr long ride and 1:15-30 long run, regardless of your long term goals.

Those two distances would set you up nicely for anything you wanted to do in the future. The SC long bike and long run are closer to those distances than the OS = less need for you to DIY those in the plan.

When you’re ready to purchase a powermeter, email us at [email protected]. I’m a Quarq and Powertap dealer and offer discounts to our plan customers. Thanks for your interest in our plans and good luck!

From the Desk of Coach Patrick:

In addition to Rich’s points above, the body composition focus is an important aspect of your season. A lot can be gained from just consistent exercise, so look for some quick improvements from that. The next step will be to dial in proper eating habits (both when exercising and the rest of your day). Approach this with the 80/20 rule in mind…dial in the 80% now and know that you can always tighten things up next season as the real races get closer.

I suggest you also pick some fun endurance events to do, like a 24-hour run relay or a long distance bike challenge. Anything to get you targeting a distance but still keeping it fun. Good luck and keep us posted on Facebook and Twitter!