If You've Only Got An Hour

Triathletes are a busy bunch.  They don't need to perfect ONE sport, they need to perfect three!  With things like work, family, church activites, volunteering in school, and buying groceries on the To-Do list, time sometimes slips away.

That being said, a one hour workout might be just the ticket for the overly scheduled athlete.  Joe Friel has a great one-hour workout I've been borrowing lately for my athletes and myself.  I've tweeked it to my liking.  Here goes:   

Set up your bike on the track or someplace with a measured out-and-back course.  (I set up my trainer inside and run around my neighborhood.)  Warm up on the bike for 30 minutes, elevating heart to Zone 3.  Transition to a 400 meter run at 10K pace.  Transition back to the bike for a 5 minute ride done this way: spin easy 2 minutes, then build HR up to Zone 4-5 for the next 3 minutes.  Transition to an 800 meter run at 5K pace (longer but faster).  Repeat this pattern of five minutes on the bike transitioning to an 800 meter run three more times.  After last one, spin easy on the bike for 10 minutes for cool down.  This workout should take approximately one hour and gives you the benefit of running to the bike like you would after a swim, and running off the bike, like you would in T2.