Hi!
I currently use TR for cycling and am planning on doing an Ironman next year. I don’t currently run. I want to build up my running- is this feasible in the time? Any advice? Can I tell TR I don’t run much so that it builds the running volume sensibly on a triathlon plan?
I did a half iron a few years ago and got alright at running then.
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If you haven’t even chosen the race yet don’t worry about a plan at this point and just mix in some running but make sure it syncs to TR for rlgl purposes. Don’t worry about what TR does now as it may change in a year.
My past experience with the plans was the adaptation for runs and swims was it just moved them around if you missed one. It doesn’t adapt like cycling does because there are now workout levels.
Personally when doing a triathlon plan I follow the bike part. Use the run as advisement and then usually just almost never run, and throw out the swim entirely and do my own thing.
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I’m thinking about doing some form of triathlon aswell. No particular event in mind just yet, but I decided I want to start building my run. And most importantly not getting injured while doing so.
I used to play soccer, but that’s a long time ago so I’ve started from scratch.
I decided to just do the 10% rule to build run volume and try to run at least 3 times per week. This means my first runs were stupidly short at like 10 minutes. Started at running 5km per week and I’m up to 9km per week now. (This week i’m doing one 5km run, and 2 short 2km run for example).
Next week I’ll do 10km in total.
All my runs are at zone 2 hearth rate, which is running at 6:00 to 6:30 min/km for me.
I’m a big believer in running often, but in small doses, to get your body used to this new strain.
Meanwhile, I just keep my cycling training going with TR. Do all my hard sessions on the bike to keep building more aerobic fitness in general.
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Hey @simonbevan 
Nice! I would probably recommend starting with a Low Volume Tri plan then since you’ll be including runs in your training and starting running again.
Starting with the Low Volume may be a great opportunity to then transition to a Mid Volume plan if needed, closer to your Ironman next year.
As you mentioned, I would probably start easy on the runs, seeing how the body feels without overdoing it. The good thing is that you have plenty of time to build into it!
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I am in the same boat. No events planned, just became 50 and the body screams mixing it up and I will benefit from the runs and the swims. I’ll start a low volume tri plan. On the other hand, doing only 2 cycling workouts a week will negatively harm my FTP no?
On the other hand, why not a low cycling plan and adding some running and swimming as I feel for it. I don’t train for a tri event, I only would pick the tri plan for the mix in workouts. Stupid?
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Join us in the 2025 Triathlon thread to keep the conversation alive!
Running is something you cannot shortcut your way to volume. Your body will disagree and you will get injured. Typical guidance is to never increase weekly mileage by more than 10% WoW. If you haven’t run much recently, walking is a wonderful way to get the body used to the fatigue.
Go buy some new shoes, and start doing 30 mins every other day. When you’ve done a few weeks of that, start to replace a walk with a jog until you’re in a place of running 2-3 days a week consistently.
RLGL should help keep you in check and just let it move your bike workouts around based on the logged walk/run activities. When you pick an event (and have figured out how to swim) you can jump on a plan and let it tell you what to do. A lot of plans will assume you have or can comfortably run 15-20 miles a week going into the start. Especially for full length ironman - the thought of a weekend 20 mile long run shouldn’t feel impossible
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Hi Simon, have a look at what went well and what went wrong with your half. A full feels a bit like doing three half’s.
12 months is a long time for structured training, so say the TR Full distance plan starts six months out, you’ve got six months to work on your weak areas - as James says, little and often is a great approach to your swimming and running.
@simonbevan @stvnvnlnckr @Aradell
Tell us your story and how your training is going
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Will do! I’m just here for general athletic improvement, with a decent cross-training component, not with racing in mind, only race I play is the race for that feeling of being in shape and longevity.
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Lots of good advice here. I especially agree with the start out walking part. Whenever I start running after having not done so for some time I do run/walk intervals. Start out short too. Think 20 minutes of 1 minute run / 4 minute walk 3x per week. Do that for a week or two, then bump up the time to 30 minutes. Then bump to 1 minute run / 2 minute walk 3x per week. Keep that going until you are mostly running. I usually spend about 4-6 weeks, legs rarely get sore, I don’t get injured. Works like a charm!
I did my first full IM last year. It was an amazing experience, but wholly crap the training was VERY time consuming! I finished IM CA in 11:30 averaging 10 hours per week training with my biggest week being 16 hours.
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I completely agree with JoeX. At 12 months out it’s probably not a good use of your time to lock yourself into a triathlon training plan, especially not an iron distance one. For most people, the peak weekly volume on an iron distance plan is so high that it is not sustainable nor (arguably) even healthy. It’s just something you do and survive because your body needs that adaptation to have a respectable iron distance race day. You have to realize though that you’re risking burn-out and injury during those ~4 peak weeks…and also neglect to multiple other parts of your life.
I wouldn’t start on an actual targeted plan until about 6 months out.
I agree with your assessment that you should use this time to build your run. Work on your technique, efficiency, figure out what nutrition works for you, and pay particular attention to how your body recovers to running. You want to feel very smooth and natural in your stride, minimize impact, and be able to wake up the next day after a long run knowing that you could do it again…without actually having to do so. As a non-runner this is what will make the difference between making it to the start line injury free and then making it through the day.
If you’re happy walking a good portion of or the entire marathon, then you can throw this advice out.
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