Priority Checklist
Setting Short-term Goals: 
Short-term goals focus your attention for only several days, weeks, or months. Often there are several short-term goals for each long term goal. Make sure your short-term triathlon goals have these characteristics:
Specific - Set benchmarks, they do not need to be complicated, just specific enough that you can tangibly know when you have met the goal and then reward yourself for the accomplishment. An example: working out at least 5 days a week for one hour a day would be a valid short-term goal, because it provides clear benchmarks that specify the frequency and duration of the workout.
Realistic - Do not set yourself up for failure. For example do not set a goal in coming in first place in your group bike ride. You may find that success at achieving a series of inner based performance goals will often lead to outward achievements, such as placing in your age-group.
Prioritized - Your short-term goals should focus first and foremost on your training weakness, that is, the areas that are most troublesome for you. For example is swimming is your weakness, setting a short-term goal of swimming at least 3-5 times a week.
Setting Long-term Goals:
Visionary - Have a vision and push yourself to the next level. An example would be to complete a sprint triathlon or if you are a triathlon veteran it might be to complete an iron man distance triathlon.
Believable - You should temper your vision with belief that your long-term goal is plausible. It's what you believe you can accomplish - not what others my think. You know best what you can personally commit to and achieve, so make sure that belief is there from the onset.
Inspiring - Make sure your long-term goal will inspire and motivate you for the months of the tough training to come.
Short-term goals focus your attention for only several days, weeks, or months. Often there are several short-term goals for each long term goal. Make sure your short-term triathlon goals have these characteristics:
Specific - Set benchmarks, they do not need to be complicated, just specific enough that you can tangibly know when you have met the goal and then reward yourself for the accomplishment. An example: working out at least 5 days a week for one hour a day would be a valid short-term goal, because it provides clear benchmarks that specify the frequency and duration of the workout.
Realistic - Do not set yourself up for failure. For example do not set a goal in coming in first place in your group bike ride. You may find that success at achieving a series of inner based performance goals will often lead to outward achievements, such as placing in your age-group.
Prioritized - Your short-term goals should focus first and foremost on your training weakness, that is, the areas that are most troublesome for you. For example is swimming is your weakness, setting a short-term goal of swimming at least 3-5 times a week.
Setting Long-term Goals:
Visionary - Have a vision and push yourself to the next level. An example would be to complete a sprint triathlon or if you are a triathlon veteran it might be to complete an iron man distance triathlon.
Believable - You should temper your vision with belief that your long-term goal is plausible. It's what you believe you can accomplish - not what others my think. You know best what you can personally commit to and achieve, so make sure that belief is there from the onset.
Inspiring - Make sure your long-term goal will inspire and motivate you for the months of the tough training to come.
Assessing Fitness Level:In order to get where you want to go, it's vital to know where you are. When you plan for your triathlon goal, one of the first critical steps will be to ask some questions about your present overall fitness. The three components of fitness are:
Cardiovascular Conditioning - cardiovascular fitness is the ability of the lungs to provide oxygen to the blood and the ability of the heart rate to transport the oxygenated blood to the cells of the body. Basically, it's your ability to sustain an activity for an extended period of time. Two tests: VO2max - is a cardiorespiratory measurement that quantifies your body's ability to deliver oxygen to cells in one minute - the higher the VO2max, the fitter the athlete. Ten-Minute Recovery Rate Test - Recovery rate is the length of time it takes your heart to recover from an intense or prolonged effort - the faster the recovery the better the shape you are in. To determine your recovery rate, plan a fairly short but intense running or cycling workout, and follow these steps: 1. Wearing a HR monitor, exercise intensity for at least 10 minutes, maintain an intensity and pace you can keep up for at least that time frame. 2. Stop your workout and check your HR, committing your HR to memory. 3. Wait exactly one minute and check your HR again. 4. Determine how many beats your heart rate has slowed within that 1 minute rest. If your HR slowed by: 50 or more = Excellent, 40 or more = moderate, 30 or more beats = poor.
Strength - Strength helps ensure that you stay injury free and perform efficiently. In order to assure your strength go through a series of muscular strength tests: bench press 1 rep max and squat 1 rep max as well as a series of muscular endurance tests: push ups, pull ups, bench press, squat, step ups and sit-ups. To help measure your fitness level.
Flexibility - is the capacity of a joint to move through its full range of motion. Flexibility tests include: sit and reach, v-sit-up, calf muscle flexibility, shoulder rotation, trunk rotation, 90/90 hamstring test. Flexibility is very important it promotes blood flow, helps flush lactic acid from your muscles and promotes balance, good posture and prevent injuries.
Choosing a Race Distance:
Time commitment - Be realistic about how much time you'll be able to devote to triathlon training.
Physical limitations - Is there anything that could possible hold you back from committing to a specific distance? Do you have an past injuries that may prove to be a major obstacle when running long distances.
Foundation - Build a foundation, start with smaller races (sprints) and build your way up to larger races such as half-ironmans and ironmans.
Desire - What does your gut tell you is the best distance target to set for yourself?
Creating a Seasonal Calendar:
1. Start from a foundation of fitness and solidify it.
2. Begin developing speed, addressing specific weaknesses, and acquiring needed skills.
3. Focus on performance and prepare for the conditions of intensity of your event.
4. Give yourself needed rest (tapering) just before you hit the starting line.
kStrength - Strength helps ensure that you stay injury free and perform efficiently. In order to assure your strength go through a series of muscular strength tests: bench press 1 rep max and squat 1 rep max as well as a series of muscular endurance tests: push ups, pull ups, bench press, squat, step ups and sit-ups. To help measure your fitness level.
Flexibility - is the capacity of a joint to move through its full range of motion. Flexibility tests include: sit and reach, v-sit-up, calf muscle flexibility, shoulder rotation, trunk rotation, 90/90 hamstring test. Flexibility is very important it promotes blood flow, helps flush lactic acid from your muscles and promotes balance, good posture and prevent injuries.
Choosing a Race Distance:Time commitment - Be realistic about how much time you'll be able to devote to triathlon training.
Physical limitations - Is there anything that could possible hold you back from committing to a specific distance? Do you have an past injuries that may prove to be a major obstacle when running long distances.
Foundation - Build a foundation, start with smaller races (sprints) and build your way up to larger races such as half-ironmans and ironmans.
Desire - What does your gut tell you is the best distance target to set for yourself?
Creating a Seasonal Calendar:
1. Start from a foundation of fitness and solidify it.
2. Begin developing speed, addressing specific weaknesses, and acquiring needed skills.
3. Focus on performance and prepare for the conditions of intensity of your event.
4. Give yourself needed rest (tapering) just before you hit the starting line.
Training stages:
Base Training - Consists mainly of long workouts done at a slow pace. Your focus should be on gradual total-mileage increases of no more than 10percent per week, a rule that is especially crucial for running and helps avoid common over training injuries.
Speed, technique, and skills training (STS) - This is a training segment that allows you to begin building some competence in the areas of speed and technique. Speed improvements typically includes interval work. This stage is also prime time to work on any visible weakness. You will still be building your base and overall endurance while integrating workouts that introduce a higher level of stress to your body, in preparation for peak training.
Peak Training - Once you've established a solid base, done speed work, and tweaked your technique and skills, peak training can take you to the next level of performance. It is typically a short phase of high intensity work that is totally aimed at your performing well for your race or goal. (Bricks are critical in this stage)
Tapering - This may be your most welcomed stage of training after all that hard work. Tapering is a reduction of both intensity and workout duration that occurs a week or two before the event, depending on the race distance. Decrease in both mileage and distance during this stage will ensure that you are fresh, both mentally and physically, for your upcoming race goal.
Base Training - Consists mainly of long workouts done at a slow pace. Your focus should be on gradual total-mileage increases of no more than 10percent per week, a rule that is especially crucial for running and helps avoid common over training injuries.
Speed, technique, and skills training (STS) - This is a training segment that allows you to begin building some competence in the areas of speed and technique. Speed improvements typically includes interval work. This stage is also prime time to work on any visible weakness. You will still be building your base and overall endurance while integrating workouts that introduce a higher level of stress to your body, in preparation for peak training.
Peak Training - Once you've established a solid base, done speed work, and tweaked your technique and skills, peak training can take you to the next level of performance. It is typically a short phase of high intensity work that is totally aimed at your performing well for your race or goal. (Bricks are critical in this stage)
Tapering - This may be your most welcomed stage of training after all that hard work. Tapering is a reduction of both intensity and workout duration that occurs a week or two before the event, depending on the race distance. Decrease in both mileage and distance during this stage will ensure that you are fresh, both mentally and physically, for your upcoming race goal.
