Triathlon training has seasons like any other sport. Sports like soccer, basketball, and baseball have a set series of months in which their sport plays and then there is an end-of-season championship. Triathlon does the same. Since triathlon is an individual sport, there are multiple different events to participate in and multiple different types of championships. The same is true for all of these, they all have seasons.
LOW SEASON OR LOW SEASON
The first season is the off season or some call it the final season. This is the time to work on specific skills in your triathlon training. It is a time to increase rest and possible cross-trainning with other sports. You can also enjoy more family time and free time. The offseason is a great time to get stronger through strength training that you don’t have time for during the season. You can also shop around for better equipment. However, the off-season is not meant to take off from triathlon and sit on the couch. You don’t want to lose all your winnings from previous seasons.
BASE CONSTRUCTION SEASON
Base build season comes several weeks before you’re ready to race. This is a time to train specifically in the areas of running, swimming, and cycling. You will want to spend much of your training time in your zone 2 or zone 3 heart rate zones. This is the time to build your ‘aerobic engine’ for the upcoming season. I’ve heard it said that building your aerobic engine is like upgrading your car from a hatchback to a Lamborghini. You will need a larger aerobic base to compete in the longest triathlon races.
This particular season can be a bit drab and boring. You may not feel much in terms of performance gains. He is rarely put to the test during this season to see how well he will do in future races. The key is to have a disciplined mindset that what you do during this base building season will translate into incredible earnings throughout the season.
COMPETITIVE SEASON
Once you find out which race / races you are going to compete in first, you can determine your competitive season. The duration of the training plans varies depending on the distance of the race in which you are competing. Training plans can last from 6 to 20 weeks. Whichever training plan you choose, it will determine when you start training for a specific race. This will also be the start of your competitive season. Unlike some of the other sports, triathlon is an individual sport and has races throughout the 12 months of the year, depending on your location. So your season will be an individual season.
The competitive training season is usually a mix of high intensity training sessions that are long, lower intensity training sessions. This particular season will produce the most dramatic gains in your fitness. You will find that this particular season can be very difficult and it will be of utmost importance that you get enough rest and eat a good diet during this season.
RACING SEASON
Obviously, there will be a period of time during a given year that will be your racing season. You can have one race or 10 races or more. There are usually a large number of races that you can participate in throughout your area. The time between races is usually not long enough for a full competitive season plan, so the race season is full of parts of the competitive plan. You will want to determine which race or races during a season you are focusing on to do your best. This is your ‘A’ career. You may have other races on the way, but the ‘A’ will be your main target. Racing season is fun and action packed. After all, the racing season is the fruit of all the other seasons put together.
Each season is unique in triathlon training. Enjoy them all for their unique style.