This document provides an introduction to triathlon and training for triathlon races. It discusses the history of triathlon and the different race distances. The main race distances are sprint, Olympic, half Ironman, and full Ironman. It provides an overview of how to begin training for each distance, including the time commitment required. The document recommends joining a local triathlon club to take advantage of group training opportunities and coaches. It also provides tips for getting started in triathlon training and preparing for races.

1. Triathlon
101
Introduc1on
to
Triathlon
&
Triathlon
Training
Dave
Jimenez
djimenez@dfwtriclub.com

3. Objec9ve
To
learn
what
Triathlon
is.
To
understand
how
to
begin
to
prepare
for
a
Triathlon.

4. Tiny
Bit
of
History
The
first
modern
swim/bike/run
event
to
be
called
a
'triathlon'
was
held
at
Mission
Bay,
San
Diego,
California
on
September
25,
1974
and
was
organized
by
members
of
the
San
Diego
Track
Club.
Triathlon
was
introduced
to
the
Olympic
games
in
2000
in
Sydney,
Australia.
Triathlon
is
governed
by
two
main
organiza9ons,
the
Interna9onal
Triathlon
Union
and
USA
Triathlon.

5. Triathlon
Race
Distances
Triathlon
races
vary
in
distance.
There
are
four
main
designa9ons
as
shown
in
the
table
below.
They
are
shown
in
the
order
that
the
races
are
executed
(Swim
then
Bike
then
Run)
Name
Swim
Bike
Run
Sprint*
750m
(.47
miles)
20k
(12
miles)
5k
(3.1
miles)
Olympic
1.5k
(.93
miles)
40k
(25
miles)
10k
(6.2
miles)
Half
Ironman
(70.3)
1.9k
(1.2
miles)
90k
(56
miles)
21.1k
(13.1
miles)
Ironman
(140.6)
3.8k
(2.4
miles)
180.2k
(112
miles)
42.2k
(26.2
miles)
*Sprint
races
can
vary
in
swim
distances

6. Who
wins
and
how?
Triathlons
are
9med
events.
Each
par9cipant
wears
and
9ming
chip
and
they
are
9med
the
second
they
start
the
swim
all
the
way
through
the
comple9on
of
the
run.
There
are
two
TRANSITIONS
in
triathlon,
where
the
athlete
will
switch
from
their
swim
gear
to
their
bike
gear
(T1)
and
the
bike
gear
to
their
run
gear
(T2).
Transi9ons
are
considered
the
fourth
discipline
in
triathlon.
Par9cipants
compete
against
other
people
in
their
age
group.*
*Some
races
have
divisions
for
par9cipants
above
a
certain
weight
called
Clydesdale
for
Men
and
Athena
for
Women.

7. PROPER
PLANNING
PREVENTS
PISS
POOR
PERFORMANCE
What
do
you
need
to
Race?

8. Beginning
to
Train
• Decide
on
what
distance
race
to
focus
on.
– Consider
9me
available
for
training.
• Iden9fy
your
strengths
and
areas
of
improvement.
• Determine
appropriate
ways
to
remediate
and
improve
upon
iden9fied
areas
of
improvement.
• Set
a
plan
and
s9ck
to
it!

9. Training
for
a
Sprint
Time
Commitment:
~5
Hours
/
Week

10. Training
for
a
Olympic
Time
Commitment:
~7
Hours
/
Week

11. Training
for
a
Half
Ironman
Time
Commitment:
9-­‐12
Hours
/
Week

12. Training
for
a
Ironman
Time
Commitment:
12+
Hours
/
Week

13. OK…
I’m
in…
Now
what?
Dave
Jimenez
djimenez@dfwtriclub.com

14. Beginning
to
Train
• Join
the
DFW
Tri
Club
Today!
(www.dfwtriclub.com)
– Train
with
others
who
can
become
mentors
&
take
advantage
of
around
20
coached
workouts
each
week.
• Buy
a
road
bike
or
tri
bike
– Get
fiPed!
– Look
for
used
or
a
prior
year
model
to
save
money
or
to
get
more
bike
for
your
money
• Ride
with
a
group,
learn
how
to
handle
the
bike,
build
fitness
before
going
to
the
aero
posi9on
• Run
frequently,
build
your
base
fitness
before
you
go
fast
– Running
is
the
riskiest
of
all
sports
in
terms
of
injury
• Start
with
the
sprint
distance
and
bridge
up
one
‘distance’
at
a
9me.
• Buy
as
linle
as
you
can
at
full
price
or
brand
new
at
first!
• Looy
goals
require
looy
prepara9on.
• Consult
a
specialist
as
needed:
– Bike
Fit
– Swim
Coach
– Run
Coach
– Cycling
Coach
– Nutri9onist
• Get
a
Coach
when
you
step
up
to
70.3
or
greater
or
when
you
want
to
anempt
to
qualify
for
na9onals
or
an
interna9onal
race
(go
fast)
at
the
Olympic
distance.
(DFW
Tri
Club
Coaches)

15. hnp://www.dfwtriclub.com/calendar

16. Ques1ons?
Dave
Jimenez
Email:
djimenez@dfwtriclub.com
Blog:
www.yurfit.com