Home > Feature

Kirsten Sweetland’s four week sprint distance training plan

Kirsten Sweetland's advanced four-week training plan for the sprint distance.

May 28, 2019
Share on SMS

_F7P9776

Get ready for an early season sprint distance race with a race plan from ITU star Kirsten Sweetland. Sweetland’s plan builds on a good base of fitness with race-specific workouts for four weeks leading up to your race, so this plan is for people who already have a regular swim, bike and run mileage in the week and used to performing drill workouts in each of the disciplines.

Week 1

Monday:
  • Swim- 1.5 km as 400 mixed strokes
  • 4×50 drills (pause 3, finger drag)
  • 4×50 at race pace with 20sec recovery
  • 4×100 at race pace with 30sec recovery
  • 300ez
  • Run- 30min jog
Tuesday:
  • Bike: 60-90min with 3x5min hill in big gear (low cadence 60rpm)
  • Swim: 1.5km as 500m mix
  • 4x50m pause 3 drill
  • 40x50m Distance Per Stroke (long powerful strokes)
  • 2x200m steady pace with 30sec rest
  • 100m kick
  • 200m Easy
Wednesday:
  • Run- 6-8km including 3x 3min race pace 1min steady pace between.
Thursday: 
  • Bike Indoors- 1hr as 5x (1min high cadence, 1 min easy)
  • 3x (3min race pace, 1min easy, 2min RP, 1min easy, 1min RP 1min easy)
  • 8min easy
  • Swim- 1.5km as 200 free
  • 200 alt backstroke/free by 50
  • 200 drill
  • 100 kick
  • 4×100 free best pace you can hold across all 4
  • 4×50 as 25m sprint 25m easy
  • 200 easy
Friday:
  • Rest Day- Light activity like a hike or yoga etc
Saturday: 
  • Bike- Long Ride 2 hours steady. Can be over hills if possible
Sunday:
  • Run- Long run. 45-60 min easy pace just put in the time

Week 2

Monday:
  • Swim- 200m free
  • 200m back/free alt by 50
  • 200m drills
  • 400m steady free
  • 50m easy choice
  • 300m steady free
  • 50m easy choice
  • 200m steady free
  • 50m easy choice
  • 100m steady free
  • 50m easy choice
  • 200 easy cool down
  • Run- 40min with 4x 20 second hills run at a fast pace and then 15min build from easy to
  • race pace over the course of the 15min
Tuesday:
  • Bike- 90 minutes with 3x 5 minute hills in big gear but start the interval with the first 30
  • seconds sprint then settle in to the remainder of the 5 minute effort. Recovery is the ride
  • back down.
  • Swim- 2km as 500 mix
  • 2x ( 4×50 drill, 200 free, 100kick)
  • 300m free with pull buoy
  • 200 easy
Wednesday:
  • Run- Quality Run
  • 15min warm up
  • 4x1km best pace with 5min easy walk/run between
  • 10’ easy
Thursday:
  • Bike Indoors- 1 hour as 15min warm up
  • 4x( 1min High Cadence, 1min easy, 1min sprint, 1min easy, 1min big gear, 1min easy)
  • 10min build from easy to race pace
  • 10min easy cool down
  • Swim- Easy 1500m as 400m back/free by 50m
  • 100 drill
  • 100kick
  • 2x( 4×50 drill, 200 free DPS, 100 back)
Friday:
  • Rest Day! Light activity optional
Saturday:
  • Bike- 2hrs Long Steady/Hilly if possible.
Sunday: 
  • Run- 60min easy/ steady

Week 3- Recovery Week

Monday:
  • Swim- 30min easy choice
Tuesday:
  • Bike- 1 hour easy spin
Wednesday:
  • Run- 30-45 min easy
Thursday:
  • Bike Indoors- 45min easy with 6×30 sec high cadence (120-140rpm)
Friday: OFF
Saturday: 
  • Bike- 90min easy
Sunday:
  • Run- 45-60 min Easy

Week 4

Monday:
  • Swim- 2.5km as 500 mix
  • 200 kick
  • 200 drill
  • 3×200 steady free with 20 sec rest
  • 4×50 25 sprint/ 25 easy
  • 3×100 fast 1min rest
  • 4×50 25m sprint/ 25m easy
  • 300 easy
  • Run- 45min with 5x 30 sec fast straight into 2:30 steady. No rest just cycle through this
  • straight.
Tuesday: 
  • Bike- 90min with 4x5min hills big gear first 30 seconds of each interval sprint then settle
  • in. Optional 15min build from easy to race pace later in ride if feeling good.
  • Swim- Easy 2km as 400 free
  • 200 kick
  • 200 IM
  • 200 drill
  • 400 as 150m free/ 50m back
  • 2×200 with pull buoy
  • 200 easy
Wednesday:
  • Run- Quality as 15min warm up
  • 6km as 1km at race pace, 1km 1 “gear” slower than race pace (10-20
  • seconds depending on your pace)
  • 10min cool down
Thursday:
  • Bike Indoors- 1 hr as 10min warm up
  • 5x (30 sec high cadence, 30 sec easy)
  • 2x (3min big gear, 1min ez, 3min high cadence, 1min ez, 2’ BG, 1’
  • ez, 2’ HC, 1’ ez, 1’ BG, 1’ ez, 1’ HC, 5’ ez)
  • 5-10min easy
  • Swim- 3km as 200m mix
  • 4×50 drill
  • 400 pull buoy
  • 3×50 drill
  • 300 pull buoy
  • 2×50 drill
  • 200 pull buoy
  • 50m drill
  • 100 pull buoy
  • 2×50 25 fast/25 easy
  • 200 free
  • 3×50 fast/easy
  • 300 free
  • 4×50 fast/easy
  • 400 free/ back
Friday:
  • Rest Day Optional light activity
Saturday:
  • Bike- 2 hours Steady with 20min build to race pace
Sunday:
  • Run- 60-70min Easy. Can be over hills