A half Ironman also referred to as a "70.3 distance" triathlon, is a long-distance triathlon consisting of a 1.9k (1.2 miles) swim, a 90k (56 mile) bike, and a 21.1k (13.1 mile) run. Learn more about this specific distance and our top tips on how to ace your race!
Half Ironman or 70.3 distance triathlons combine the three classic triathlon disciplines of swim, bike, and run. At this distance training, rest, recovery, mobility exercises, race nutrition, and race strategy are crucial, especially for a beginner. So, the half Ironman training plan is key when preparing for your race.
The half Ironman is roughly twice as long as an Olympic distance triathlon. For many triathletes, it's also often the precursor to a full-distance (140.6) Ironman triathlon.
Whether you’ve just recently conquered the sprint and Olympic distance events and are looking for your next challenge, or you’re jumping straight into a half-Ironman to get a taste of endurance racing, the 70.3 can yield lots of exciting adventures and fun. Here’s the essential guide of how to plan your half Ironman triathlon, from key facts and terminology to frequently asked questions and tips on how to train.
What is a Half Ironman, or 70.3 Distance, Triathlon?
The half-distance triathlon consists of a 1.9k swim, followed by a 90k bike, finishing with a 21.1k run.
| Half Ironman (70.3) Distance triathlon | Distances |
| swim | 1.9k (1.2 miles) |
| bike | 90k (56 miles) |
| run | 21.1k (13.1 miles) |
For many athletes, after crossing the finish line of a sprint or Olympic distance event, the next logical step up in distance is the half Ironman. Of course, a longer event means increased training time.
How long does it take to complete a 70.3?
This is where triathletes can test their endurance prowess. Here are the average times you can expect for your first Half Ironman.
| Average times | |
| Swim | 45 minutes |
| Bike | 3 hours |
| run | 2 hours 15 minutes |
| finish | 6 hours |
To put this in perspective, here are the times elite level and world-class triathletes need to be able to compete.
| elite times | (Male/Female) |
| swim | 24 minutes/26 minutes |
| bike | 2 hours 17 minutes/2 hours 33 minutes |
| run | 1 hour 8 minutes/1 hour 18 minutes |
| finish | 3 hours 49 minutes/4 hours 23 minutes |
In this average triathlon finish times calculator, you can find out the average time to complete the swim, the bike, the run, and the overall triathlon finish time for your gender and age group.
Course cutoffs - a necessary evil
Unfortunately, there are some restrictions to be aware of when training for a half-distance triathlon. These longer events feature cutoff points for athletes to finish each leg of the race. This is mainly for safety reasons as it will ensure that everyone starts the following leg in good health and without jeopardizing their chances of finishing healthily.
To make sure you breeze through the cutoffs, the first thing to do is be aware of them and calculate what your performance needs to be in each discipline to keep you in the clear. For example, you might just make it in time for the swim cutoff if you’re not the strongest swimmer but you may know you’ll kill it on the bike and gain back time. In any case, these calculations should feature in your race preparation to avoid disappointment on race day.
As always, following a good training plan and working through the transitions in practice so you’re as efficient as possible will help you move through cutoffs.
Generally, athletes competing at the half distance have 1:10 to complete the swim, 5 hours and 30 minutes after the start to finish the bike and 8 hours and 30 minutes after the start to finish the run and ultimately the race. Athletes who take longer than 8:30 to complete the swim, bike and run are not given a result.
Triathlon Training: General Program Components
As you begin your half Ironman triathlon training, you should follow several principles. These will help you finish the race in good shape and support your longevity in the sport of triathlon in general. After all, our goal here is to create a positive experience in this sport, including many years of enjoyment!
Of course, you'll need to complete training sessions in swimming, cycling, and running to train for your first 70.3 event. Assuming you have a decent fitness level, you can get away with doing about 8 weeks of solid training to complete your first race. Depending on your time availability and how long it is until your race, a half-distance triathlon training plan spanning 12, 16, or even 24 weeks will almost always yield more fitness. And, with more fitness comes more enjoyment on race day as you’re not overexerting yourself all the time!
How much training do I need to finish a half-Ironman distance triathlon?
To finish a 70.3 -- and to finish it well -- you’ll need to invest the time for training. As you step up in distance, the necessary time to cover the swimming, biking, and running courses increases. You need to train for 9-10 hours per week to simply finish the half-distance triathlon. Training 10-12 hours per week will have you finishing strong, and 12 more hours of training should have you competing for age-group honors at your local event.
How should I train for a half Ironman triathlon?
In terms of structuring your training, more isn’t always better.
- Studies have shown that for optimal performance, your training should include about 80% low-intensity work and 20% high-intensity work.
- A lot of low-intensity training to build your base during the off-season will allow you to hit it hard during race season.
- The key is to develop a more extensive base during the off-season, performing low-intensity sessions to acclimate your body to the long endurance day of a triathlon.
So, what does this mean in practice? A lot of low-intensity training to build your base during the off-season allows you to really hit it hard during race season.
The key is to develop a bigger base during the off-season through low-intensity sessions to acclimate your body to the long endurance day of a half Ironman triathlon.
Low-intensity training builds mitochondria, the powerhouse of our cells and the main energy producers in the muscles. And the nature of low intensity allows you to do it for an extended period without becoming too fatigued. Also, high-intensity training teaches the mitochondria to work harder. You need both types of sessions, and you should ensure that you get that high-intensity training closer to race time, so you’re doing the more race-specific workouts when you need them the most.
We advise you to use these training zones as you approach 70.3 distance triathlon training:
| Training Zones | Rate of Perceived Exertion |
| Recovery | 1-2 |
| cardio | 3-4 |
| TEMPO | 5-6 |
| vo2 max | 7-8 |
| speed & power | 9 |
| neuro-muscular power | 10 |
We use this pyramidal approach, also known as 80/20, rather than a strict periodization model where the training is either low-intensity or extremely high-intensity because it splits up your training into heart rate zones. This method incorporates recovery throughout the week between sessions. It also allows you to hit the hard workouts with confidence.
That 80% of low-intensity work will be in Zones 1 and 2. Zone 3 offers a low return on investment if you continually train there. However, you'll find loads of race pace and tempo training in Zone 3. I believe that race intensity effort is key to getting comfortable with the idea of race intensity itself, but you shouldn’t train there too often.
Zones 4 and 5 are used to build speed. You'll want to consider VO2 Max and Functional Threshold Power (FTP) while building intensity. You'll be training your body to go beyond what you think it’s capable of, thereby getting fitter and faster!
In this pyramidal training philosophy, low intensity forms the bulk of the training, roughly about 70% to 80%. You'll spend 10% and 15% of training time in the moderate-intensity Zone 3 where you need to be comfortable racing. Finally, the high-intensity zones account for about 10% to 15% of your training load.
Recovery
As you see above, I firmly believe that race pace effort is essential so that people get comfortable with their race intensity. Generally speaking, more is more until it's not, and the “until it's not” is very important. More training is better until you start breaking down. And that's why recovery is a crucial part of your training.
Suppose you continuously increase your training load as part of a half Ironman training plan. You'll eventually find yourself in a position where you cannot recover properly from one session to the next. In time, this compromises your recovery and your ability to perform your best for each session. So, in the end, this harms your workout results and can likely put you off the sport altogether (not to mention an increased risk of injury!).
There are a variety of ways to recover between workouts. The ones you should prioritize are:
- Sleep;
- Low intensity or total rest days; and
- Quality nutrition.
Sleep is the most critical piece of a good recovery. Your body repairs itself and rebuilds muscle while you sleep. Unfortunately, most athletes fail to get adequate sleep each night. The goal should be to shoot for 7 to 8 hours at a minimum. If you can get up to 10 hours of shuteye, even better!
Some tips to improve your sleep are:
- Keep a regular bedtime routine with the same hours, even on the weekends;
- Get off the screens (TV, smartphone, tablets, etc.) two hours before; and
- Reduce caffeine and alcohol.
As you get closer to race day, you can also try to “bank” some sleep. Half Ironman triathlons tend to start in the early morning, and no one ever gets a great night’s sleep before their race, so try to go to bed a little bit earlier or wake up a little bit later for 2-3 nights before your race if possible. It’s not going to bank you a ton of sleep, but it won’t hurt either!
Low intensity or total rest days are essential. Without them, your performance will inevitably suffer. By training easy or not training at all, your body reduces the accumulated stress from triathlon training. Additionally, it allows you to feel fresh for your upcoming workout sessions to continue to build fitness.
Quality nutrition increases recovery. Fueling before, during, and after training is critical. Outside of training, a diet that consists of primarily whole, minimally processed foods with ample protein is optimal.
Setting time aside for recovery and creating a balance between workouts and recovery periods aren't enough. You also need to pay attention to stressors, i.e., outside pressures and time commitments in your life outside of training. Recognize when they prevent you from recovering enough to improve your fitness.
Several indications of improper recovery include sore muscles, disturbed sleep, or lack of motivation for a second workout in the day. If you’re experiencing these symptoms often, you may have gone too far. At this point, you should consider scaling back the training load.
Mental Fitness
Triathlon is a challenge. That’s why many people seek them out - because they are hard. At the same time, though, stepping outside of our comfort zone, even forcing ourselves there, is unnatural. Your ability to do so is called "mental toughness."
It’s widely believed that you can, in fact, develop mental toughness. That's a valuable skill in triathlon because the more strenuous activity you can endure, the longer you can swim, bike, and run before giving up.
It's probably obvious that you can train your mental toughness by placing yourself in situations where you need to resort to it to finish an interval or a workout session. The more you put yourself in challenging physical and mental situations, the better you’ll be able to push through them. That means on race day, the more likely you'll keep pushing to the end.
However, it’s worth repeating that you don’t want to “bury yourself” too often in training. Remember, 80% low intensity is key. There should be a few sessions with opportunities for high-intensity work in your training plan each week, which challenges your mental fortitude. These include short intervals, moderately intense tempo efforts, and long endurance workouts that are more draining mentally than physically.
How to Train for a Half-Ironman Triathlon
Let’s move on to the specifics of your triathlon distance and the relevant training for your 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride, and 13.1-mile run.
Once you've completed another good off-season of base building, your race preparation should focus on intense workouts. However, the longer bike and run workouts become very important because there's a great deal of endurance required for 70.3 events. After all, the average time for finishing an event is double that of an Olympic distance at six hours!
Part of your 70.3 training plan should be to determine when you'll actually start training. Having a good sense of how long it will take you to build the proper amount of fitness and the required training per week is essential. To help you figure out those details, specific to you, check out our When to Start Preparing calculator.
Once you've nailed down this important detail, you can choose the half Ironman training plan below that best fits your needs.
Swim
First and foremost, I recommend you focus on comfort and basic capabilities in the water. Only after that should you work on fitness and speed.
If you’re not capable of swimming 1.2 miles confidently in open water, perhaps consider getting your feet wet (sorry, I couldn’t help myself with the pun!) with a shorter distance triathlon like the sprint or Olympic distances.
For a beginner's half-Ironman training plan, let’s assume you’re confident and capable. Here’s what you can do to build fitness in the water. Focus on two things:
- Time; and
- Purpose.
It will take time to improve in the pool. If this is a weak spot for you, understand that improvement requires attention and consistency. To get the most out of those swim sessions each week, you need to swim with purpose, not swimming mindlessly without paying attention to your form, effort levels, or workout structure.
One of the most common complaints from triathletes who struggle in the water is that they have “sinky legs.” This slows them down because it increases the drag and burns more energy as they are forced to pull themselves through the water.
Common faults that lead to sinking legs include:
- Lifting our heads to breathe, thus driving our legs down.
- Kicking aggressively and wildly, which burns up a tremendous amount of oxygen and initiates a panic response.
- Kicking wide or spreading our legs apart as we kick, creating drag outside the body line.
What’s the correct technique to create a floating body position? Here are a few easy tips:
- Gently press the chest downward into the water to counteract buoyancy.
- Slightly tense the core from the belly button all the way down and around to the butt cheeks, allowing the legs to seesaw upward as a result of pressing the chest downward.
- Kick as lightly as possible so that the heels just break the water's surface.
- Kick in a narrow channel, keeping the legs right in behind the body, reducing drag.
- Point the toes gently, keeping them right in behind the body, further reducing drag.
So, when you get these points nailed down, this is what you’ll look like: the back of your head, your butt cheeks, and your heels will be at the surface of the water. You’ll be looking straight down at the bottom of the pool. Your legs will be in a channel only about 1.5 feet wide. You’ll be turning your head so slightly to breathe that it barely looks like you’re catching a breath (kind of like when a dolphin surfaces to breathe).
Bike
When you prepare for a half-Ironman or a 70.3 distance triathlon, you’ll ideally want to add in a third bike workout to your weekly training schedule. Your training program should look like this:
- One long bike workout building up to a distance of 120 km;
- One intense workout focusing on intervals building up from four minutes or so to six minutes and beyond. Your longer rides should include sustained intervals around at least an hour, if not longer;
- One steady bike workout focusing on spending time in the aero position, paying particular attention to your cadence.
Run
Run training is hard, but it's crucial because running is where you can undo all of your good training by having a terrible time on race day. Paying careful attention to your running form and allowing yourself sufficient low-intensity running are key to all levels, whether in an intermediate half-Ironman training plan or for first-timers.
Since it’s a weight-bearing exercise, running drives your heart rate up more than biking or swimming. However, when your heart rate increases too often, stress hormones accumulate, which increases the risk of injury, getting sick, and overtraining. Stress hormones also make it hard to perform well during your fast training, preventing you from pushing hard enough to actually generate a positive training response.
All this means that a lot of your run training should be done at low intensity. It doesn't really matter what the pace is. People might say, “Well, what happens if I'm walking? How is that building any fitness?” You're still doing weight-bearing exercise. You're still teaching your body to endure that weight.
The goal of low-intensity running is not to make you that much faster. It's to build a lot of mitochondria, which you do by staying in the correct zone. The goal is also to build durability, enabling you to continue in that upright running or walking fashion for an extended period of time.
While most of your runs should be done at low intensity, that doesn’t mean you should ignore the hard stuff either. Early in your training, you should include sprints so that you can build the neuromuscular ability to turn your legs over quickly and unlock the ability to run fast.
During the first few weeks of a half-Ironman triathlon training plan, you can include several 10-to-30-second bursts to recruit a lot of muscle fibers. Then you can transition into short intervals beginning at 2 minutes and work your way up to 6 and 7 minutes.
Ideally, you’ll also include intense runs where you spend upwards of an hour at your tempo pace. You'll do this within the final 6 to 8 weeks especially.
As for longer runs, make sure to gradually increase the distance by 10% each week until you reach 21-24 km. This over-distance training makes that half marathon to finish off your race well within your reach!
Strength training
Strength training is a critical part of any endurance training plan. It should be included throughout the entire program. Studies repeatedly support cutting back on your total amount of endurance training (swim, bike, run) and substituting it with strength training. You’re actually more likely to perform better than if you had done nothing but endurance training.
For example, we know that the kettlebell strength training we utilize increases runners’ speed and VO2 Max. Moreover, it's been proven that strength exercises help prevent injury by giving you the tools to better support your joints during weight-bearing workouts like running. Other studies looking at endurance triathletes show the importance of strength training for developing exercise economy, i.e., making you more efficient, so you’re spending less energy when you’re racing.
In a nutshell, strength training makes you stronger, more explosive, and more stable. It’s especially important for adult amateur endurance athletes because it prevents muscle loss, a major contributor to aging and poor hormones.
Strength training should be intense and frequent outside of race-specific training. In the My Mottiv app, we provide 30-minute sessions up to 3 times per week. These are intense and will leave you feeling fit, confident, and accomplished.
During race-specific training, we back off to just one strength workout per week, focusing more on muscle activation with lighter weights and more mobility.
Mobility
Triathletes travel in a straight line, but we still need to be mobile. Incorporating something like yoga can have a profound effect on your fitness and stave off the aging process. Moreover, without mobility and agility training, we’re more susceptible to falls and broken bones as we get older. It sounds crazy, but a fall could not only take you out of your fitness but also worsen your quality of life going forward.
Endurance training, believe it or not, is a detriment to mobility because we are repeatedly in a single range of motion. Falling into that pattern of only traveling in a straight line makes us very one-dimensional.
To combat the adverse effects of the repeated motions of swim, bike, and run training, we need to test ourselves laterally, side to side, or in different ranges of motion, along with our balance and quick ground reaction time. This improves our mobility so that we can maintain a high-quality life without risking injury as we age.
So, add some stretching and mobility work to your half-Ironman training plan to stay as mobile as possible.
Half-Ironman Distance Triathlon Training Plan for Beginners
As I mentioned earlier, with a good off-season and base-building that features plenty of low-intensity training, your in-season 70.3 distance triathlon preparation should focus on high-intensity workouts.
Pacing for a half-Ironman triathlon is a seven-to-eight out of ten. At the top end of the age groups, triathletes are racing this distance really fast and hard. You’re really flirting with that proverbial “do not cross" this line. It's not necessary and not advisable to train near your maximum capacity at all times. But it is worth noting just how intense the 70.3 distance has become.
Race nutrition is a much more significant concern as you step into long-course racing. Seeing as though you’ll be racing for many hours at a reasonable intensity level, you’re going to need to develop a specific nutrition strategy.
However, the same two general rules of thumb still apply as you calculate and build your race nutrition:
- Take in roughly 240 calories from carbs per hour; and
- One bottle of light electrolytes per hour.
However, you must dial in your exact caloric needs. You can learn exactly how to do that with our race day nutrition calculator.
Accessing fat as a fuel source is an essential consideration at any race lasting longer than 4 hours, including half-Ironman 70.3 or Ironman distance races for most people.
Let’s look at an Ironman distance race where the average finish time is about 13 hours, enough time for things to get entirely out of hand nutritionally if you’re unprepared.
For the sake of simplicity we can group most triathletes into two categories: good fat burners or bad fat burners. If you’re eating a typical Western diet, you’re more than likely a bad fat burner and will only burn 0.4 grams of fat per minute. However, with a little training, it’s not unreasonable to see this fat-burning increase to 1.2 grams of fat per minute.
To become a good fat burner, you must employ a timed carbohydrate approach to training and racing.
This results in three times the amount of fat calories per minute and per hour and throughout the race. While you’re still burning 1,000 calories per hour, the fuel supply is almost endless at this point because:
- your pace won't fall off;
- your body won't break down; and
- your body will have the energy that it needs to perform the task.
Here’s an example of an Ironman distance race by a poor fat burner versus a good fat burner. Science nerds, prepare to geek out!
| POOR FAT BURNER | |
| Calories stored in muscle glycogen: | 2,250 (most people store 2,000-2,500) |
| Calories consumed: (60g per hour x 4 calories per gram x 13 hours is the max most people can safely digest) | 3,120 |
| Calories from burned fat: (0.4g fat per minute [average for typical Western diet eaters] x 9 calories per gram of fat x 60 minutes per hour x 13 hours) | 2,808 |
| Total available calories: | 8,178 available calories |
| Total calories burned: | 10,259 (calculation based on 185-lb triathlete) |
| = CALORIE SHORTFALL: | -2,081 deficit |
| Good FAT BURNER | |
| Calories stored in muscle glycogen: | 2,250 (most people store 2,000-2,500) |
| Calories consumed: (60g per hour x 4 calories per gram x 13 hours is the max most people can safely digest) | 3,120 |
| Calories from burned fat: (1.2g fat per minute [average for typical Western diet eaters x 9 calories per gram of fat x 60 minutes per hour x 13 hours) | 8,424 |
| Total available calories: | 13,794 available calories |
| Total calories burned: | 10,259 (calculation based on 185lb triathlete) |
| = CALORIE surplus: | +3,535 surplus! |
Most people start anywhere from 2,000 to 2,500 calories of stored energy in their muscles. If you go out to do a moderately intense workout, expect to burn around 1,000 calories per hour (more during high-intensity exercise, but remember this is a long day out, so you won’t be sprinting!).
To look and feel your best, you’ll want to maintain good daily nutritional habits while you're training. To do that, you’ll want to:
- Eat before workouts
- Eat carbs before the hard workouts
- Eat carbs plus protein within 30 minutes of a workout
- Drink fluid with electrolytes at a rate of one bottle per hour
During the timed carbohydrate approach, eat before a workout, but restrict carbs before and during the easy workouts. The longer you build the ability to burn fat as fuel with a timed carbohydrate approach, the longer your endurance for riding and running.
I strongly encourage eating before your workouts and avoiding fasted workouts because of the risk of developing relative energy deficiency syndrome (RED-S). You mostly hear about RED-S occurring in female athletes; however, males have trouble with this as well. Not consuming enough calories is one of the most significant issues that cause endurance athletes to have poor hormone issues, sleep issues, bone loss, muscle loss, poor performance, and a poor quality of life.
Therefore, I can’t stress enough how important it is to fuel appropriately.
Training scheduling
In terms of building out your weekly training schedule, I recommend setting it up to work with your life and work commitments.
If this fits, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are ideally key, very intense, and solid training days. You’ll see multiple sessions on a single day within these higher-intensity days each week.
Move shorter, more recovery-focused workouts to Mondays and Fridays. This allows you to recover from the extensive training weekends while also preparing for the upcoming intense days. It’s the same idea on Fridays: recover from a big stretch and prepare for the heavy volume days of Saturday and Sunday. Think of active recovery and lower intensity swims, bikes, and even runs.
For your swims, as you get into more specific race prep, workouts can last anywhere from 50 to 70 minutes, a few times per week.
For the bike and run, we’re targeting an over-distance goal of 120k on the bike and 21k to 24k on the run. You’ll reach this by starting where you are -- whatever a long bike and a long run mean to you is fine. Start there and build up by 10% each week. Every third week, take a rest week where you do roughly 60% of your previous high and then build up by 10% the next two weeks from your last highs.
Beginner 70.3 Training Plans
11 average hours training per week. One workout per day, besides one day that has two. First option to reach the goal of "Finish feeling strong"; more training hours will be required to compete, less will be required if you just want to finish.
Starting from scratch, with a modest athletic background, we recommend taking eighteen months to prepare for a sprint race to have the goal of finishing feeling strong; if your goal is to compete it or if you have zero athletic background it'll take longer, if your goal is just to finish or you have excellent athletic background it'll take less time.
Of course, you can race at any level of preparation, just make sure your expectations are in line with your total amount of training.
8 weeks 12 weeks 16 weeks 24 weeks
| MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY | SATURDAY | SUNDAY | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WEEK 1 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 4x100 at 80% effort with 20sec rest. | Intense Bike 55 mins total. Repeat five times: 4.5mins Zone 4, 3.5mins easy spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 3x200 at 80% effort with 15sec rest. Intense Run 56 mins total. 9x2mins at fast effort, with 2mins easy jog rest between. | Steady Bike 84 mins total. Repeat six times: 3mins Zone 3 with 60-70 cadence, 3mins Zone 3 with +100 cadence, 3mins Zone 4 with 60-70 cadence, 3mins easy spin. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 500 at 70-85% effort. | Main Bike 115 mins total. Ride easy zones 1 or 2 for the majority of the ride. Brick Run 30 mins total. 30min run immediately after a bike at race pace. | Main Run 70 mins total. 70min easy run in Zone 2. |
| WEEK 2 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 2x200 at 85% effort with 30sec rest. | Intense Bike 55 mins total. Repeat five times: 5mins Zone 4, 3mins easy spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 3x200 at building effort with 45sec rest. Intense Run 60 mins total. 9x2.5mins at fast effort, with 2mins easy jog rest between. | Steady Bike 84 mins total. Repeat four times: 4.5mins Zone 3 with 60-70 cadence, 4.5mins Zone 3 with +100 cadence, 4.5mins Zone 4 with 60-70 cadence, 4.5mins easy spin. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 2x250 at 85% effort with 30sec rest. | Main Bike 130 mins total. 3x10min at 5% above race effort with 5min easy rest intervals between. Brick Run 30 mins total. 30min run immediately after a bike at or slightly above target race pace. | Main Run 75 mins total. 75min easy run in Zone 2. |
| WEEK 3 REST | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 3x100 at 80% effort with 20sec rest. | Intense Bike 60 mins total. Repeat 10 times: 20sec Zone 5, 40sec easy spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 4x200 at 75% effort with 15sec rest. Intense Run 45 mins total. Perform the second third of this run at your target race pace. | Steady Bike 51 mins total. Repeat three times: 10mins low Zone 4 (slightly under FTP if using power meter) with low cadence 60-70rpm, 2mins easy spin. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 500 at 70-85% effort. | Main Bike 80 mins total. Zone 1 and 2. Brick Run 20 mins total. Run the first 5mins at target race pace then finish with Zone 2 | Main Run 50 mins total. 50min easy run in Zone 2. |
| WEEK 4 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 3x250 at 85% effort with 30sec rest. | Intense Bike 59 mins total. Repeat the following sequence once: 4mins fast, 2 min easy spin, 4mins fast, 1min easy spin, 3mins fast, 1 min easy spin, 2mins fast, 1 min easy spin, 1min fast, 1 min easy spin, 1min fast, 1 min easy spin, 2mins fast, 1min easy spin, 3mins fast,1min easy spin, 4mins fast, 2min easy spin, 4mins fast. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 1000 time trial, start off much easier than you expect, pick up pace around 400, then again at 800, then go all out for the final 100 but maintain steady form throughout. Intense Run 60 mins total. 8x3.5mins at Zone 4 effort, with 1.5mins easy jog between. | Steady Bike 90 mins total. 20mins low 70-80 cadence with HR right at the top of Zone 2, in the aerobars. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 2x600 at 80% effort with 30sec rest. | Main Bike 150 mins total. 6x5min 10% above race effort with 2.5min easy spin between. Brick Run 45 mins total. Keep the pace easy with Zone 2 | Main Run 80 mins total. Towards the end of this run perform 15mins close to your target race pace. |
| WEEK 5 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 2x200 at 80% effort with 20sec rest. | Intense Bike 59 mins total. 5mins fast, 1 min easy spin, 4mins fast, 1min easy spin, 3mins fast, 1 min easy spin, 2mins fast, 1 min easy spin, 1min fast, 1 min easy spin, 1min fast, 1 min easy spin, 2mins fast, 1min easy spin, 3mins fast, 1min easy spin, 4mins fast, 1min easy spin, 5mins fast. | Main Swim 50 mins total. RACE SIMULATION 1250 TOTAL: Start swimming explosively from a jump or dive in, swim the first 100-200 at 90-95% race take out effort sighting 2x/25, swim the remainder of the 1250 at 70-75% sighting 2x/25, Intense Run 60 mins total. 8x4mins at Zone 4 effort, with 1mins easy jog between. | Steady Bike 90 mins total. 25mins low 70-80 cadence with HR right at the top of Zone 2, in the aerobars. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 3x200 at 85% effort with 30sec rest. | Main Bike 170 mins total. 10mins, 20mins, and 10mins at 5% above race effort with 5min easy spin between. Brick Run 50 mins total. Keep the pace easy with Zone 2 | Main Run 80 mins total. Towards the end of this run perform 3x5mins above target race pace, 3mins easy jog between. |
| WEEK 6 REST | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 2x250 at 85% effort with 30sec rest. | Intense Bike 54 mins total. Repeat the following sequence twice with 5min easy spin between: 2mins fast,1 min easy spin, 3mins fast,1min easy spin, 4mins fast, 1 min easy spin, 5mins fast. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 2x500 at 75-85% effort with 60sec rest. Intense Run 40 mins total. 40min run at easy pace | Steady Bike 50 mins total. Repeat twice with a 5min easy spin between: 2mins Zone 5 with 70-80 cadence, 3mins Zone 4 with 60-70 cadence, 5mins race effort with 50-60 cadence. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 600 at 80% effort. | Main Bike 100 mins total. Remain in Zones 1 or 2 besides 5x1min pick ups (not all out), 1min easy rest between intervals. Brick Run 30 mins total. Run the first 5mins at FAST pace, then run the remainder at target race pace. | Main Run 50 mins total. 50min easy run in Zone 2. |
| WEEK 7 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 6x100 at 80% effort with 15sec rest. | Intense Bike 57 mins total. 4x90sec high Zone 4 with 60-70 cadence, 1min easy spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 8x100 at 85% effort with 10sec rest. Intense Run 58 mins total. 5x6min at hard Zone 4 effort, with 1.5min easy jog between intervals. | Steady Bike 76 mins total. Repeat this 14min sequence four times: 5min Zone 4 low 60-70 cadence, 4min Zone 2 normal cadence, 3min Zone 3 +100 cadence, 2min Zone 2 normal cadence. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 400 at 80% effort. | Main Bike 190 mins total. 2x20min 5% above race effort with 5min easy spin between. Brick Run 50 mins total. Run the first 10mins at or slightly above your target race pace. | Main Run 90 mins total. Towards the end of this run perform 20mins close to your target race pace. |
| WEEK 8 TAPER | Technique Swim 30 mins total. Small race simulation of 8x100: dive start then 10 strokes race take out effort, settle in to 75% | Intense Bike 25 mins total. Repeat the following 5min sequence four times all in aerobars: 2min Zone 2, 30sec building up to high Zone 4 for final 10sec, 2min Zone 2, 30sec low 50-60 cadence Zone 4 | Main Swim 30 mins total. 6x100 increasing effort every 25 as 75-80-85-90% of max, 2 sights/25. Intense Run 25 mins total. 25min run in Zone 2 with 8x30sec fast pick ups spread throughout. | Steady Bike 25 mins total. 20min Zone 2 all in aerobars, include 5x1min building to just above race effort | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 300 starting at 70% increasing effort each 100 to 75-80-85%. | Race Day Eve Swim 10 mins Race Day Eve Bike 20 mins Race Day Eve Run 10 mins | RACE DAY! |
| MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY | SATURDAY | SUNDAY | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WEEK 1 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 4x100 at 80% effort with 20sec rest. | Intense Bike 55 mins total. Repeat five times: 4.5mins Zone 4, 3.5mins easy spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 3x200 at 80% effort with 15sec rest. Intense Run 56 mins total. 9x2mins at fast effort, with 2mins easy jog rest between. | Steady Bike 84 mins total. Repeat six times: 3mins Zone 3 with 60-70 cadence, 3mins Zone 3 with +100 cadence, 3mins Zone 4 with 60-70 cadence, 3mins easy spin. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 500 at 70-85% effort. | Main Bike 115 mins total. Ride easy zones 1 or 2 for the majority of the ride. Brick Run 30 mins total. 30min run immediately after a bike at race pace. | Main Run 70 mins total. 70min easy run in Zone 2. |
| WEEK 2 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 2x200 at 85% effort with 30sec rest. | Intense Bike 55 mins total. Repeat five times: 5mins Zone 4, 3mins easy spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 3x200 at building effort with 45sec rest. Intense Run 60 mins total. 9x2.5mins at fast effort, with 2mins easy jog rest between. | Steady Bike 84 mins total. Repeat four times: 4.5mins Zone 3 with 60-70 cadence, 4.5mins Zone 3 with +100 cadence, 4.5mins Zone 4 with 60-70 cadence, 4.5mins easy spin. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 2x250 at 85% effort with 30sec rest. | Main Bike 130 mins total. 3x10min at 5% above race effort with 5min easy rest intervals between. Brick Run 30 mins total. 30min run immediately after a bike at or slightly above target race pace. | Main Run 75 mins total. 75min easy run in Zone 2. |
| WEEK 3 REST | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 3x100 at 80% effort with 20sec rest. | Intense Bike 60 mins total. Repeat 10 times: 20sec Zone 5, 40sec easy spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 4x200 at 75% effort with 15sec rest. Intense Run 45 mins total. Perform the second third of this run at your target race pace. | Steady Bike 51 mins total. Repeat three times: 10mins low Zone 4 (slightly under FTP if using power meter) with low cadence 60-70rpm, 2mins easy spin. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 500 at 70-85% effort. | Main Bike 80 mins total. Zone 1 and 2. Brick Run 20 mins total. Run the first 5mins at target race pace then finish with Zone 2 | Main Run 50 mins total. 50min easy run in Zone 2. |
| WEEK 4 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 3x250 at 85% effort with 30sec rest. | Intense Bike 59 mins total. Repeat the following sequence once: 4mins fast, 2 min easy spin, 4mins fast, 1min easy spin, 3mins fast, 1 min easy spin, 2mins fast, 1 min easy spin, 1min fast, 1 min easy spin, 1min fast, 1 min easy spin, 2mins fast, 1min easy spin, 3mins fast,1min easy spin, 4mins fast, 2min easy spin, 4mins fast. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 1000 time trial, start off much easier than you expect, pick up pace around 400, then again at 800, then go all out for the final 100 but maintain steady form throughout. Intense Run 60 mins total. 8x3.5mins at Zone 4 effort, with 1.5mins easy jog between. | Steady Bike 90 mins total. 20mins low 70-80 cadence with HR right at the top of Zone 2, in the aerobars. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 2x600 at 80% effort with 30sec rest. | Main Bike 150 mins total. 6x5min 10% above race effort with 2.5min easy spin between. Brick Run 45 mins total. Keep the pace easy with Zone 2 | Main Run 80 mins total. Towards the end of this run perform 15mins close to your target race pace. |
| WEEK 5 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 2x200 at 80% effort with 20sec rest. | Intense Bike 59 mins total. 5mins fast, 1 min easy spin, 4mins fast, 1min easy spin, 3mins fast, 1 min easy spin, 2mins fast, 1 min easy spin, 1min fast, 1 min easy spin, 1min fast, 1 min easy spin, 2mins fast, 1min easy spin, 3mins fast, 1min easy spin, 4mins fast, 1min easy spin, 5mins fast. | Main Swim 50 mins total. RACE SIMULATION 1250 TOTAL: Start swimming explosively from a jump or dive in, swim the first 100-200 at 90-95% race take out effort sighting 2x/25, swim the remainder of the 1250 at 70-75% sighting 2x/25, Intense Run 60 mins total. 8x4mins at Zone 4 effort, with 1mins easy jog between. | Steady Bike 90 mins total. 25mins low 70-80 cadence with HR right at the top of Zone 2, in the aerobars. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 3x200 at 85% effort with 30sec rest. | Main Bike 170 mins total. 10mins, 20mins, and 10mins at 5% above race effort with 5min easy spin between. Brick Run 50 mins total. Keep the pace easy with Zone 2 | Main Run 80 mins total. Towards the end of this run perform 3x5mins above target race pace, 3mins easy jog between. |
| WEEK 6 REST | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 2x250 at 85% effort with 30sec rest. | Intense Bike 54 mins total. Repeat the following sequence twice with 5min easy spin between: 2mins fast,1 min easy spin, 3mins fast,1min easy spin, 4mins fast, 1 min easy spin, 5mins fast. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 2x500 at 75-85% effort with 60sec rest. Intense Run 40 mins total. 40min run at easy pace | Steady Bike 50 mins total. Repeat twice with a 5min easy spin between: 2mins Zone 5 with 70-80 cadence, 3mins Zone 4 with 60-70 cadence, 5mins race effort with 50-60 cadence. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 600 at 80% effort. | Main Bike 100 mins total. Remain in Zones 1 or 2 besides 5x1min pick ups (not all out), 1min easy rest between intervals. Brick Run 30 mins total. Run the first 5mins at FAST pace, then run the remainder at target race pace. | Main Run 50 mins total. 50min easy run in Zone 2. |
| WEEK 7 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 6x100 at 80% effort with 15sec rest. | Intense Bike 57 mins total. 4x90sec high Zone 4 with 60-70 cadence, 1min easy spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 8x100 at 85% effort with 10sec rest. Intense Run 58 mins total. 5x6min at hard Zone 4 effort, with 1.5min easy jog between intervals. | Steady Bike 76 mins total. Repeat this 14min sequence four times: 5min Zone 4 low 60-70 cadence, 4min Zone 2 normal cadence, 3min Zone 3 +100 cadence, 2min Zone 2 normal cadence. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 400 at 80% effort. | Main Bike 190 mins total. 2x20min 5% above race effort with 5min easy spin between. Brick Run 50 mins total. Run the first 10mins at or slightly above your target race pace. | Main Run 90 mins total. Towards the end of this run perform 20mins close to your target race pace. |
| WEEK 8 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 6x100 at 80% effort with 15sec rest. | Intense Bike 56 mins total. 4x2mins high Zone 4 with 60-70 cadence, 30sec easy spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 8x100 at 85% effort with 10sec rest. Intense Run 56 mins total. 5x6min at hard Zone 4 effort, with 1min easy jog between intervals. | Steady Bike 76 mins total. Repeat this 14min sequence four times: 6min Zone 4 low 60-70 cadence, 3min Zone 2 normal cadence, 3min Zone 3 +100 cadence, 2min Zone 2 normal cadence. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 5x100 at 90-75% effort with 10sec rest. | Main Bike 210 mins total. 3x15min at 10% above race effort, with 5 min easy rest interval in between. Brick Run 50 mins total. Run the first 15mins at or slightly above your target race pace. | Main Run 100 mins total. Towards the end of this run perform 3x7mins above target race pace, 3mins easy jog between. |
| WEEK 9 REST | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 7x50 at 80-90% effort with 15sec rest. | Intense Bike 56 mins total. 10min leg strength sequence all in low Zone 4: 4mins at 50rpm, 3mins at 60rpm, 2mins at 70rpm, 1min at 80rpm. 3mins easy spin | Main Swim 50 mins total. 6x100 at 85% effort with 20sec rest. Intense Run 45 mins total. 45min run at easy pace | Steady Bike 55 mins total. 5mins low Zone 4 with low cadence 60-70rpm, 1min Zone 4 with high cadence +100rpm, 3mins easy spin. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 3x100 at 90-75% effort with 10sec rest. | Main Bike 120 mins total. 2hrs ride. Remain in Zones 1 or 2. Brick Run 30 mins total. Run the first 5mins above race pace. | Main Run 60 mins total. 1hr easy run all in Zone 2. |
| WEEK 10 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 3x200 at 85% effort with 15sec rest. | Intense Bike 58 mins total. Repeat the following sequence five times with a 2min easy spin between: 6min building effort every 2mins from low to mid Zone 4. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 2x700 at 90-75% effort. Intense Run 60 mins total. 40min progression starting at race pace, gradually building so the final 10mins is at tempo pace | Steady Bike 85 mins total. 54mins in aerobars alternating 4mins slightly above race effort with low cadence 60-70rpm, 2mins regular cadence in Zone 2. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 2x400 at 85% effort with 60sec rest. | Main Bike 240 mins total. Ride easy zones 1 or 2 for the majority of the ride. Brick Run 45 mins total. Start off easy and build to very gradually to race pace by the final third of the run. | Main Run 110 mins total. Towards the end of this run perform 3x10mins above target race pace, 5mins easy jog between. |
| WEEK 11 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 9x50 at 80% effort with 15sec rest. | Intense Bike 58 mins total. Repeat the following sequence five times with a 2min easy spin between: 6min building effort every 2mins from low to high Zone 4. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 600 at 80% effort. Intense Run 60 mins total. 40min starting at race pace, gradually building so the final 15mins is at tempo pace | Steady Bike 87 mins total. 60mins in aerobars alternating 4mins slightly above race effort with low cadence 60-70rpm, 2mins regular cadence in Zone 2. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 2x300 at 70-90% effort with 60sec rest. | Main Bike 240 mins total. 4x15min at race effort with 15min easy rest intervals between. Brick Run 45 mins total. Start off easy and build to very gradually to race pace by the final half of the run. | Main Run 120 mins total. Towards the end of this run perform 2x15mins at or above target race pace, 5mins easy jog between. |
| WEEK 12 TAPER | Technique Swim 30 mins total. Small race simulation of 8x100: dive start then 10 strokes race take out effort, settle in to 75% | Intense Bike 25 mins total. Repeat the following 5min sequence four times all in aerobars: 2min Zone 2, 30sec building up to high Zone 4 for final 10sec, 2min Zone 2, 30sec low 50-60 cadence Zone 4 | Main Swim 30 mins total. 6x100 increasing effort every 25 as 75-80-85-90% of max, 2 sights/25. Intense Run 25 mins total. 25min run in Zone 2 with 8x30sec fast pick ups spread throughout. | Steady Bike 25 mins total. 20min Zone 2 all in aerobars, include 5x1min building to just above race effort | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 300 starting at 70% increasing effort each 100 to 75-80-85%. | Race Day Eve Swim 10 mins Race Day Eve Bike 20 mins Race Day Eve Run 10 mins | RACE DAY! |
| MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY | SATURDAY | SUNDAY | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WEEK 1 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 4x100 at 80% effort with 20sec rest. | Intense Bike 55 mins total. Repeat five times: 4.5mins Zone 4, 3.5mins easy spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 3x200 at 80% effort with 15sec rest. Intense Run 56 mins total. 9x2mins at fast effort, with 2mins easy jog rest between. | Steady Bike 84 mins total. Repeat six times: 3mins Zone 3 with 60-70 cadence, 3mins Zone 3 with +100 cadence, 3mins Zone 4 with 60-70 cadence, 3mins easy spin. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 500 at 70-85% effort. | Main Bike 115 mins total. Ride easy zones 1 or 2 for the majority of the ride. Brick Run 30 mins total. 30min run immediately after a bike at race pace. | Main Run 70 mins total. 70min easy run in Zone 2. |
| WEEK 2 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 2x200 at 85% effort with 30sec rest. | Intense Bike 55 mins total. Repeat five times: 5mins Zone 4, 3mins easy spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 3x200 at building effort with 45sec rest. Intense Run 60 mins total. 9x2.5mins at fast effort, with 2mins easy jog rest between. | Steady Bike 84 mins total. Repeat four times: 4.5mins Zone 3 with 60-70 cadence, 4.5mins Zone 3 with +100 cadence, 4.5mins Zone 4 with 60-70 cadence, 4.5mins easy spin. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 2x250 at 85% effort with 30sec rest. | Main Bike 130 mins total. 3x10min at 5% above race effort with 5min easy rest intervals between. Brick Run 30 mins total. 30min run immediately after a bike at or slightly above target race pace. | Main Run 75 mins total. 75min easy run in Zone 2. |
| WEEK 3 REST | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 3x100 at 80% effort with 20sec rest. | Intense Bike 60 mins total. Repeat 10 times: 20sec Zone 5, 40sec easy spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 4x200 at 75% effort with 15sec rest. Intense Run 45 mins total. Perform the second third of this run at your target race pace. | Steady Bike 51 mins total. Repeat three times: 10mins low Zone 4 (slightly under FTP if using power meter) with low cadence 60-70rpm, 2mins easy spin. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 500 at 70-85% effort. | Main Bike 80 mins total. Zone 1 and 2. Brick Run 20 mins total. Run the first 5mins at target race pace then finish with Zone 2 | Main Run 50 mins total. 50min easy run in Zone 2. |
| WEEK 4 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 3x250 at 85% effort with 30sec rest. | Intense Bike 59 mins total. Repeat the following sequence once: 4mins fast, 2 min easy spin, 4mins fast, 1min easy spin, 3mins fast, 1 min easy spin, 2mins fast, 1 min easy spin, 1min fast, 1 min easy spin, 1min fast, 1 min easy spin, 2mins fast, 1min easy spin, 3mins fast,1min easy spin, 4mins fast, 2min easy spin, 4mins fast. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 1000 time trial, start off much easier than you expect, pick up pace around 400, then again at 800, then go all out for the final 100 but maintain steady form throughout. Intense Run 60 mins total. 8x3.5mins at Zone 4 effort, with 1.5mins easy jog between. | Steady Bike 90 mins total. 20mins low 70-80 cadence with HR right at the top of Zone 2, in the aerobars. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 2x600 at 80% effort with 30sec rest. | Main Bike 150 mins total. 6x5min 10% above race effort with 2.5min easy spin between. Brick Run 45 mins total. Keep the pace easy with Zone 2 | Main Run 80 mins total. Towards the end of this run perform 15mins close to your target race pace. |
| WEEK 5 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 2x200 at 80% effort with 20sec rest. | Intense Bike 59 mins total. 5mins fast, 1 min easy spin, 4mins fast, 1min easy spin, 3mins fast, 1 min easy spin, 2mins fast, 1 min easy spin, 1min fast, 1 min easy spin, 1min fast, 1 min easy spin, 2mins fast, 1min easy spin, 3mins fast, 1min easy spin, 4mins fast, 1min easy spin, 5mins fast. | Main Swim 50 mins total. RACE SIMULATION 1250 TOTAL: Start swimming explosively from a jump or dive in, swim the first 100-200 at 90-95% race take out effort sighting 2x/25, swim the remainder of the 1250 at 70-75% sighting 2x/25, Intense Run 60 mins total. 8x4mins at Zone 4 effort, with 1mins easy jog between. | Steady Bike 90 mins total. 25mins low 70-80 cadence with HR right at the top of Zone 2, in the aerobars. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 3x200 at 85% effort with 30sec rest. | Main Bike 170 mins total. 10mins, 20mins, and 10mins at 5% above race effort with 5min easy spin between. Brick Run 50 mins total. Keep the pace easy with Zone 2 | Main Run 80 mins total. Towards the end of this run perform 3x5mins above target race pace, 3mins easy jog between. |
| WEEK 6 REST | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 2x250 at 85% effort with 30sec rest. | Intense Bike 54 mins total. Repeat the following sequence twice with 5min easy spin between: 2mins fast,1 min easy spin, 3mins fast,1min easy spin, 4mins fast, 1 min easy spin, 5mins fast. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 2x500 at 75-85% effort with 60sec rest. Intense Run 40 mins total. 40min run at easy pace | Steady Bike 50 mins total. Repeat twice with a 5min easy spin between: 2mins Zone 5 with 70-80 cadence, 3mins Zone 4 with 60-70 cadence, 5mins race effort with 50-60 cadence. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 600 at 80% effort. | Main Bike 100 mins total. Remain in Zones 1 or 2 besides 5x1min pick ups (not all out), 1min easy rest between intervals. Brick Run 30 mins total. Run the first 5mins at FAST pace, then run the remainder at target race pace. | Main Run 50 mins total. 50min easy run in Zone 2. |
| WEEK 7 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 6x100 at 80% effort with 15sec rest. | Intense Bike 57 mins total. 4x90sec high Zone 4 with 60-70 cadence, 1min easy spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 8x100 at 85% effort with 10sec rest. Intense Run 58 mins total. 5x6min at hard Zone 4 effort, with 1.5min easy jog between intervals. | Steady Bike 76 mins total. Repeat this 14min sequence four times: 5min Zone 4 low 60-70 cadence, 4min Zone 2 normal cadence, 3min Zone 3 +100 cadence, 2min Zone 2 normal cadence. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 400 at 80% effort. | Main Bike 190 mins total. 2x20min 5% above race effort with 5min easy spin between. Brick Run 50 mins total. Run the first 10mins at or slightly above your target race pace. | Main Run 90 mins total. Towards the end of this run perform 20mins close to your target race pace. |
| WEEK 8 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 6x100 at 80% effort with 15sec rest. | Intense Bike 56 mins total. 4x2mins high Zone 4 with 60-70 cadence, 30sec easy spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 8x100 at 85% effort with 10sec rest. Intense Run 56 mins total. 5x6min at hard Zone 4 effort, with 1min easy jog between intervals. | Steady Bike 76 mins total. Repeat this 14min sequence four times: 6min Zone 4 low 60-70 cadence, 3min Zone 2 normal cadence, 3min Zone 3 +100 cadence, 2min Zone 2 normal cadence. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 5x100 at 90-75% effort with 10sec rest. | Main Bike 210 mins total. 3x15min at 10% above race effort, with 5 min easy rest interval in between. Brick Run 50 mins total. Run the first 15mins at or slightly above your target race pace. | Main Run 100 mins total. Towards the end of this run perform 3x7mins above target race pace, 3mins easy jog between. |
| WEEK 9 REST | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 7x50 at 80-90% effort with 15sec rest. | Intense Bike 56 mins total. 10min leg strength sequence all in low Zone 4: 4mins at 50rpm, 3mins at 60rpm, 2mins at 70rpm, 1min at 80rpm. 3mins easy spin | Main Swim 50 mins total. 6x100 at 85% effort with 20sec rest. Intense Run 45 mins total. 45min run at easy pace | Steady Bike 55 mins total. 5mins low Zone 4 with low cadence 60-70rpm, 1min Zone 4 with high cadence +100rpm, 3mins easy spin. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 3x100 at 90-75% effort with 10sec rest. | Main Bike 120 mins total. 2hrs ride. Remain in Zones 1 or 2. Brick Run 30 mins total. Run the first 5mins above race pace. | Main Run 60 mins total. 1hr easy run all in Zone 2. |
| WEEK 10 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 3x200 at 85% effort with 15sec rest. | Intense Bike 58 mins total. Repeat the following sequence five times with a 2min easy spin between: 6min building effort every 2mins from low to mid Zone 4. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 2x700 at 90-75% effort. Intense Run 60 mins total. 40min progression starting at race pace, gradually building so the final 10mins is at tempo pace | Steady Bike 85 mins total. 54mins in aerobars alternating 4mins slightly above race effort with low cadence 60-70rpm, 2mins regular cadence in Zone 2. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 2x400 at 85% effort with 60sec rest. | Main Bike 240 mins total. Ride easy zones 1 or 2 for the majority of the ride. Brick Run 45 mins total. Start off easy and build to very gradually to race pace by the final third of the run. | Main Run 110 mins total. Towards the end of this run perform 3x10mins above target race pace, 5mins easy jog between. |
| WEEK 11 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 9x50 at 80% effort with 15sec rest. | Intense Bike 58 mins total. Repeat the following sequence five times with a 2min easy spin between: 6min building effort every 2mins from low to high Zone 4. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 600 at 80% effort. Intense Run 60 mins total. 40min starting at race pace, gradually building so the final 15mins is at tempo pace | Steady Bike 87 mins total. 60mins in aerobars alternating 4mins slightly above race effort with low cadence 60-70rpm, 2mins regular cadence in Zone 2. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 2x300 at 70-90% effort with 60sec rest. | Main Bike 240 mins total. 4x15min at race effort with 15min easy rest intervals between. Brick Run 45 mins total. Start off easy and build to very gradually to race pace by the final half of the run. | Main Run 120 mins total. Towards the end of this run perform 2x15mins at or above target race pace, 5mins easy jog between. |
| WEEK 12 REST | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 2x200 at 85% effort with 30sec rest. | Intense Bike 57 mins total. Repeat the following sequence five times with a 3min easy spin between: 5min effort in mid to high Zone 4. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 2x700 at 90-75% effort with 2mins rest. Intense Run 45 mins total. Easy Zone 2 run for full recovery. | Steady Bike 60 mins total. Repeat three times: 12mins just above race effort in aerobars with 60-70rpm, 3mins easy spin. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 400 at 85% effort. | Main Bike 150 mins total. Complete ride gradually increasing effort finishing towards the top of Zone 2. Brick Run 25 mins total. Run at your target race pace. | Main Run 75 mins total. 1:15hr easy run all in Zone 2. |
| WEEK 13 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 5x100 at 80% effort with 5sec rest. | Intense Bike 57 mins total. Repeat the following four times: 2.5mins Zone 5, 90sec easy spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 6x250 at 90-80% effort with 10sec rest. Intense Run 70 mins total. 50min starting at race pace, gradually building so the final 20mins is at tempo pace | Steady Bike 80 mins total. 60mins with HR at the top of Zone 2, alternating 5mins regular cadence, 5mins 60-70 cadence. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 2x500 at 80% effort with 30sec rest. | Main Bike 210 mins total. 4x20min 10% above race effort with 10min easy rest intervals between. Brick Run 45 mins total. Run the first 15mins at easy Zone 2 pace, then 15mins at target race pace, then 15mins above target race pace. | Main Run 135 mins total. Run the final 30mins at race pace. |
| WEEK 14 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 5x50 at 85-75% effort with 10sec rest between. | Intense Bike 57 mins total. Repeat the following four times: 3mins Zone 5, 1min easy spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 8x100 at 85% effort with 10sec rest. Intense Run 75 mins total. 50min starting at race pace, gradually building so the final 25mins is at tempo pace | Steady Bike 95 mins total. 75mins with HR at the top of Zone 2, alternating 5mins regular cadence 5mins 60-70 cadence. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 2x250 at 85% effort with 15sec rest. | Main Bike 210 mins total. 3x35min 5% above race effort with 10min easy rest intervals between. Brick Run 30 mins total. Run the first 10mins at easy Zone 2 pace, then 10mins at target race pace, then 10mins above target race pace. | Main Run 120 mins total. Run the final 40mins at race pace. |
| WEEK 15 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 8x25 at 95% effort with 20sec rest. | Intense Bike 49 mins total. Repeat the following three times: 3mins Zone 5, 1min easy spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 6x50 at 90-80% effort with 10sec rest. Intense Run 70 mins total. 50mins at tempo pace | Steady Bike 85 mins total. Repeat ten times: 5mins Zone 4 with low 50-60 cadence, 2min easy spin. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 2x700 at 85% effort with 2mins rest. | Main Bike 210 mins total. 2x50min 5-10% above race effort with 10min easy rest intervals between. Brick Run 45 mins total. Run the first half at target race pace the remainder of the run at Zone 2 | Main Run 120 mins total. Run the final 45mins slightly above race pace. |
| WEEK 16 TAPER | Technique Swim 30 mins total. Small race simulation of 8x100: dive start then 10 strokes race take out effort, settle in to 75% | Intense Bike 25 mins total. Repeat the following 5min sequence four times all in aerobars: 2min Zone 2, 30sec building up to high Zone 4 for final 10sec, 2min Zone 2, 30sec low 50-60 cadence Zone 4 | Main Swim 30 mins total. 6x100 increasing effort every 25 as 75-80-85-90% of max, 2 sights/25. Intense Run 25 mins total. 25min run in Zone 2 with 8x30sec fast pick ups spread throughout. | Steady Bike 25 mins total. 20min Zone 2 all in aerobars, include 5x1min building to just above race effort | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 300 starting at 70% increasing effort each 100 to 75-80-85%. | Race Day Eve Swim 10 mins Race Day Eve Bike 20 mins Race Day Eve Run 10 mins | RACE DAY! |
| MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY | SATURDAY | SUNDAY | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WEEK 1 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 4x100 at 80% effort with 20sec rest. | Intense Bike 55 mins total. Repeat five times: 4.5mins Zone 4, 3.5mins easy spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 3x200 at 80% effort with 15sec rest. Intense Run 56 mins total. 9x2mins at fast effort, with 2mins easy jog rest between. | Steady Bike 84 mins total. Repeat six times: 3mins Zone 3 with 60-70 cadence, 3mins Zone 3 with +100 cadence, 3mins Zone 4 with 60-70 cadence, 3mins easy spin. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 500 at 70-85% effort. | Main Bike 115 mins total. Ride easy zones 1 or 2 for the majority of the ride. Brick Run 30 mins total. 30min run immediately after a bike at race pace. | Main Run 70 mins total. 70min easy run in Zone 2. |
| WEEK 2 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 4x100 at 80% effort with 20sec rest. | Intense Bike 55 mins total. Repeat five times: 4.5mins Zone 4, 3.5mins easy spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 3x200 at 80% effort with 15sec rest. Intense Run 56 mins total. 9x2mins at fast effort, with 2mins easy jog rest between. | Steady Bike 84 mins total. Repeat six times: 3mins Zone 3 with 60-70 cadence, 3mins Zone 3 with +100 cadence, 3mins Zone 4 with 60-70 cadence, 3mins easy spin. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 500 at 70-85% effort. | Main Bike 115 mins total. Ride easy zones 1 or 2 for the majority of the ride. Brick Run 30 mins total. 30min run immediately after a bike at race pace. | Main Run 70 mins total. 70min easy run in Zone 2. |
| WEEK 3 REST | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 3x100 at 80% effort with 20sec rest. | Intense Bike 60 mins total. Repeat 10 times: 20sec Zone 5, 40sec easy spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 4x200 at 75% effort with 15sec rest. Intense Run 45 mins total. Perform the second third of this run at your target race pace. | Steady Bike 51 mins total. Repeat three times: 10mins low Zone 4 (slightly under FTP if using power meter) with low cadence 60-70rpm, 2mins easy spin. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 500 at 70-85% effort. | Main Bike 80 mins total. Zone 1 and 2. Brick Run 20 mins total. Run the first 5mins at target race pace then finish with Zone 2 | Main Run 50 mins total. 50min easy run in Zone 2. |
| WEEK 4 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 2x200 at 85% effort with 30sec rest. | Intense Bike 55 mins total. Repeat five times: 5mins Zone 4, 3mins easy spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 3x200 at building effort with 45sec rest. Intense Run 60 mins total. 9x2.5mins at fast effort, with 2mins easy jog rest between. | Steady Bike 84 mins total. Repeat four times: 4.5mins Zone 3 with 60-70 cadence, 4.5mins Zone 3 with +100 cadence, 4.5mins Zone 4 with 60-70 cadence, 4.5mins easy spin. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 2x250 at 85% effort with 30sec rest. | Main Bike 130 mins total. 3x10min at 5% above race effort with 5min easy rest intervals between. Brick Run 30 mins total. 30min run immediately after a bike at or slightly above target race pace. | Main Run 75 mins total. 75min easy run in Zone 2. |
| WEEK 5 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 2x200 at 85% effort with 30sec rest. | Intense Bike 55 mins total. Repeat five times: 5mins Zone 4, 3mins easy spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 3x200 at building effort with 45sec rest. Intense Run 60 mins total. 9x2.5mins at fast effort, with 2mins easy jog rest between. | Steady Bike 84 mins total. Repeat four times: 4.5mins Zone 3 with 60-70 cadence, 4.5mins Zone 3 with +100 cadence, 4.5mins Zone 4 with 60-70 cadence, 4.5mins easy spin. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 2x250 at 85% effort with 30sec rest. | Main Bike 130 mins total. 3x10min at 5% above race effort with 5min easy rest intervals between. Brick Run 30 mins total. 30min run immediately after a bike at or slightly above target race pace. | Main Run 75 mins total. 75min easy run in Zone 2. |
| WEEK 6 REST | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 2x250 at 85% effort with 30sec rest. | Intense Bike 54 mins total. Repeat the following sequence twice with 5min easy spin between: 2mins fast,1 min easy spin, 3mins fast,1min easy spin, 4mins fast, 1 min easy spin, 5mins fast. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 2x500 at 75-85% effort with 60sec rest. Intense Run 40 mins total. 40min run at easy pace | Steady Bike 50 mins total. Repeat twice with a 5min easy spin between: 2mins Zone 5 with 70-80 cadence, 3mins Zone 4 with 60-70 cadence, 5mins race effort with 50-60 cadence. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 600 at 80% effort. | Main Bike 100 mins total. Remain in Zones 1 or 2 besides 5x1min pick ups (not all out), 1min easy rest between intervals. Brick Run 30 mins total. Run the first 5mins at FAST pace, then run the remainder at target race pace. | Main Run 50 mins total. 50min easy run in Zone 2. |
| WEEK 7 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 3x250 at 85% effort with 30sec rest. | Intense Bike 59 mins total. Repeat the following sequence once: 4mins fast, 2 min easy spin, 4mins fast, 1min easy spin, 3mins fast, 1 min easy spin, 2mins fast, 1 min easy spin, 1min fast, 1 min easy spin, 1min fast, 1 min easy spin, 2mins fast, 1min easy spin, 3mins fast,1min easy spin, 4mins fast, 2min easy spin, 4mins fast. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 1000 time trial, start off much easier than you expect, pick up pace around 400, then again at 800, then go all out for the final 100 but maintain steady form throughout. Intense Run 60 mins total. 8x3.5mins at Zone 4 effort, with 1.5mins easy jog between. | Steady Bike 90 mins total. 20mins low 70-80 cadence with HR right at the top of Zone 2, in the aerobars. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 2x600 at 80% effort with 30sec rest. | Main Bike 150 mins total. 6x5min 10% above race effort with 2.5min easy spin between. Brick Run 45 mins total. Keep the pace easy with Zone 2 | Main Run 80 mins total. Towards the end of this run perform 15mins close to your target race pace. |
| WEEK 8 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 3x250 at 85% effort with 30sec rest. | Intense Bike 59 mins total. Repeat the following sequence once: 4mins fast, 2 min easy spin, 4mins fast, 1min easy spin, 3mins fast, 1 min easy spin, 2mins fast, 1 min easy spin, 1min fast, 1 min easy spin, 1min fast, 1 min easy spin, 2mins fast, 1min easy spin, 3mins fast,1min easy spin, 4mins fast, 2min easy spin, 4mins fast. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 1000 time trial, start off much easier than you expect, pick up pace around 400, then again at 800, then go all out for the final 100 but maintain steady form throughout. Intense Run 60 mins total. 8x3.5mins at Zone 4 effort, with 1.5mins easy jog between. | Steady Bike 90 mins total. 20mins low 70-80 cadence with HR right at the top of Zone 2, in the aerobars. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 2x600 at 80% effort with 30sec rest. | Main Bike 150 mins total. 6x5min 10% above race effort with 2.5min easy spin between. Brick Run 45 mins total. Keep the pace easy with Zone 2 | Main Run 80 mins total. Towards the end of this run perform 15mins close to your target race pace. |
| WEEK 9 REST | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 7x50 at 80-90% effort with 15sec rest. | Intense Bike 56 mins total. 10min leg strength sequence all in low Zone 4: 4mins at 50rpm, 3mins at 60rpm, 2mins at 70rpm, 1min at 80rpm. 3mins easy spin | Main Swim 50 mins total. 6x100 at 85% effort with 20sec rest. Intense Run 45 mins total. 45min run at easy pace | Steady Bike 55 mins total. 5mins low Zone 4 with low cadence 60-70rpm, 1min Zone 4 with high cadence +100rpm, 3mins easy spin. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 3x100 at 90-75% effort with 10sec rest. | Main Bike 120 mins total. 2hrs ride. Remain in Zones 1 or 2. Brick Run 30 mins total. Run the first 5mins above race pace. | Main Run 60 mins total. 1hr easy run all in Zone 2. |
| WEEK 10 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 2x200 at 80% effort with 20sec rest. | Intense Bike 59 mins total. 5mins fast, 1 min easy spin, 4mins fast, 1min easy spin, 3mins fast, 1 min easy spin, 2mins fast, 1 min easy spin, 1min fast, 1 min easy spin, 1min fast, 1 min easy spin, 2mins fast, 1min easy spin, 3mins fast, 1min easy spin, 4mins fast, 1min easy spin, 5mins fast. | Main Swim 50 mins total. RACE SIMULATION 1250 TOTAL: Start swimming explosively from a jump or dive in, swim the first 100-200 at 90-95% race take out effort sighting 2x/25, swim the remainder of the 1250 at 70-75% sighting 2x/25, Intense Run 60 mins total. 8x4mins at Zone 4 effort, with 1mins easy jog between. | Steady Bike 90 mins total. 25mins low 70-80 cadence with HR right at the top of Zone 2, in the aerobars. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 3x200 at 85% effort with 30sec rest. | Main Bike 170 mins total. 10mins, 20mins, and 10mins at 5% above race effort with 5min easy spin between. Brick Run 50 mins total. Keep the pace easy with Zone 2 | Main Run 80 mins total. Towards the end of this run perform 3x5mins above target race pace, 3mins easy jog between. |
| WEEK 11 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 6x100 at 80% effort with 15sec rest. | Intense Bike 57 mins total. 4x90sec high Zone 4 with 60-70 cadence, 1min easy spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 8x100 at 85% effort with 10sec rest. Intense Run 58 mins total. 5x6min at hard Zone 4 effort, with 1.5min easy jog between intervals. | Steady Bike 76 mins total. Repeat this 14min sequence four times: 5min Zone 4 low 60-70 cadence, 4min Zone 2 normal cadence, 3min Zone 3 +100 cadence, 2min Zone 2 normal cadence. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 400 at 80% effort. | Main Bike 190 mins total. 2x20min 5% above race effort with 5min easy spin between. Brick Run 50 mins total. Run the first 10mins at or slightly above your target race pace. | Main Run 90 mins total. Towards the end of this run perform 20mins close to your target race pace. |
| WEEK 12 REST | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 2x200 at 85% effort with 30sec rest. | Intense Bike 57 mins total. Repeat the following sequence five times with a 3min easy spin between: 5min effort in mid to high Zone 4. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 2x700 at 90-75% effort with 2mins rest. Intense Run 45 mins total. Easy Zone 2 run for full recovery. | Steady Bike 60 mins total. Repeat three times: 12mins just above race effort in aerobars with 60-70rpm, 3mins easy spin. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 400 at 85% effort. | Main Bike 150 mins total. Complete ride gradually increasing effort finishing towards the top of Zone 2. Brick Run 25 mins total. Run at your target race pace. | Main Run 75 mins total. 1:15hr easy run all in Zone 2. |
| WEEK 13 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 6x100 at 80% effort with 15sec rest. | Intense Bike 56 mins total. 4x2mins high Zone 4 with 60-70 cadence, 30sec easy spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 8x100 at 85% effort with 10sec rest. Intense Run 56 mins total. 5x6min at hard Zone 4 effort, with 1min easy jog between intervals. | Steady Bike 76 mins total. Repeat this 14min sequence four times: 6min Zone 4 low 60-70 cadence, 3min Zone 2 normal cadence, 3min Zone 3 +100 cadence, 2min Zone 2 normal cadence. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 5x100 at 90-75% effort with 10sec rest. | Main Bike 210 mins total. 3x15min at 10% above race effort, with 5 min easy rest interval in between. Brick Run 50 mins total. Run the first 15mins at or slightly above your target race pace. | Main Run 100 mins total. Towards the end of this run perform 3x7mins above target race pace, 3mins easy jog between. |
| WEEK 14 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 3x200 at 85% effort with 15sec rest. | Intense Bike 58 mins total. Repeat the following sequence five times with a 2min easy spin between: 6min building effort every 2mins from low to mid Zone 4. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 2x700 at 90-75% effort. Intense Run 60 mins total. 40min progression starting at race pace, gradually building so the final 10mins is at tempo pace | Steady Bike 85 mins total. 54mins in aerobars alternating 4mins slightly above race effort with low cadence 60-70rpm, 2mins regular cadence in Zone 2. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 2x400 at 85% effort with 60sec rest. | Main Bike 240 mins total. Ride easy zones 1 or 2 for the majority of the ride. Brick Run 45 mins total. Start off easy and build to very gradually to race pace by the final third of the run. | Main Run 110 mins total. Towards the end of this run perform 3x10mins above target race pace, 5mins easy jog between. |
| WEEK 15 REST | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 2x200 at 85% effort with 30sec rest. | Intense Bike 57 mins total. Repeat the following sequence five times with a 3min easy spin between: 5min effort in mid to high Zone 4. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 2x700 at 90-75% effort with 2mins rest. Intense Run 45 mins total. Easy Zone 2 run for full recovery. | Steady Bike 60 mins total. Repeat three times: 12mins just above race effort in aerobars with 60-70rpm, 3mins easy spin. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 400 at 85% effort. | Main Bike 150 mins total. Complete ride gradually increasing effort finishing towards the top of Zone 2. Brick Run 25 mins total. Run at your target race pace. | Main Run 75 mins total. 1:15hr easy run all in Zone 2. |
| WEEK 16 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 9x50 at 80% effort with 15sec rest. | Intense Bike 58 mins total. Repeat the following sequence five times with a 2min easy spin between: 6min building effort every 2mins from low to high Zone 4. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 600 at 80% effort. Intense Run 60 mins total. 40min starting at race pace, gradually building so the final 15mins is at tempo pace | Steady Bike 87 mins total. 60mins in aerobars alternating 4mins slightly above race effort with low cadence 60-70rpm, 2mins regular cadence in Zone 2. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 2x300 at 70-90% effort with 60sec rest. | Main Bike 240 mins total. 4x15min at race effort with 15min easy rest intervals between. Brick Run 45 mins total. Start off easy and build to very gradually to race pace by the final half of the run. | Main Run 120 mins total. Towards the end of this run perform 2x15mins at or above target race pace, 5mins easy jog between. |
| WEEK 17 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 5x100 at 80% effort with 5sec rest. | Intense Bike 57 mins total. Repeat the following four times: 2.5mins Zone 5, 90sec easy spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 6x250 at 90-80% effort with 10sec rest. Intense Run 70 mins total. 50min starting at race pace, gradually building so the final 20mins is at tempo pace | Steady Bike 80 mins total. 60mins with HR at the top of Zone 2, alternating 5mins regular cadence, 5mins 60-70 cadence. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 2x500 at 80% effort with 30sec rest. | Main Bike 210 mins total. 4x20min 10% above race effort with 10min easy rest intervals between. Brick Run 45 mins total. Run the first 15mins at easy Zone 2 pace, then 15mins at target race pace, then 15mins above target race pace. | Main Run 135 mins total. Run the final 30mins at race pace. |
| WEEK 18 REST | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 2x200 at 85% effort with 30sec rest. | Intense Bike 57 mins total. Repeat the following sequence five times with a 3min easy spin between: 5min effort in mid to high Zone 4. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 2x700 at 90-75% effort with 2mins rest. Intense Run 45 mins total. Easy Zone 2 run for full recovery. | Steady Bike 60 mins total. Repeat three times: 12mins just above race effort in aerobars with 60-70rpm, 3mins easy spin. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 400 at 85% effort. | Main Bike 150 mins total. Complete ride gradually increasing effort finishing towards the top of Zone 2. Brick Run 25 mins total. Run at your target race pace. | Main Run 75 mins total. 1:15hr easy run all in Zone 2. |
| WEEK 19 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 5x50 at 85-75% effort with 10sec rest between. | Intense Bike 57 mins total. Repeat the following four times: 3mins Zone 5, 1min easy spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 8x100 at 85% effort with 10sec rest. Intense Run 75 mins total. 50min starting at race pace, gradually building so the final 25mins is at tempo pace | Steady Bike 95 mins total. 75mins with HR at the top of Zone 2, alternating 5mins regular cadence 5mins 60-70 cadence. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 2x250 at 85% effort with 15sec rest. | Main Bike 210 mins total. 3x35min 5% above race effort with 10min easy rest intervals between. Brick Run 30 mins total. Run the first 10mins at easy Zone 2 pace, then 10mins at target race pace, then 10mins above target race pace. | Main Run 120 mins total. Run the final 40mins at race pace. |
| WEEK 20 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 8x25 at 95% effort with 20sec rest. | Intense Bike 49 mins total. Repeat the following three times: 3mins Zone 5, 1min easy spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 6x50 at 90-80% effort with 10sec rest. Intense Run 70 mins total. 50mins at tempo pace | Steady Bike 85 mins total. Repeat ten times: 5mins Zone 4 with low 50-60 cadence, 2min easy spin. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 2x700 at 85% effort with 2mins rest. | Main Bike 210 mins total. 2x50min 5-10% above race effort with 10min easy rest intervals between. Brick Run 45 mins total. Run the first half at target race pace the remainder of the run at Zone 2 | Main Run 120 mins total. Run the final 45mins slightly above race pace. |
| WEEK 21 REST | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 2x200 at 85% effort with 30sec rest. | Intense Bike 57 mins total. Repeat the following sequence five times with a 3min easy spin between: 5min effort in mid to high Zone 4. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 2x700 at 90-75% effort with 2mins rest. Intense Run 45 mins total. Easy Zone 2 run for full recovery. | Steady Bike 60 mins total. Repeat three times: 12mins just above race effort in aerobars with 60-70rpm, 3mins easy spin. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 400 at 85% effort. | Main Bike 150 mins total. Complete ride gradually increasing effort finishing towards the top of Zone 2. Brick Run 25 mins total. Run at your target race pace. | Main Run 75 mins total. 1:15hr easy run all in Zone 2. |
| WEEK 22 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 4x200 at 80% effort with 15sec rest. | Intense Bike 53 mins total. Repeat the following sequence seven times: 2min at high Zone 4, 15sec building to even stronger Zone 5 effort, then jump into 15sec of absolute MAX effort, 2.5min easy recovery spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 10x100 at 85% effort with 10sec rest. Intense Run 80 mins total. 60mins at tempo pace | Steady Bike 85 mins total. Repeat seven times: 8mins Zone 4 with low 50-60 cadence, 2min easy spin. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 2x400 at 75% effort with 20sec rest. | Main Bike 210 mins total. 1.5hrs at 5% RPE above race effort. Brick Run 45 mins total. Run the first half at slightly faster than target race pace the remainder of the run at Zone 2 | Main Run 120 mins total. Run the final 50mins slightly above race pace. |
| WEEK 23 | Technique Swim 40 mins total. 4x100 at 75-85% effort with 10sec rest. | Intense Bike 53 mins total. Repeat the following sequence seven times: 2:30 at high Zone 4, 15sec building to even stronger Zone 5 effort, then jump into 15sec of absolute MAX effort, 2min easy recovery spin. | Main Swim 50 mins total. 4x200 at building effort with 45sec rest. Intense Run 85 mins total. 65 mins at tempo pace | Steady Bike 85 mins total. Repeat ten times: 5mins Zone 4 with low 50-60 cadence, 2min easy spin. | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 4x50 at 80-90% effort with 5 - 15sec rest. | Main Bike 210 mins total. 2hrs at 5% RPE above race effort. Brick Run 45 mins total. Run the first half at slightly faster than target race pace the remainder of the run at Zone 2 | Main Run 120 mins total. Run the final 60mins slightly above race pace. |
| WEEK 24 TAPER | Technique Swim 30 mins total. Small race simulation of 8x100: dive start then 10 strokes race take out effort, settle in to 75% | Intense Bike 25 mins total. Repeat the following 5min sequence four times all in aerobars: 2min Zone 2, 30sec building up to high Zone 4 for final 10sec, 2min Zone 2, 30sec low 50-60 cadence Zone 4 | Main Swim 30 mins total. 6x100 increasing effort every 25 as 75-80-85-90% of max, 2 sights/25. Intense Run 25 mins total. 25min run in Zone 2 with 8x30sec fast pick ups spread throughout. | Steady Bike 25 mins total. 20min Zone 2 all in aerobars, include 5x1min building to just above race effort | Steady Swim 40 mins total. 300 starting at 70% increasing effort each 100 to 75-80-85% | Race Day Eve Swim 10 mins Race Day Eve Bike 20 mins Race Day Eve Run 10 mins | RACE DAY! |
Ace Your Half-Ironman Race
Building off your successful foray into short-course triathlon with sprint and Olympic distances, there’s no reason why you can’t continue to develop the required endurance and fitness to complete a half-Ironman race in good order. With additional training and a more focused approach to nutrition, you now have the knowledge and the training plan to cross the line of your first 70.3 event.
Read more
- Never forget another item on race day with The Ultimate Triathlon Race Day Checklist
- Not yet ready for a half-Ironman or 70.3 distance race? Check out our Complete Guide to Olympic Distance Triathlon Training
- Develop swimming strength for triathlon
Sources/Links
Written on:
2021-09-13
Table of contents
Taren Gesell is founder and CEO of MOTTIV, and one of the world's top experts on helping adults become endurance athletes later in life. Best known for his YouTube channel ("Triathlon Taren") and his long-running podcast, Taren is the author of the Triathlon Foundations series of books and has been published and featured in endurance publications around the world. He has also been a successful age-group triathlete, runner, and record-breaking swimmer.
