Build your SD Tri Classic plan
Your coach opens with the SD Tri Classic set for September (an estimate until the date is announced), asks about your week and your fitness, then writes every session of your Olympic-distance triathlon plan. Free, and you can start as a guest. About 46 weeks to go.
Start your SD Tri Classic plan- Formats
- Olympic, Sprint
- Terrain
- Rolling
SD Tri Classic distances
- Olympic 0.9 mi swim, 24.9 mi bike, 6.2 mi run
- Sprint 0.3 mi swim, 12.4 mi bike, 3.1 mi run
Course
The SD Tri Classic course
Transition sits at Liberty Station, the former Naval Training Center, and the swim starts from the beach at Spanish Landing West on San Diego Bay, about a 0.6-mile walk away; you run back to your bike after the swim. The Olympic swims 1,500 meters and the sprint 500 meters in calm bay water, with the Olympic going off at 6:15 a.m. and the sprint at 7:15.
Read the full course notes
The bike heads onto the Point Loma peninsula and climbs on closed roads to Cabrillo National Monument, with views of the downtown skyline and Mexico: one 20K loop for the sprint, two for the Olympic. That climb up the peninsula is the main elevation of the day, while the run is flat: a waterfront loop through NTC Park around the landlocked training ship USS Recruit, over a footbridge and along the boat channel past Ingram Plaza (one lap for the sprint, two for the 10K). The race has been held since 2009 and is part of the San Diego Triathlon Series.
- Terrain
- Rolling
- Formats
- Olympic, Sprint
- Race-day conditions
- September in San Diego usually brings 66–77 °F days, with a cool, often overcast marine layer at the early start and sun breaking through by the run. NOAA's San Diego Bay gauge averages about 72 °F in September, and the race allows and encourages wetsuits. Humidity is moderate, so carry fluids on the bike and take water at the run aid stations.
What to train for
The bike decides the Olympic: practice sustained climbs of 5 to 10 minutes at steady effort, since each lap rises up the Point Loma peninsula to Cabrillo National Monument, and rehearse fast, smooth descents.
Pace the first lap so you can climb the second just as strongly, because the Monument road closes to bikes at 8:45 a.m.
Swim some open-water sessions in your wetsuit with beach starts and sighting, then add short brick jogs, since you run 0.6 miles from the beach to transition before you even get on the bike. Finish with weekly bricks of 45 to 60 minutes on the bike straight into 20 to 30 minutes on flat ground at goal 10K pace.
Sample week
A sample SD Tri Classic training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Swim, 45 min: drills and technique
- Tuesday Key session
- Bike, 1 h with threshold intervals
- Wednesday
- Swim, 45 min: steady intervals at race effort
- Easy run, 40 min
- Thursday Key session
- Run, 40 min with tempo segments
- Friday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Saturday Key session
- Long ride, 1 h 30 min, then a 20 min run off the bike
- Sunday
- Long run, 1 h easy
Taper
Tapering for the SD Tri Classic
Start the taper seven to ten days before race day. Trim the volume in all three sports, keep short race-pace efforts in each, and do one last short brick so running off the bike still feels familiar. The course rolls, so keep one short session on undulating ground in the first taper week.
Also in Claude
Ask Claude for this plan
Add AthleteSpace to Claude once, then paste this prompt and put in your own numbers.
Build me a Olympic-distance triathlon season for the San Diego Triathlon Classic in September. I train about [hours] hours a week, [days] days a week.
SD Tri Classic training questions
How long should I train for the SD Tri Classic?
Most athletes give a Olympic-distance triathlon twelve to sixteen weeks of focused training on top of an existing base. The coach counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
What is the SD Tri Classic course like?
Rolling. Transition sits at Liberty Station, the former Naval Training Center, and the swim starts from the beach at Spanish Landing West on San Diego Bay, about a 0.6-mile walk away; you run back to your bike after the swim.
How cold is the water at the SD Tri Classic?
September in San Diego usually brings 66–77 °F days, with a cool, often overcast marine layer at the early start and sun breaking through by the run. NOAA's San Diego Bay gauge averages about 72 °F in September, and the race allows and encourages wetsuits. Humidity is moderate, so carry fluids on the bike and take water at the run aid stations.
When should I start tapering for the SD Tri Classic?
Start the taper seven to ten days before race day. Trim the volume in all three sports, keep short race-pace efforts in each, and do one last short brick so running off the bike still feels familiar. The course rolls, so keep one short session on undulating ground in the first taper week.
Do I need an account to get a SD Tri Classic training plan?
Start as a guest and save a free account later. Your coach writes your Olympic-distance triathlon plan and adapts it every week as you log your training. No card.