Real-world review
My 24-week triathlon plan, backed by my Garmin data
A 24-week plan to finish a Sprint triathlon, built on my Garmin data. The full program, my zones, my charts, and the PDF to download.
After announcing I wanted to become a triathlete, I built myself a real plan: 24 weeks, from July 13 to December 27, to finish a Sprint triathlon on October 4 (a first step toward an Olympic distance in 2027). And since I don’t do things by halves, I built it on my real Garmin data. Here’s the full program, my charts, and what my last 10 days of training actually reveal.
The starting point: my profile
It all starts with my Garmin numbers on July 12. No fantasy, no “I feel fit”: data.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Age / weight | 32 / 74.5 kg |
| Running VO2max | 52 ml/kg/min (very good) |
| Resting HR | 55 bpm |
| Lactate threshold (running) | 179 bpm |
| Cycling FTP | 237 W (3.2 W/kg) |
| Half-marathon PR | 1:51:09 (10 km: 50:16) |
| Swimming PR | 500 m in 14:51 (2:58 / 100 m) |
The diagnosis, no sugar-coating
My aerobic engine is already a triathlete’s (VO2max 52, resting HR 55, a half in 1:51). The bike is decent (3.2 W/kg) but under-trained. And swimming is my real weak spot: 2:58 per 100 m, 1250 m max in one session. So the plan puts two swim sessions a week, one purely technical, while running stays in simple maintenance (it improves on its own).
The rule that shapes everything: 80/20
The plan’s principle is polarized: 80% of the time easy, 20% hard. Most of my sessions have to be slow so the few hard ones actually pay off.
- Endurance (Z1-Z2) 80%
- Tempo / threshold (Z3-Z4) 14%
- VO2max (Z5) 6%
My zones are calculated on my real threshold of 179 bpm:
| Zone | HR (bpm) | Feel | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Z1 Recovery | < 145 | Very easy | Warm-up, day after hard sessions |
| Z2 Endurance | 145 - 159 | Easy, full sentences | The core of the plan |
| Z3 Tempo | 160 - 166 | Sustained | Sprint tri pace on the bike |
| Z4 Threshold | 167 - 177 | Hard | 8 - 20 min intervals |
| Z5 VO2max | 178+ | Very hard | Short 2 - 5 min intervals |
What my real data says
Here’s the interesting part. I pulled my latest Garmin sessions and compared the average HR to my target zone (the green band is Z2):
The good: my July 14 run at 148 bpm, right in Z2. My rides are easy, and I’ve already been open-water swimming even though the plan only asks for it in September.
The bad, in red: my July 12 run named “Base”… run at 165 bpm average (peaking at 182). That’s Zone 3 in disguise, and the program had predicted it in black and white: “your recent runs climb to 165 bpm, slow down.” My own watch catches me red-handed.
The 24 weeks, 4 phases
| Phase | Weeks | Dates | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Base | W1 - W6 | Jul 13 - Aug 23 | Swim technique + aerobic base |
| 2. Build + Race | W7 - W12 | Aug 24 - Oct 4 | Intensity, bricks, the race |
| 3. Build 2 | W13 - W18 | Oct 5 - Nov 15 | Consolidate, bonus aquathlon |
| 4. Winter | W19 - W24 | Nov 16 - Dec 27 | Strength, technique, prep 2027 |
Structure rules: one easy week every four (W4, W10, W16, W22), Monday always off, never more than a 10% volume jump week to week, and a missed session isn’t made up, you move on.
A typical week (Base phase)
| Day | Session |
|---|---|
| Monday | Full rest |
| Tuesday | TECHNIQUE swim (drills, 3-beat breathing, 8 x 50 m easy) |
| Wednesday | Z2 run + 4 strides |
| Thursday | Z2 bike (130 - 175 W, cadence 85 - 95) |
| Friday | ENDURANCE swim (50-100-150-100-50 pyramid) + 20 min strength |
| Saturday | Long Z2 bike + BRICK: 10 min run right after |
| Sunday | Long strict Z2 run (< 159 bpm), hilly terrain |
The 3 sessions never to skip: the Tuesday technique swim, the Saturday brick (running on bike legs has to be learned), and the Sunday long run in Z2.
Swimming, project number 1
The season’s goal fits in one number: going from 2:58 to 2:10 per 100 m. That’s where I’ll win or lose my triathlon.
The progression goes through 4 blocks: learning to glide (W1-W4), cutting strokes to under 22 per 25 m (W5-W8), specific speed with 750 m non-stop (W9-W12), then winter volume up to 2600 m per session. And 3 rules that change everything:
- Below 2:30 / 100 m, it’s never strength, it’s position. Look at the bottom of the pool, not ahead.
- Swim slow to swim fast: 70% of the session must be easy and clean. Technique is engraved at low speed.
- Wetsuit + open water from September, at least twice before the race: start panic is defused in training, not on race day.
Nutrition, the 4th sport
Carbs are periodized to the load (from 261 g on rest days to 670 g the day before a race), protein stays at 1.6 g/kg spread through the day. The recovery window: 75 g of carbs + 25 g of protein within the hour after a big session. And the race-day protocol is dialed in to the quarter-hour:
| Timing | Protocol |
|---|---|
| D-2 and D-1 | 8 - 9 g/kg of carbs, low fiber, hydration + electrolytes |
| Morning (H-3) | White bread, honey, banana (150 - 200 g of carbs) |
| H-15 min | 1 gel or half a banana |
| During | 30 - 40 g of carbs/h: 1 iso bottle + 1 gel early on the bike |
| After | Rehydration + 1 g/kg of carbs + 25 g of protein |
Race day: October 4 (750 m / 20 km / 5 km)
Goal number 1: finish smiling. The clock is for the second race.
| Segment | Target | Cues |
|---|---|---|
| Swim 750 m | 17 - 19 min | Calm start off to the side, feel 7/10 max |
| Transition T1 | < 3 min | Wetsuit down while running, helmet before the bike |
| Bike 20 km | 38 - 42 min | 185 - 205 W, HR < 168, drink + gel |
| Transition T2 | < 2 min | Off the bike before the line, shoes ready |
| Run 5 km | 24 - 26 min | 1st km at 5:10, then down toward 4:45 |
| Total | 1h25 - 1h32 |
The 8 rules of the plan
- Monday is sacred: zero sport, progress is built during rest.
- Z2 means Z2: under 159 bpm running, even if I walk the hills.
- Swimming first: 2 sessions a week, no exceptions.
- The Saturday brick: running after the bike has to feel normal.
- Sleep = training: 7h30 minimum, body battery under 30 = easy day.
- Easy week every 4 weeks: volume -35%, guilt-free.
- Sick = rest: above the neck, Z1 possible; below, total rest.
- Nothing new on race day: not gear, not gels, not shoes.
My numeric goals
| Metric | Today | End phase 2 (Oct 4) | End 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 m swim | 2:58 | 2:20 | 2:10 |
| Swim distance / session | 1250 m | 2000 m | 2600 m |
| Cycling FTP | 237 W | 250 W | 260 W |
| 5 km run | 23:37 | 22:30 | 21:30 |
| VO2max | 52 | 53 | 55 |
| Racing weight | 74.5 kg | 73 kg | 72 kg |
What’s next
The plan gets re-evaluated every 4 weeks, based on tests and how I feel. I’m documenting all of it, week by week, in my triathlon video series, and my records are tracked live on the homepage. If you want the full plan in detail, it’s right here: