The TriForce Busy Athlete’s Toobox

Are you a busy triathlete with big dreams, wondering how to find the time?  I’ve been there.  

I was juggling a full-time job and attending school at night, all while chasing my goal of completing an Ironman. I knew I had to find an alternative to the traditional “big training” model. That’s when I started to develop my powerful strategies for getting faster and fitter on a tight schedule, ultimately completing a Sub 10 Ironman in 10 Hours per Week of training, and years later I won my age group at Ironman Santa Rosa on 10 hours per week.

As I transitioned into coaching, I continually tested and added more tools to help my athletes succeed—no matter how busy their lives were. Whether they were juggling a new baby, managing high-pressure jobs at companies like Google, or serving as police officers, I designed strategies to fit their unique challenges and help them achieve their goals.

A toolbox, not a rigid system.

These tools offer the flexibility to adapt to your unique circumstances. For example, some athletes may rely on time-saving techniques during the workweek but enjoy longer rides on the weekends. Others might have a small block of time in the AM and one in the PM, needing two short, efficient “no fluff” workouts instead of one longer brick. A teacher might use nearly all the time-saving tools below during the school year, then enjoy shifting to “big training” over the summer. Together, we’ll choose the right tools to fit your life and make your big dreams achievable.  

OK, enough preamble….

Here are some of my most powerful tools for busy athletes:

Tool #1 Reverse Periodization

Focus on Speed First.

One of the most effective methods I use is Reverse Periodization, a strategy championed by my mentor, Brett Sutton, who recently coached another Olympic medalist. While this approach works wonders for elite athletes, it’s even more suited for busy age groupers.

In traditional periodization, you spend months building up easy volume before pushing through intense workouts to “peak” for your big race. With reverse periodization, we flip the script. We start by focusing on speed, incorporating hard intervals early in the training buildup. As the race approaches, we shift our focus to longer endurance sessions. This approach helps you maximize limited training time while ensuring you’re race-ready.

Tool #2 Minimum Effective Dose

Do enough, but no more

 The principle is simple: we do just enough to keep you progressing—no more, no less. Early on, it won’t take much to see improvement, but as you get fitter, you’ll need to gradually increase your training to continue making gains. The goal is to hit your Minimum NECESSARY Dose (see below) in the final six weeks before your race, ensuring you’re primed for peak performance at just the right time.  Read more.   

Tool #3 Minimum NECESSARY Dose.

Ensure You’re Doing Enough

As a coach and athlete, it’s crucial to answer the question: “How much training is enough?” When preparing for an Ironman, we focus on hitting key long workouts in the final 4-6 weeks. These include 4-hour rides, 2-hour runs, and Ironman-distance swims. The key isn’t just completing these workouts but doing them at a solid, steady effort—slightly harder than race pace. If you can handle these sessions with consistency, you can be confident you’re ready for race day, provided you nail your pacing strategy (more on that below).

Tool #4: Solid Steady Long Workouts

Train Faster Than Race Pace to Make Race Day Easy

As noted above, we will do our long workouts mostly at a SOLID STEADY effort that’s faster than our race day effort.   That usually means spending plenty of time right at the top of zone 2, just before it becomes a “medium” zone 3 effort.   Then on race day we’ll hold back and race at an easier endurance effort.  (see below for more about race day execution for the minimalist)

Tool #5 “No Fluff” Workouts

Make Every Minute Count- No Wasted Time!

When time is limited, we can’t afford to mess around with “fluffy” workouts full of drills and excessive easy training. Instead, we focus on maximizing every minute with efficient, high-impact sessions. Here are a few examples:

• The Tempo Brick Run: The quickest way to knock out a key workout and still have time for life. After a bike ride, hop off and run for 20 minutes at a “comfortably hard” pace, around your anaerobic threshold. BOOM! Key run done!

• Build Rides: After a short warm-up, ride for 15 minutes at Ironman effort, 15 minutes at half-Ironman effort, and finish with 15 minutes hard, using whatever energy is left. In under an hour, you’ve taken your body close to race conditions. I love pairing this with the tempo brick run, completing a key ride and run in just 80 minutes.

• No-Nonsense Swims: Jump in and go, just like race day! Brett Sutton swears by simple, powerful swim sets like 40×100 or 10×400. Here’s one of my favorites: 2 sets of 5×200 at a strong, hard effort with 20 seconds of rest between each. You’ll knock out 2000 meters close to your anaerobic threshold. No long warmups, no drill sets—just effective, focused work.

Tool #6: The TriForce 666 Beast Build Method

Applying Reverse Periodization, Solid Steady Long Workouts and Minimum Necessary Dose

(Don’t worry, I had a priest exorcise this tool!)

The number 6 holds a certain magic in training. It takes about 6 weeks for your body to adapt to a stimulus, and your current fitness is largely a reflection of the past 6 weeks of training. With that in mind, here’s the 666 Ironman Build I love to use with busy athletes (after about 6 weeks of preparation if you are ‘off the couch” plus 6 weeks of ramp-up).

Here’s how it works, using the bike as an example:

• 6 weeks of VO2 max focus, featuring 2-hour long rides.
• 6 weeks of anaerobic threshold work, with 3-hour long rides.
• 6 weeks of Ironman-specific training, incorporating solid, steady 4-hour rides (our Minimum Necessary Long Ride).

The devil, as they say, is in the details, particularly in how you progress through the workouts. But this structure ensures a progressive build that aligns with reverse periodization, solid steady long workouts, and the minimum necessary training dose.

Tool #7: Bricks

Combine Workouts for Big Time Savings

One of the best ways to maximize time is by combining two workouts into a “brick.” For example, doing a bike followed by a run (like the tempo brick run mentioned earlier) saves you from having to go through the entire routine of getting ready, warming up, showering, and fueling twice. You only do all that extra stuff once!

That’s why I often schedule transition runs after most rides—it’s a powerful and efficient way to increase run frequency without adding extra sessions. Plus, the psychological advantage on race day is huge. You’ll be used to strapping on your shoes and heading out for a run after a tough ride, no matter how tired you feel. You can also combine other workouts, like swim + run or swim + bike, to further enhance your training efficiency and boost race specificity, all while saving time.

Tool #8: Simplicity

A Simple (But Not Easy) Weekly Schedule

We believe in keeping things simple so you can stay consistent. Your “basic week” of training remains fairly constant—typically with shorter, faster intervals early in the week, a midweek brick, and longer workouts on the weekend. The key is that the emphasis shifts as you progress, really pushing challenging workouts early on then emphasizing the longer ones as we get close to the race (see the 666 Build Method above).

Your weekly plan might be simple, but it’s far from easy. Life is already complicated enough, so we keep your training schedule straightforward yet effective, ensuring you get the most out of every session without unnecessary complexity.

Tool #9 Your Pain Cave.

Set yourself up for no excuses

• Creating the right indoor training setup can be a game changer, eliminating barriers and keeping you consistent, no matter the circumstances.

  • Indoor Riding Setup: I’m a huge fan of using a smart trainer with Zwift (or similar software). In many ways, it’s better than riding outdoors. You can do big gear reps on virtual mountains, ride with pacer groups to keep your effort in check, or follow structured workouts. Plus, you can complete your “solid steady long rides” without interruptions from stoplights or traffic— but with hills, etc, just like on race day. Many athletes ride indoors during the week and head outside for longer weekend sessions.

  • The Dreadmill FTW: Whether it’s freezing, blistering hot, or the air quality is poor due to wildfire smoke, a treadmill ensures you have no excuses. I love my treadmill for VO2 max intervals (e.g., 40 seconds at just above 5K pace, 20 seconds rest, repeat). You can tweak the pace and incline to keep things interesting while maintaining consistent effort. My affordable Sole F80 treadmill, priced around $1700, has been a reliable workhorse.

  • The Vasa Swim Erg: Pool closures or tight schedules can mess with swim training, but the Vasa Swim Erg offers a great alternative. With a realistic “underwater” pull feel, it’s an excellent substitute for pool time. I often hop on the Swim Erg before a bike ride to squeeze in extra swim training without eating up too much time.

Tool #10 Meticulous Race Execution

Smart execution for a strong finish

If you’ve followed your busy athlete’s training plan, you’re almost as fit as someone who completed a full-volume plan, but not quite. That’s why we’ll race a bit smarter—and a bit easier. The good news? With a humble approach and meticulous race execution (focusing on pacing, nutrition, hydration, etc.), you can outperform many athletes who put in more hours of training.

While others may be burned out from an overloaded Ironman build, you’ll have the energy to fine-tune your race plan and prepare mentally. Stick to the plan, race wisely, and enjoy the satisfaction of moving up the field in the later stages of the race!

Want To See the Entire Busy Athlete’s Toolbox in Action?

Want to Learn More?

Above: the “Flying Frenchman” Yohann Coppel expresses his love for training zone 4 (threshold)

Don’t Just “Know” Your Triathlon Training Zones– Understand Them!

I’m writing this post as part of a series of resources for the team I call “executing your plan.”   I have way too many people I coach who:

* go a little too hard on their “low stress days”,  causing them to stagnate

* reschedule workouts in ways that are destructive because they don’t want to “miss a workout”  (e.g. they’ll put their 2 hardest runs back to back because they missed one of them).

* and otherwise make a mess of their training by making poor decisions.

Executing your plan doesn’t mean just following your plan blindly.  It means making smart decisions as you go through your week and your workouts.    Part of making good decisions is understanding your training intensities (not just memorizing your zones).   If you know the purpose of each intensity level then you can make better decisions when executing your plan.

Saurabh shows us his favorite zone.  Understand your zones, don’t just memorize them.   

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3 Keys for Understanding Your Training Zones

Triathlon Training Zones Simplified?  A 3 Zone Model.   

 Really, for training purposes we could easily slice our training into just 3 zones and I think it’s helpful to think of zones this way (especially realizing that we don’t want “easy” workouts to accidentally become “medium” workouts.    

A common pattern among athletes who don’t improve is to make their easy workouts medium.  That makes them too tired for their hard workouts, so those workouts become medium as well.   So they are constantly training at a mediocre medium level.  Don’t fall into that trap!  Go easy on easy days and hard on hard days!

Zone A:  Easy (≈30-69%)

Easy should (a) feel easy AND (b) be below your aerobic threshold HR (roughly 30 beats below your anaerobic threshold HR).  The beauty of this intensity is that we can do a massive amount of it because it’s low stress.  We can train here and get solid endurance benefits while giving our bodies a break from stress so we can recover.  (the best of both worlds!)  THIS AREA IS KEY!   DO NOT TURN YOUR EASY / RELAXED WORKOUTS INTO “MEDIUM” WORKOUTS JUST BECAUSE YOU FEEL GOOD.

Zone B:  Medium (≈70-90+%)

This is where you have the foot on the gas a bit (harder than easy), but you are not pushing your limits.   Ironman effort, HIM effort or maybe short reps at olympic distance effort are around here.   Even though it doesn’t really feel that hard, it’s STRESSFUL.  This is sometimes called the “gray zone” because it’s hard enough to be stressful, but it’s not as potent as going “hard” for making you fast.    We don’t do much here in the “get fast” portion of our training, but we do a large amount of training here as we get closer to our races, since this is our race intensity.   This intensity is good for building “stamina” to go the distance at a solid race effort.

Zone C: Hard – close to your limit!

Some people define this level as being above your anaerobic threshold, but for our purposes let’s just say you are going “hard” when you are close to your limits / uncomfortable.   (If you are racing an olympic distance  or doing a 90 min climb at 90% and feeling pretty darn uncomfortable, we’ll call that hard.  For “hard” training, you don’t have to kill yourself– a “solid hard effort” is good enough.    In the offseason we like to spend most of our time going hard or easy, without as much “medium” mixed in.

Whether you call it “easy” “relaxed” “zone A” “zone 1” or “zone 2a”– those easier days are perfect for enjoying scenery and snapping the occasional selfie.

Slicing it More Thinly– All Your Zones

Understanding the 3 zone model above is key just so you understand the basic idea.  But sometimes we want to slice and dice our training more thinly.    Without further ado… here are your TriForce training zones.  (your zones spreadsheet will have the details for you).

Zone 1:  Recovery  (≈30-50%)  “Zero Stress” Zone.

This is VERY easy– not a workout at all.  Just moving blood around to help speed recovery, prevent stiffening up, and promote healing.  Avoid pushing these just a bit harder to try to get a workout.  We want ZERO workout!  E.g. a recovery run should be more like a walk than a run.  I might run low 7s for my Ironman pace and my “recovery” pace can be closer to 12 minutes per mile.  In the swim this is just “flopping” in the water probably with a pull buoy.

Zone 2a: (≈ 55-69%) (below your aerobic threshold HR)

“Easy Endurance.”  “Relaxed.”   “Low Stress” Endurance.

This is just hard enough you are getting endurance benefits, but it’s more of an “all day” relaxed effort.  You should never “try to go faster or harder” when training at this level.  Set your heart rate monitor to beep at 30 beats below threshold HR and try to never hear the beep!   This is a LOW STRESS endurance day to allow our bodies to recharge our batteries.  Pushing harder (more like IM effort) turns it into a STRESSFUL day which is exactly what we do NOT want.  Whatever your body settles into is fine (even if it is a very low power / slow pace).  Never “push for” a certain pace or power. These workouts are in the plan to give you endurance benefits but to be very easy on the body so you recover from previous workouts and feel good for your upcoming workouts.  In the swim this might be 15 seconds or more slower than your 1000 tt pace.   It’s an “all day” relaxed effort.

Zone 2b: (≈ 70-78%) (Ironman-ish) Steady / Moderate Endurance

This is general endurance work- solid long ride/ long run effort.   Training at this level creates a stress response in the body even though it doesn’t feel that hard.  (That’s why we create a separate zone for this training as opposed to lumping it in with zone 2a).  So if you are supposed to do a “relaxed” workout, don’t creep into this zone.    The foot is on the gas just a little bit, but you are comfortable and never pushing to go harder / having to try to go harder (except maybe at the end of a long workout).  On a good day you might naturally settle into Ironman effort or slightly higher, but we almost never TARGET a certain effort for long workouts unless we are testing our Ironman pacing.  Just settle into what feels right today (even if it’s a very slow pace or low power).  Pushing long workouts on tired legs is a major cause of deep fatigue.  Always feel free to go “relaxed” in these workouts if the legs are tired.  Fatigue should happen from how long the workout is, not from how hard you are pushing.  In the swim this could be anywhere from 6-10 seconds per 100 slower than your 1000 tt pace.

Zone 3a: (≈ 78-87%) (Half Ironman-ish) Medium Endurance.

The foot is on the gas now, but this is still a long distance effort that you can hold for 2+ hours (or maybe 30-60 min in the swim).  About half ironman effort or open marathon running effort.   When you start to feel a “little bit of burn” in the legs you know you are probably starting to to hit the upper end of this level.  Speaking of which…

Zone 3b (or 4a?): (≈ 88-94%) (Olympic Distance-ish) “Sweet Spot” 

This is where you start to feel just that little bit of lactate burn in the legs.  On a good day this is the top of zone 3ish.  When you are tired it might kick in earlier.  We like doing intervals here because it’s hard enough to get good adaptations (and you can do quite a large amount of work here compared to going harder), but you can recover quickly compared to harder intensities.    You feel a hint of lactate but you aren’t “pushing into the burn” like in the next level.  It’s called the “sweet spot” because it’s hard enough to create big adaptations but easy enough that you can do large amounts of it without deeply fatiguing.  We like this early in the year to start to get our bodies used to going harder and late in our IM / HIM build to maintain threshold power when are legs might be too tired to push harder.

Zone 4 – Threshold  (≈ 94-104%) (Sprint Distance-ish)

This is hard but sustainable for 30+minutes.  (100% is around what you can hold for 1 hour).    You are feeling lactate and pushing it right up to the limit of what is sustainable for an extended period of time.  You get the sense that if you pushed any harder you will hit the wall pretty quickly.   Experienced athletes don’t really need testing to understand where this level lies.  Your body will react to this level in a clear way, especially if you go above your threshold.  

Zone 5 – Vo2 Max  (≈ 105-125%) (Hard!  Maybe about what you can hold for 6 min.)

This is an effort you can hold for maybe 6 minutes.  This is the effort that will take you to the max you can do aerobically. Going any harder will require the power to come from your anaerobic system.    Most of the time we do vo2 max work as short intervals (30 seconds to 4 minutes) with long rest.

“Hard” = Uncomfortable.  Close to Your Best Effort.  Not a zone– see what you can do!

When you are told to go hard, that means see what you can do.  Don’t try for a certain power or pace– instead, go by feel.  Learn to know your body’s limits.   “Hard” means around the best you can sustain.   A hard 20 minute finish to a run, e.g.,  should be very uncomfortable by the end, with you very eager for the rep to end.  For hard reps (e.g. 5 * 3 min hard), go at around the best effort you can hold across all 5 reps (so don’t kill yourself on #1).    Exactly how fast / how hard you go depends on the workout.  Obviously, 10 x 30 seconds hard on the bike will be at a much higher power level then doing 1 hour hard at the end of a 3 hour bike ride.  Go by feel for these!   This is how you learn your limits and how to pace well.   You don’t always have to max out your mental intensity for these.  “Just do” these reps.  Don’t think too much about them.   To quote Brett Sutton- “Hard is hard!”  Don’t worry if you are going hard enough or about power numbers, etc.

In conclusion– take time to UNDERSTAND YOUR TRIATHLON TRAINING ZONES!   

Knowledge is power!   If you know WHY we train at certain intensities it increases your chances of making smart decisions through your training build.   Remember, DOING your plan isn’t the goal.  It’s EXECUTING your plan to get the best results!

How you EXECUTE your training plan is a MASSIVE factor in your success or failure as an athlete.    EXECUTING YOUR PLAN means making smart decisions when things don’t go as expected.    “Getting through” the plan and doing every workout is NOT the goal.   The goal is to maximize our RESULTS– to get the maximum adaptation  from your plan.  And that often requires making smart decisions.

 Sometimes you need to change your plan.  Vacation, injury, fatigue or just the chance to have some fun.  Know how to do it right!

3 Key Concepts For Executing Your  Triathlon Training Plan

Here at TriForce we don’t rely on generic training plans, computer generated plans or cookie cutter methods.  We 100% tailor your training to YOU and your life, including factors such as:

• Your current fitness
• Your goal races
• Your personal schedule and time available to train during the week vs. weekends
• Your experience level in the three sports
• Your injury history
• And, importantly, your personal robustness

Canned training plans or one-size-fits-all coaching often ignore some of these factors, setting you up for failure.

Today, let’s dive into one critical aspect: robustness.

 What is a Robust Triathlete?

Robustness refers to your ability to bounce back and recover quickly from training, stress, and races. It’s about how often you get sick, injured, or hit extended “bad patches” of fatigue or poor performance.

Your level of robustness (or resilience) is a critical factor in how your training should be structured. If your training plan—or your coach—doesn’t account for your personal level robustness, you could be setting yourself up to fail.

What Category Do You Fall Into? High, Low, or Average Robustness?

Robustness varies among athletes, and while we can improve it by focusing on sleep, nutrition, and recovery, some athletes are naturally more resilient than others. So, what kind of triathlete are you? Let’s take a look:

Average Robustness Triathlete

• Most athletes fall somewhere in between. You recover from races and hard training at an average rate, and while you may experience occasional fatigue, a few easy days or a recovery week usually gets you back on track

Coaching Low Robustness Triathletes

Low robustness athletes need a more cautious approach, but they can still achieve incredible success. I’m a low robustness triathlete myself, yet I’ve qualified for Kona many times, went 8:56 at Ironman Arizona, and won my age group at multiple Ironman races. Pete Jacobs, a professional triathlete known for his low resilience, won the Ironman World Championship in Kona.

The key to coaching low robustness athletes is consistency and prevention—avoiding the fatigue, injury, and sickness that can derail progress. 

Tips for Low Robustness Athletes:

1. Easy Days Must Be Easy
   Stick to your target heart rate on recovery days. Even moderate efforts can add up and lead to fatigue, so keep your easy days truly easy.
2. Watch Your Ramp Rate
   Be mindful of how quickly you increase volume. Consider periods of consolidation—holding steady with training volume for a few weeks and allowing your body to adapt before ramping up again.
3. Avoid Hero Sessions
   Don’t push for personal bests in training. Stick to your planned intensity and be okay with backing off if needed. Save the testing for race day.
4. Underload, Don’t Overload
   Plan fewer “quality” sessions and space them out. Low robustness athletes may only be able to handle one interval session and one long workout per week for a particular sport. Build your training around these key sessions and keep the rest low-stress.
5. Know Your Triggers
   Pay attention to what has caused problems in the past. If certain workouts consistently lead to fatigue or injury, avoid them. Adapt your training to what works best for you.
6. Take Recovery Seriously
   Build proactive recovery into your plan and take extra rest when needed. If you feel a fatigue patch coming on, skip a hard workout rather than pushing through and risking a crash.

Conclusion

Your triathlon training plan should be customized to your current fitness, goals, available time, athlete history, and personal robustness. Ignoring these factors could set you back, but by recognizing your level of resilience and adjusting accordingly, you can stay consistent and keep progressing toward your goals.