Your first triathlon went well, and you can't wait to get back out there to take the challenge again, with all kinds of plans about how to do better the second time out. Perhaps you have even signed up for another race. How soon, you might ask, can a new triathlete resume more than light workouts?

If your first or just-completed triathlon was a sprint distance, it's okay to put another sprint-distance race on the schedule as soon as two weeks later. Say you did just that: scheduled your second sprint triathlon for two weeks after the first one. Do little or nothing the first couple of days after your just-finished race, followed by light to moderate workouts for the rest of the week.

Follow Directions

In the week leading up to the second triathlon, go back to your training schedule and do the workouts recommended for the week leading up to your first race. Basically, train on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, then back off on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for a Sunday race.

Don't worry that you will lose fitness in this period. If you trained properly for your first race, you will be more than ready for the second with some short tune-ups and brief workouts. Just don't do any long, hard workouts. It's okay to have some intense runs or rides, but only for short distances.

Check the course for your next triathlon to determine if there are any challenges you didn't face the first time around. For example, the next run or bike course might have some significant hills. If the next triathlon is two weeks away, you probably won't have time to get much hill work in before you race again. With more time, however, plan to add at least one good hill workout per week in biking and running, not including the week before the triathlon.

Also, do your best to ascertain whether there will be issues with heat and humidity in your next triathlon. If so, you will know to take extra precautions in your prerace preparations relative to hydration and electrolyte stores.

More Time

If your next race is a month or more away, go back to the training schedule and pick it up at a point that matches how long you have before you race again, minus the week you are spending in recovery from the triathlon you just completed.

With more time, you can do more workouts that are longer and harder. For an Olympic-distance triathlon, you can increase your long run time to as much as seventy-five minutes. Your long bicycle rides will be up to an hour and forty-five minutes, and you should plan to swim for close to an hour once a week. It is essential to get your body used to the longer durations so that you can cope with the change in your next race.

Adjustments

The extra time will also give you a chance to work on some of the issues you might have had in your first race. For example, if you had trouble staying on course during the swim, you can practice swimming with your head up so that you don't waste time and energy in the next triathlon.

Was the swim more difficult than you expected it to be? You might need to adjust your workouts at the pool. Tell your swim coach how it went and how you would like to improve. The coach will provide workouts aimed at helping you improve in your next triathlon swim.

Running on Empty

Did you feel really spent at the end of the run? That could indicate you should do a bit more speed work in the next couple of weeks, assuming you have about a month to prepare for your next race.

Also, revisit your nutrition plan for the race you just ran. You might conclude that you need to take more than one energy gel before you start running. Perhaps you should consider a different gel or other energy source.

These issues are why you made those notes at the end of the race. Use the information to your advantage now.