“How much should I train? Basically what you are trying to do with your training is to get your body used to moving roughly the amount of time your race will take you. So if you have an Olympic distance race and it will take you about 4 hours to complete, then try to build up to having your longest training day be about 3.5-4.5 hours. You don’t need to do a bunch of these, but one or two will make the race a much more enjoyable experience. If your race is going to be an Ironman distance and you are looking at coming in just before midnight, you don’t need to do a 17-hour training day, however. The upper limit that seems to do it for just about everyone is a training day that lasts roughly 7 hours total. This seems to build enough endurance in a person to handle all that will come in 17 hours of racing. And remember, the longer the race the more important it will be to keep your calories going in. All the training in the world won’t hold up to a calorie deficit on race day.”

The Top Six Beginner Questions

I’m considering competing in a triathlon.  Maybe smart, maybe stupid.  I don’t know.