Available Fall 2026
Whether you're a complete beginner wondering where to even start or an experienced athlete looking for a smarter approach, this book walks you through every step — from choosing your first race to crossing the finish line, with real coaching built into every chapter.
Pre-Order on Amazon →Get launch updates + Coach Alison's triathlon gear recommendations →
The book starts at the beginning: by making sure you know what you’re signing up for, choosing the perfect first triathlon for you, and ensuring that you’re fully equipped to get the job done.
Chapter 1: Demystifying Triathlon
From the origins of the sport to the standard race distances to the triathlete mindset, this chapter introduces you to the world of triathlon. You’re also encouraged to define your “why” — to put a name to the gravitational force that drew you to the sport.
Chapter 2: Choosing Your Race
Whether you’re a beginner triathlete or you already have some races under your belt, you want to choose a race that will set you up for success. Coach Alison breaks down what to consider — training commitment, time of year, course characteristics, and more — so that you’ll succeed not just on race day, but also across the weeks of training that get you there.
Chapter 3: Selecting Essential Gear
So much gear, so little storage space (not to mention the budget). This chapter cuts through the noise: what you actually need, what’s nice to have, and what can wait. Practical, no-nonsense guidance so you show up equipped without draining your bank account.
Swimming, biking, running, and putting all three sports together in a single day. Each leans heavily on sport-specific skills, and this section does a deep dive into all five (trust me) triathlon disciplines.
Chapter 4: Swimming
From the big picture swimming principles to the details of the swim pull, this chapter dives deep into the nuances of an effective swim stroke. A wide range of specific swim cues helps translate the concepts to practice, so you can become a more comfortable and confident swimmer.
Chapter 5: Biking
There’s more technique to cycling than most people expect. Pedaling efficiency, cornering, climbing and descending, shifting gears with intention, and eating and drinking while riding — these are the skills that separate “I ride a bike” from “I’m a cyclist.”
Chapter 6: Running
Running on tired legs is not the same as simply running. This chapter focuses on the specific, efficiency-driven form points that help you stay strong even when you’re fatigued — because the final miles of your triathlon are what you’ll remember the most.
Chapter 7: Triathlon Skills
The fourth and fifth disciplines of triathlon. Transitions and race-day fueling are how we translate swim, bike, run to swim + bike + run. These skills smooth out the sport-switching logistics and keep your engine fueled from the start line to the finish line.
“Alison Freeman is the triathlon coach who answers athletes’ questions before they even think to ask them. In Unlocking Triathlon, Alison combines her deep knowledge of the science behind, and the experience of, triathlon training with her no-BS approach to help you get to the start line feeling fit, fearless, and excited to compete.”
Susan Lacke, Senior Editor, Triathlete Magazine
The components that drive your triathlon success. This section covers how training works, how to structure it, and — just as importantly — how to actually get through it.
Chapter 8: Developing Your Triathlon Fitness
What triathlon fitness actually is and how we develop it. This is the first of two “why” chapters, because understanding the intent behind your workouts makes you a smarter, more intentional athlete.
Chapter 9: Structuring Your Triathlon Training
How we translate fitness development from concept to calendar. Periodization, training cycles, rest weeks — this second “why” chapter explains how we structure individual workouts to form an entire training plan.
Chapter 10: Building Your Training Season
Applying the plan to your specific calendar. How to build a season calendar that accounts for your goal race (or races) and your life. This is where the modular plan system comes together — fitting together like puzzle pieces to create your customized training season.
Chapter 11: Executing Your Training Plan
Starting with week one of your season plan, Coach Alison talks you through every week of training: from creating consistency to executing workouts with intention to handling motivational slumps and tough workouts. You’ll have a coach in your corner every step of the way.
Chapter 12: Adapting Your Training Plan
Life doesn’t pause for your training plan — illness, injury, work crises, and family demands are a part of every athlete’s juggling act. Alison walks you through how to handle all of it with grace, because there is no such thing as a perfect training season.
"Most triathlon resources either oversimplify or overwhelm. Unlocking Triathlon finds the balance. Alison brings the same clarity and patience to this book that she brings to coaching, and the result is a book that builds real confidence at every step of the journey."
Justin Trollé, Senior Education Manager, USA Triathlon, and USA Triathlon Level III Certified Coach
Everything from the final days before your race through the moment you cross the finish line — and what happens after.
Chapter 13: Pre-Race: Planning and Preparation
The days leading into your race are their own skill set. What to eat, what to pack, how to write your race plan, how to handle the pre-race nerves, and how to set up your transition area so that race morning feels organized rather than frantic.
Chapter 14: Race Day: Strategy and Execution
From the starting horn through the swim to the bike and run and finally to the finish line — everything from the swim start format to bike aid stations to triathlon rules to pacing your run, so you can cross the finish line with your head held high.
Chapter 15: Post-Race: What to Expect and What Comes Next
A structured guide for processing and learning from your race, thoughts on navigating your post-race emotions, and how to think about what comes next. Whether that’s recovery, another race, or just sitting on the couch eating pizza with your medal on, this chapter has you covered.
The training plans themselves — modular, customizable, and built to fit your life.
Chapter 16: Pre-Season Training Plans
The on-ramp. If you’re starting from scratch or coming off a break, these optional pre-season plans build your base or sport-specific fitness before you dive into race-specific training.
Chapter 17: Sprint-Distance Training Plan
Your plan for the sprint triathlon — the most accessible entry point into the sport. Structured, progressive, and designed to get you to the finish line of a sprint-distance race fit and confident.
Chapter 18: Olympic-Distance Training Plan
A slightly longer plan to accommodate the increased volume of the Olympic-distance event — but the same coaching approach that builds you up methodically rather than throwing you into the deep end.
Chapter 19: Olympic- to Half-Distance Training Plan
The bridge plan for athletes making the jump to long-course racing. Use it after completing an Olympic-distance event, or in combination with the first 8 weeks of the Olympic-distance plan as a dedicated approach to a half-distance event.
Every training plan in the book provides three options for each workout. For each sport — swim, bike, and run — you choose the training level that matches your background in that sport and your current fitness level for that sport:
You pick independently for each sport, so if you’re a strong swimmer but you’ve never clipped into a bike, your plan reflects that.
The plans are also available as companion plans on TrainingPeaks — prebuilt and loaded into your calendar so you don’t have to construct them yourself. Companion Plans on TrainingPeaks coming Fall 2026.
"Having a great coach changes everything in triathlon — and Unlocking Triathlon gives every athlete access to exactly that. Alison walks you through skill development, training, and race preparation. Whether it's your first race or your tenth, she makes you feel like you're not doing this alone.”
Gwen Jorgensen, Olympic Gold Medalist, Triathlon
Beginners who are new to triathlon and want a clear, coached path to their first race. Experienced single-sport athletes (runners, swimmers, cyclists) who want to add triathlon to their résumé. And experienced triathletes who want a smarter, more structured approach to training and racing. If you're anywhere from "I'm curious about triathlon" to "I've done a few and want to get faster," this book is for you.
The training plans cover sprint, Olympic, and half-distance triathlons. The skill instruction, fitness development, and race-day guidance apply to all triathlon distances.
Nope. The Level 1 plans start from the very beginning in each sport. If you can comfortably swim four lengths in a pool, know how to ride a bike, and own (or can buy) a pair of running shoes, the book takes it from there.
No, and Chapter 3 is specifically designed to help you understand what you actually need to get started, what's nice to have later, and what you can skip entirely.
Not even close. The training plans are one part of the book. The rest is the coaching — the skill development, the fitness education, the race-day preparation, and the practical strategies for getting through months of training with your sanity intact.
Fall 2026. Sign up below for launch updates, or pre-order today.
Unlocking Triathlon arrives Fall 2026 and is available for pre-order now. Sign up for launch updates and I'll send you a PDF with my gear recommendations — a list of my all-time favorite gear, the items that I come back to year after year.
