WINTER TRIATHLON TRAINING PROGRAM

Winter is the perfect time to build your strongest triathlon season yet.

Our 20-week training program is designed to progressively build your swim, bike, run and strength fitness through the winter, with the 2027 UBC Triathlon on March 7 as our target event.

Whether you are preparing for your first triathlon, returning after a break or looking to improve your previous race performance, we will help you train consistently, build fitness gradually and arrive on race day feeling prepared.

Join the 20-Week Winter Program

Each week your training will include a balanced mix of:

• 2 swim workouts
• 2 bike workouts
• 2 run workouts
• 2 strength sessions

Delivered via TrainingPeaks, you can easily see what's scheduled, record your workouts and track your progress. The goal isn't simply to do more training. It's to do the right training at the right time.

The goal is simple: swim faster with less effort. We start by developing efficient technique so you can move through the water with less effort before gradually adding endurance and race-specific fitness. Expect a mix of technique development, drills, pacing work, easy aerobic swimming and progressively longer endurance sets.

Shorter indoor workouts will include controlled intervals, cadence work and progressively challenging efforts to develop cycling efficiency, while longer easier endurance sessions will continue developing your aerobic engine. Not every ride needs to be hard. Knowing when to push and when to back off is an important part of becoming a stronger cyclist.

Our running program begins with plenty of comfortable, low-intensity running and gradually increases training load as your body adapts. This progressive approach helps prepare your muscles, tendons and joints for harder training later in the program while reducing the risk of trying to build too quickly.

Strength training is often the first thing triathletes skip when life gets busy.

That's why we schedule it. Two weekly strength sessions will complement your swim, bike and run training, helping develop strength, stability, mobility and resilience. The goal isn't to turn you into a bodybuilder. It's to help you become a stronger athlete who can maintain good movement and technique as training volume and fatigue increase.

Fitness is only part of racing well. As the UBC Triathlon approaches, we'll increasingly focus on race-specific preparation, including pacing, strategy and smooth transitions.

Suitable for first-time triathletes through to experienced athletes looking to improve their Sprint or Olympic-distance performance. Although we're building toward the UBC Triathlon, you don't need to be racing UBC to join and you don't need to be fast, but you do need to be willing to train consistently.

We've helped hundreds of athletes prepare for triathlon—from nervous first-timers through to age-group podium finishers. We combine the technique-focused swimming approach Swim Smart is known for with structured bike, run and strength training to help you build into a more complete triathlete.

Melissa joined our winter training group after previously preparing for two triathlons on her own. Following two swims, two bikes, two runs and two strength sessions each week through TrainingPeaks gave her the structure and accountability she needed to train consistently throughout the winter. She arrived at the UBC Triathlon with a clear race plan, raced better than she expected and finished 2nd overall in the women's Olympic distance. Sometimes the biggest improvement doesn't come from training harder. It comes from finally putting all the pieces together.

READY TO START TRAINING?

Training begins on Monday 19 October, giving us 20 weeks to build your technique, fitness, strength and confidence.

Register now.