Sprint Triathlete who wants to complete a 70.3 triathlon.
See below what to consider when going form sprint to 70.3 distance.
Athletes who takes 60-70 minutes have already shown above average levels of fitness.
:- This triathlete will be able to adapt quickly to the rigours of increasing the volume necessary to complete a 70.3
Not one sport is very weak.
Athletes who takes 70 – 85 minutes have good triathlon fitness endurance and will be able to build upon this fitness.
:- This triathlete will be with patience building up progressively complete a middle distance triathlon but must work on their weakest discipline(s)
Athletes that take 85- 130 minutes need to start from the beginning when considering a 70.3 triathlon.
:- Un-realistic goal to be able to train not get injured along the way.
If you are desperate to compete in a 70.3 then work from today towards race day.
You have to decide almost weekly how much you can progress each week then on the 4th week ease back to recover and improve.
Providing you can cover the swim distance in training on a regular basis and 75% of the bike and 75% of the run in two consecutive days with 4 weeks to go then you should be able to complete a 70.3 triathlon.
No 2 people are the same or have the same lifestyles so you can not simply plot on a graph what distance you can cover now and increase until race day training and improving is not that simple.
What to do
What to do when
Work on weakest sport. You can identify this from your individual positions in the sprint triathlon.
Find it hard to fit in all your training no problem rotate your disciplines, can only complete 5 sessions a week no worries see my example below
Week One -2 x Swim 2 x Bike 1 x Run
Week Two -1 x Swim 2 x Bike 2 x Run
Week Three -2 x Swim 1 x Bike 2 x Run
Week Four 2 x Swim 1 x Bike 1 x Run
Key 70.3 sessions
34 week build up
The taper is vital ingredient Time can be on your side and also against you if you don’t plan and train S.M.A.R.T -Specific Measurable achieve bale Time
No time to waste train to complete the middle distance on similar terrain monitor your progress & start from today and be realistic with your training time available and budget for rest and recovery.
32-15 weeks to go
3 weeks building 1 week easy (50% volume of 3rd week)
20-16 weeks to go -run a half marathon or tempo run @ half marathon pace
14-10 weeks to go
A hilly time trial (against the clock or a private time trial) and sportive cycle ride of 40- 60 miles
9-7 weeks to go
An Olympic distance triathlon with at least 7 weeks gap now and your 70.3.
6-4 weeks to go
Complete the distance of a 2km Swim 90km Bike & 21km run all completed individually within 7 days
3 week taper
3 weeks to go 75% of weekly volume
2 weeks to go 50% of weekly volume
Race week ONLY 10% of weekly volume plus 70.3 triathlon
During your build up build up increase the fortnightly swim time trial to 2,000m to 3 weeks before your Olympic distance triathlon.
• If you are already able to complete the swim bike or run 70.3 distances comfortably work on your weakest disciplines.
• Until all three sports are of comparable fitness avoid continuing on your strongest sport and improve your weakest sport instead.