10-Week Olympic Triathlon Intermediate Training Plan

Plan Overview

This 10-week plan is designed for intermediate triathletes who have completed at least one Olympic distance event and want to improve their time. You should be comfortable swimming 1500m, cycling for 90 minutes, and running for 45-60 minutes before starting. By the end of this plan, you’ll be able to execute a well-paced Olympic distance race and handle the demands of a 40km bike-to-10km run transition with confidence.

Prerequisites

• Can swim 1500m continuously (not necessarily fast, but non-stop)
• Can ride 40km comfortably on a road or hybrid bike
• Can run 10K with no walk breaks
• Currently training 5-7 hours per week
• Equipment: pool access, road bike or turbo trainer, running shoes

Plan Structure

The 10 weeks are divided into three phases with a race week at the end. Weekly training volume builds from 6 hours per week in the base phase to a peak of 10-11 hours in weeks 7-8, before tapering sharply in the final two weeks.

• Weeks 1-3: Base Phase — Establish consistency across all three disciplines. Focus on technique in the water, building cycling endurance, and easy running volume. No intensity work yet.
• Weeks 4-7: Build Phase — Introduce threshold and interval sessions. Increase long ride duration to 2.5 hours. Add open water swimming. Start practising race nutrition during long sessions.
• Weeks 8-9: Peak Phase — Highest volume and intensity. Include a race simulation brick session (40km bike + 10km run). Practise transitions. Race-pace swim sets.
• Week 10: Taper — Reduce volume by 50%. Maintain session intensity but shorten durations. Keep the legs moving with short, sharp efforts. Rest and prioritise sleep and nutrition.

Sample Week (Build Phase — Week 5)

A typical build phase week trains six days with one full rest day. Total training time is approximately 9-10 hours.

• Monday: Rest or 20-min recovery walk/stretch
• Tuesday: Swim — 60-min threshold CSS session in the pool
• Wednesday: Run — 50-min tempo run at race pace
• Thursday: Bike — 75-min FTP intervals on the turbo trainer
• Friday: Swim — 45-min open water session (sighting and drafting practice)
• Saturday: Bike — 2.5-hour long ride with nutrition practice (race fuelling)
• Sunday: Run — 60-min steady run or brick (30-min bike + 40-min run)

Key Tips for Success

• Consistency over intensity — completing all the easy sessions is more important than nailing every hard one. Miss a session? Don’t double up; just continue from the next day.
• Practise your race-day nutrition during long training sessions — don’t try anything new on race morning.
• Include at least two brick sessions (bike straight into run) in weeks 7-9 to prepare your legs for the T2 transition.
• Open water swimming confidence is built by doing it regularly — aim for at least one OW swim per week from week 4 onwards if conditions allow.