Welcome to week 18 of the RealJock.com 21-week Olympic-distance triathlon training program. Get ready to swim 1.5k, bike 40k, and run 10k!

Triathlon Training Weeks

1. Week 1
2. Week 2
3. Week 3
4. Week 4
5. Week 5
6. Week 6
7. Week 7
8. Week 8
9. Week 9
10. Week 10
11. Week 11
12. Week 12
13. Week 13
14. Week 14
15. Week 15
16. Week 16
17. Week 17
18. Week 18
19. Week 19
20. Week 20
21. Week 21

Important Notes on the Training
Be sure to read the important notes on the triathlon training program at the bottom of this page before you begin training. You should pay particular attention to the heart rate training information.

WEEK 18 TRIATHLON TRAINING PROGRAM
Week 18, Day 1
Activity	Minutes	Avg. Heart Rate (Goal AT HR)	Avg. Heart Rate (Actual)	Distance (Actual)
Swim	1200 meters/yards continuous (200 warm up, then 200 form, then 500 race pace, then 300 warm down)	Varies
Stength train	45	N/A
Week 18, Day 2
Activity	Minutes	Avg. Heart Rate (Goal AT HR)	Avg. Heart Rate (Actual)	Distance (Actual)
Run	60 (afternoon/evening; 15 minutes warm up, then 15 minutes build, then 15 minutes steady effort, then 15 minutes warm down)	70% or less
Week 18, Day 3
Activity	Minutes	Avg. Heart Rate (Goal AT HR)	Avg. Heart Rate (Actual)	Distance (Actual)
Bike	80 - 90 (morning; ride on a hilly course for 60 to 70 minutes, building from steady to hard to finishing the climb by pushing over the top, then 20 minutes warm down)	varies
Run	15 (transition within 5 minutes of bike)	70% or less
Swim	60 - 70 (masters) or 2500 continuous	70% or less
Week 18, Day 4
Activity	Minutes	Avg. Heart Rate (Goal AT HR)	Avg. Heart Rate (Actual)	Distance (Actual)
Bike (optional)	45 (outside or on trainer spin high cadence)	Easy
Run (optional)	20 - 30 (transition within 5 minutes of bike)	Easy
Week 18, Day 5
Activity	Minutes	Avg. Heart Rate (Goal AT HR)	Avg. Heart Rate (Actual)	Distance (Actual)
Run	30 (include 8X50-meter stride/drills at end; build effort)	Easy
optional swim and/or bike easy	75 on bike (outside) or 40 on bike (inside/trainer) 30 swim	Easy
Stength train	45	N/A
Week 18, Day 6
Activity	Minutes	Avg. Heart Rate (Goal AT HR)	Avg. Heart Rate (Actual)	Distance (Actual)
Run	60 (morning; 15 mins warm up; then 4X400 meters, building pace within each one, with rest intervals of 90 seconds or 300 meters brisk/race walk; then 15 minutes warm down)	Varies
Swim	60 - 70 (masters) or 3000 continuous	70% or less
Week 18, Day 7
Activity	Minutes	Avg. Heart Rate (Goal AT HR)	Avg. Heart Rate (Actual)	Distance (Actual)
Bike	120 - 180	70% or less
Run	40 (transition within 5 minutes of bike)	70% or less

NOTES ON THE 21-WEEK TRIATHLON TRAINING PROGRAM

The RealJock triathlon training program is provided by Joey Hinton, aka UStriathlete, a highly accomplished triathlete with 16 years of experience under his belt. Hinton's training program is geared toward beginner to intermediate triathletes doing the Olympic distance event (1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run). Low Intensity Workouts, Heart Rate 60 to 80 percent AT HR For the first six weeks of the program you should focus on improving your technique. If you have weakness in one or more of the three sports, you may want to consider taking lessons and having yourself videotaped to identify and fix problems with your technique. For the first week of training, your workout intensity should be low to moderate. Joey recommends you use a heart rate monitor with the goal to train at the intensity at 60 to 80 percent of your anaerobic threshold heart rate (AT HR), also known as your lactate threshold. The AT HR is the heart rate in exercise where oxygen consumption results in lactic acid production exceeding lactic acid removal, resulting in buildup of lactic acid in the muscles. By tracking your heart rate and staying within the training goals, you will train your body to consume fuel more efficiently while racing and avoid hitting your lactic threshold mid-race. If you don't know your AT HR, check with your local gym or fitness professional to get an anaerobic threshold test to find your own personal heart rate numbers. Trust us, this is important `51;triathlons are endurance events, so you need to not only strengthen your heart, but also train your body to burn more fat with carbohydrates so that you can go the distance. Check out these AT HR resources below for a quick education: Anaerobic Threshold Defined Calculate Your Training Heart Rate Zones A Simpler Calculation: Use your Max Aerobic Heart Rate If you have trouble calculating your AT HR, you can also use a simpler calculation called your Max Aerobic Heart Rate. To calculate this rate, follow the instructions at Mark Allen Online. In this case, instead of using your AT HR, you would use your Max Aerobic Heart Rate for training. The numbers should be about the same. If they're not, use whichever number is lower. Notes on Strength Training: The training below includes two days of strength and flexibility training per week. Feel free to do a third day of strength training if you have the time and desire. You should focus on building core strength (top, front, back, sides, and bottom) at every session. See RealJock's Strength Training section for some exercise ideas. Resources for Improving Your Technique Hinton recommends the following two DVD resources for improving your technique: Swimming technique: Karlyn Pipes-Nielsen Freestyle DVD. Running technique: ChiRunning DVD