It’s November 11, 2025, two weeks into the season. There are 34 weeks to go until Challenge Roth. My preparation for my first long distance starts. After the disappointment of the Frankfurt Marathon, the wounds are not yet fully licked and the result still annoys me. Nevertheless, I am motivated and looking forward to the process. Never before have I spent so much time preparing for an event.
Read about my first middle distance triathlon here: My first middle distance triathlon (Sub 4:45h)
The goal:
Challenge Roth 06.07.2025
Dream Goal: Sub 9:30h
Realistic Goal: 9:30-10h
Minimal Goal: Finish
SWIM: 1:10h 1:51min/100m
BIKE: 5:05h – 35,5km/h
RUN: 3:10h – 4:31min/km
Training Plan: coach, online training plan or create own plan?
At the beginning of this project, I asked myself whether I should draw up my own training plan or whether I should train according to a purchased training plan or even hire a coach to create my training and help me achieve my planned goal.
On the one hand, a purchased training plan is not very individualized, but it does provide a good training structure and allows you to build up gradually.
A coach is expensive, but allows you to count on the coach’s previous experience. Long-distance triathlon is, in my opinion, all about avoiding major mistakes. And that’s what a coach can be good for.
The creation of a triathlon training plan by oneself is very tricky and requires a lot of know-how. One question I asked myself was what training I have to do in order to achieve the goal I had set myself.
| Coach | Individual / own created Training plan | Bought / Online Training plan |
| Pros: + Individual training plan + Access to the coach’s experience + Learn from the coach + Feedback on the training process Cons: – High costs – Questioning the training sessions may be neglected – Pressure to do justice to the coach | Pros: + Learning from your own experiences and mistakes + Questioning your own training sessions Cons: – Previous experience necessary – High time expenditure for training planning – Reflection of the training process with a second person | Pros: + already tried and tested training plan + Progressive structure Cons: – Cost expenditure – Pressure to do sessions according to plan |
This eventually led me to decide that the most feasible option for me is to train according to an online training plan. Of course, there is always room to add in extra sessions as one sees fit. I have decided to go with plans provided by Pushing Limits, which are written by professional triathlon coach Nils Görke. You can use plans as a beginner, advanced or pro and pay a monthly fee of €19.99 for this. A fair price in my opinion.
The training plan is divided into three phases of 12 weeks each: 12 weeks base, 12 weeks build, 12 weeks peak. As I no longer have 36 weeks available, I started the plan in week 3.
Season Planning
Training Camp:
As every year, in April, it will be a one or two week training camp in Mallorca.
Competitions before:
25.05.2025 Steinfurt Triathlon – Middle Distance (2000 m- 80 km – 20 km)
Propably: 22.06.2025 Ironman 70.3 Westfriesland (two weeks before Roth)
Long-distance training alongside the job
I am working 35 hours a week starting next year. Since I have worked 40 hours a week for the last few years, I hope that these extra 5 hours will give me more time for my training.
The advanced plan usually includes 12-14 hours of training per week in the base and build phase. In the peak phase even up to 17 hours. Previously, I often didn’t train for more than 10 hours a week, with the majority of my training consisting of running.
We’ll see how I cope with these volumes over the next few months. The plans generally include three swimming sessions per week. I will probably cancel one session per week, as the effort and the cost of €5 for an indoor pool entry are too high for me.
For the next weeks, I will again focus on some long-distance-specific topics and report about the status of my training.
