Triathlon training has seasons like any other sport. Sports like football, basketball, and baseball have a set series of months where their sport plays games and then there is a season-ending championship. The 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.
OUT OF SEASON OR OUT OF SEASON
The first season is the low season or some call it the low season. This is the time to work on specific skills in your triathlon training. It is a time to increase rest and possible crossover with other sports. You can also enjoy more family time and free time. The off-season 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 isn’t meant to simply take off from triathlon and sit on the couch. You don’t want to lose all your earnings from previous seasons.
BASE BUILDING SEASON
Base building season comes several weeks before you’re ready to compete. This is a time to train specifically in their arenas for running, swimming, and biking. You’ll want to spend much of your training time in your zone 2 or zone 3 heart rate zones. This is a time to build your ‘aerobic engine’ for the season ahead. I’ve heard 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 longer triathlon races.
This season in particular can be a bit monotonous and boring. You may not feel much in terms of performance gains. You rarely test yourself during this season to see how well you 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 figure out which race(s) you’re 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 will determine when you start training for a specific race. This will also be the start of your competitive season. Unlike other sports, triathlon is an individual sport and has races 12 months a 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 shorter and long training sessions that are lower intensity. 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 the 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 may have one race or 10 races or more. There are usually a large number of races that you can participate in in your area. The time between races is usually not enough for a full competitive season plan, so the racing season is full of parts of the competitive plan. You’ll want to determine which race or races during a season you’re aiming to put your best foot forward. This is your ‘A’ career. You may have other careers on the way, but the ‘A’ will be your main goal. Racing season is fun and action packed. After all, the racing season is the fruit of all the other seasons put together.
Every season is unique in triathlon training. Enjoy them all for their unique style.