Establishing base fitness paves the way for workloads that are heaped higher &amp; higher during build training. With both forms of conditioning buttoned up, the intent is now to top off your fitness, uncover a high level of freshness and lock down your confidence over these final 8 weeks of training.

Full Distance Triathlon - Low Volume

Tuesday Ramp Test It's pretty likely you've seen some improvement over the course of your Build phase, so we'll begin this specialized training phase by reassessing your FTP such that the final weeks leading up to your most important races are appropriately demanding and as productive as possible. Use the same test format you've used before, and make sure you feel rested and motivated heading into this workout.
Wednesday Swim Base + Threshold Intervals (2800m) Warm-Up 300m Easy, RPE4; 8x25m SC Drills w/ 10s rest between drills; 6x100m Easy-Moderate, RPE6 w/ 5s rest between intervals; 6x200m Moderate-Hard, RPE8 w/ 45s rest between intervals; 8x25m K&amp;R drills w/ 15s rest between drills; Cool-Down 300m easy, RPE4
Wednesday Tempo Run Run 10min up to Easy-Moderate, RPE6 to warm up, then run steadily, Moderate-Hard, RPE8 for just 30 minutes before cooling down for 10 minutes at an Easy, RPE4 pace for a total of 50 minutes of running
Thursday White Working steadily for 70 minutes - truly steadily considering the unrelenting nature of indoor trainers - is often surprisingly difficult for many riders. If, however, you wish to further the challenge and lift your weekly training load a little or perhaps you're targeting a higher power % during the bike leg of your race(s), check out the +1 and +2 versions of this same workout.
Friday Swim Base + VO2max + Speed Intervals (2700m) Warm-Up 300m Easy, RPE4; 8x25m F Drills w/ 10s rest between drills; 4x100m Easy-Moderate, RPE6 w/ 5s rest between intervals; 6x150m Hard, RPE9 w/ 75s rest between intervals; 8x50m Sprints, All-Out, RPE 10 w/ 20s rest between sprints; 8x25m K drills w/ 15s rest between drills; Cool-Down 300m easy, RPE4
Friday Recovery Run + Strides Run an Easy 60 minutes at RPE4 pace with 8x20-second relaxed, mid-run sprints at RPE10 with 40 seconds of rest after each.
Saturday Putuo Having finished up with a 4-hour endurance ride during your Build training, this first long ride ups your time in the saddle slightly with the twin goals of furthering your aerobic endurance and familiarizing you with the many challenges that accompany these long, steady-effort rides.
Sunday Swim Time Trial (3800m) Warm-Up 300m Easy, RPE 4; 3200m Hard, RPE 9; Cool-Down 300m easy, RPE 4
Sunday Long Base Run Kick off your first weekend by bumping up your longest run to 2hr40min at an Easy-Moderate, RPE6 pace.

Week 1

Tuesday Rogers +2 Get a feel for your newly estimated Functional Threshold Power with a reasonably tame but still demanding set of repeats far enough above your FTP to challenge your ability to generate power in your aero bars. If you find that you can keep your power on Target while riding low, commit to performing these 102% intervals in your aero position; otherwise, save the aero work for subthreshold workouts.
Wednesday Swim Base + Threshold Intervals (2800m) Warm-Up 300m Easy, RPE4; 8x25m FS Drills w/ 10s rest between drills; 6x100m Easy-Moderate, RPE6 w/ 5s rest between intervals; 6x200m Moderate-Hard, RPE8 w/ 45s rest between intervals; 8x25m SK drills w/ 15s rest between drills; Cool-Down 300m easy, RPE4
Wednesday Tempo Run Run 10min up to Easy-Moderate, RPE6 to warm up, then run steadily, Moderate-Hard, RPE8 for 35 minutes this week before cooling down for 10 minutes at an Easy, RPE4 pace for a total of 55 minutes of running.
Thursday Leavitt This time, your round of zero-rest, 10-minute intervals comes with an extra helping of work. And once again, you can further the challenge and lift your weekly training load or practice a higher bike leg power goal by using the +1 or +2 versions of this same workout.
Friday Swim Base + VO2max + Speed Intervals (2700m) Warm-Up 300m Easy, RPE4; 8x25m SA Drills w/ 10s rest between drills; 4x100m Easy-Moderate, RPE6 w/ 5s rest between intervals; 6x150m Hard, RPE9 w/ 60s rest between intervals; 8x50m Sprints, All-Out, RPE 10 w/ 10s rest between sprints; 8x25m K drills w/ 15s rest between drills; Cool-Down 300m easy, RPE4
Friday Recovery Run + Strides Run another Easy 60 minutes at RPE4 pace with 8x20-second relaxed, mid-run sprints at RPE10 with 40 seconds of rest after each.
Saturday Appalachian Brick Workout: Appalachian + 60min Base Run:Follow 3.5 solid hours of steady riding at a modest power output with a quick transition into your running gear and an Easy-Moderate, RPE6 run lasting for 60 minutes.
Sunday Continuous Base Swim (4000m) Warm-Up 400m Easy, RPE 4; 3200m Easy-Moderate, RPE 6; Cool-Down 400m easy, RPE 4
Sunday Base Run Just run 60min at an Easy-Moderate, RPE6 pace this weekend.

Week 2

Tuesday Stromlo +1 Same rules as last week regarding riding in your aero position: only do so if you can keep your power on Target. Because the primary goal is raising your high-end endurance even more over these final weeks of training, and this is best accomplished by pushing your current boundaries with fairly short, uncomfortable but sustainable intervals - and ones that are a little longer than last week's.
Wednesday Swim Base + Threshold Intervals (2800m) Warm-Up 300m Easy, RPE4; 8x25m CS Drills w/ 10s rest between drills; 6x100m Easy-Moderate, RPE6 w/ 5s rest between intervals; 6x200m Moderate-Hard, RPE8 w/ 20s rest between intervals; 8x25m K&amp;R drills w/ 15s rest between drills; Cool-Down 300m easy, RPE4
Wednesday Tempo Run Run 10min up to Easy-Moderate, RPE6 to warm up, then run steadily, Moderate-Hard, RPE8 for 40 minutes this week before cooling down for 10 minutes at an Easy, RPE4 pace for a total of 60 minutes of running.
Thursday Echo If you played with some slightly higher sustained watts last Thursday, you can see if those power outputs carry into this even longer batch of no-rest intervals via the +1 &amp; +2 versions of Echo, always reserving the option for a short backpedal break should you find yourself fading from time to time. Whichever version you choose, make sure you're spending ample time down low without allowing your power to stray off-Target.
Friday Swim Base + VO2max + Speed Intervals (2700m) Warm-Up 300m Easy, RPE4; 8x25m F&amp;T Drills w/ 10s rest between drills; 4x100m Easy-Moderate, RPE6 w/ 5s rest between intervals; 6x150m Hard, RPE9 w/ 45s rest between intervals; 8x50m Sprints, All-Out, RPE 10 w/ 5s rest between sprints; 8x25m SK drills w/ 15s rest between drills; Cool-Down 300m easy, RPE4
Friday Recovery Run + Strides Once more, run an Easy 60 minutes at RPE4 pace with 8x20-second relaxed, mid-run sprints at RPE10 with 40 seconds of rest after each.
Saturday Gasherbrum Another bump in your longest ride puts you at 4.5 hours this week which can equate to something closer to 6-7 hours of ride time outdoors. Does that mean you can shorten this ride if you choose to do it indoors' Perhaps, but knowing that you can hunker down and keep the pedals turning for over 4 hours on a trainer will make any full-distance bike leg seem that much less intimidating, that much more manageable.
Sunday Swim Time Trial (3000m) Warm-Up 300m Easy, RPE 4; 2400m Hard, RPE 9; Cool-Down 300m easy, RPE 4
Sunday Long Base Run Repeat your longest run thus far by running 2hr40min at an Easy-Moderate, RPE6 pace.

Week 3

Tuesday Sugarloaf +1 Still a little above your FTP, still aero if you can sustain your Target power, but lighter on the overall training load this week as your first recovery workout looks to keep you active and modestly challenged while helping you gradually rid your body of much of the fatigue it's carrying.
Wednesday Swim Threshold Intervals (2000m) Warm-Up 300m Easy, RPE4; 8x25m BB Drills w/ 10s rest between drills; 5x200m Moderate-Hard, RPE8 w/ 45s rest between intervals; 8x25m K drills w/ 15s rest between drills; Cool-Down 300m easy, RPE4
Wednesday Tempo Run Run 10min up to Easy-Moderate, RPE6 to warm up, then dial things back and run steadily, Moderate-Hard, RPE8 for just 30 minutes before cooling down for 10 minutes at an Easy, RPE 4pace for a total of 50 minutes of running
Thursday White Time for a repeat of Week 1's progression workout, but this time you're facing higher levels of residual fatigue but ideally higher levels of fitness as well. No need to elevate the challenge of this week's workout though - active recovery is still the primary objective.
Friday Swim Base + VO2max + Speed Intervals (1800m) Warm-Up 300m Easy, RPE4; 8x25m CU Drills w/ 10s rest between drills; 2x100m Easy-Moderate, RPE6 w/ 5s rest between intervals; 6x100m Hard, RPE9 w/ 60s rest between intervals; 4x50m Sprints, All-Out, RPE 10 w/ 20s rest between sprints; Cool-Down 300m easy, RPE4
Friday Recovery Run + Strides Run an Easy 50 minutes at RPE4 pace with only 2x20-second relaxed, mid-run sprints at RPE10 with 40 seconds of rest after each.
Saturday Truuli -2 Much like the format of your final taper week, get a feel for facing a couple of taper workouts just prior to your most important event(s). These very short but often intense workouts are just enough to keep you sharp while avoiding any real fatigue and are to be done on the day directly preceding any A-priority racing.
Saturday Recovery Run + Strides After your openers ride, do a super short, 20-minute run at an Easy, RPE4 pace and work in 4x20-second relaxed sprints with 40 seconds of recovery jogging between each in order to open your legs up a bit in preparation for tomorrow. This is the same protocol you'll follow prior to any A-priority race(s).
Sunday Continuous Base Swim (3000m) OR Half-Distance Triathlon Either warm-Up 300m Easy, RPE4; 2400m Easy-Moderate, RPE6; Cool-Down 300m easy, RPE4 OR compete in a B-priority practice race.
Sunday Half-Distance Triathlon OR Longfellow + Base Run (Brick) Do this 4-hour bike workout largely or entirely in your aero position and then transition quickly into your running gear and take off on a longer duration,75-minute run at an Easy-Moderate, RPE6 pace where you'll get up to race pace quickly.

Week 4

Tuesday Elwell This assortment of efforts devotes a little time to each of the supra-threshold power outputs you've employed over prior weeks in order to lift your sustainable power. But at this point in your training, the goal shifts from building capabilities toward maintaining them while gradually shedding some of the residual fatigue they brought on.
Wednesday Swim Base + Threshold Intervals (2800m) Warm-Up 300m Easy, RPE4; 8x25m SC Drills w/ 10s rest between drills; 6x100m Easy-Moderate, RPE6 w/ 5s rest between intervals; 7x200m Moderate-Hard, RPE8 w/ 45s rest between intervals; Cool-Down 300m easy, RPE4
Wednesday Tempo Run Run 10min up to Easy-Moderate, RPE6 to warm up, then run steadily, Moderate-Hard, RPE8 for just 40 minutes before cooling down for 10 minutes at an Easy, RPE4 pace for a total of 60 minutes of running
Thursday Ragged During your introduction to this exhaustive workout format, each step asks that you endure your efforts for fairly long interval durations thereby increasing your ability to sustain higher speeds for longer and longer spans of time. Stay aero as much as possible, but sit up when you're considering a backpedal break. Often enough, just riding tall for a minute or two is all that's really necessary to keep the pedals turning over.
Friday Swim Base + VO2max + Speed Intervals (2800m) Warm-Up 300m Easy, RPE4; 8x25m F Drills w/ 10s rest between drills; 3x100m Easy-Moderate, RPE6 w/ 5s rest between intervals; 7x150m Hard, RPE9 w/ 75s rest between intervals; 9x50m Sprints, All-Out, RPE 10 w/ 20s rest between sprints; 8x25m K drills w/ 15s rest between drills; Cool-Down 300m easy, RPE4
Friday Recovery Run + Strides Again, run an Easy 60 minutes at RPE4 pace with 8x20-second relaxed, mid-run sprints at RPE10 with 40 seconds of rest after each.
Saturday Kailash Today your long ride reaches its peak duration and drives home the point that you can, in fact, go the distance. Because if you can ride for nearly 5 hours uninterrupted (a handful of 30-second backpedals don't count as interruptions, by the way), then you know you can keep your legs turning for upwards of 7 hours on the open road.
Sunday Continuous Base Swim (4000m) Warm-Up 400m Easy, RPE 4; 3200m Easy-Moderate, RPE 6; Cool-Down 400m easy, RPE 4
Sunday Long Base Run Your longest run peaks today at 2hr50min of Easy-Moderate, RPE6-pace running.

Week 5

Tuesday Sierra Another round of mixed intervals that, while still capable of elevating your highest sustainable power, are now more about exploiting your endurance via shorter recovery durations and keeping you sharp and gradually reducing your fatigue via fewer intervals at each power output.
Wednesday Swim Base + Threshold Intervals (2800m) Warm-Up 300m Easy, RPE4; 8x25m FS Drills w/ 10s rest between drills; 6x100m Easy-Moderate, RPE6 w/ 5s rest between intervals; 7x200m Moderate-Hard, RPE8 w/ 45s rest between intervals; Cool-Down 300m easy, RPE4
Wednesday Tempo Run Run 10min up to Easy-Moderate, RPE6 to warm up, then run steadily, Moderate-Hard, RPE8 for 45 minutes this week before cooling down for 10 minutes at an Easy, RPE4 pace for a total of 65 minutes of running.
Thursday Tower Last week introduced you to this exhaustive workout format while this week grows the demand noticeably. The power requirements stay the same, but each step asks that you endure your efforts for substantially longer thereby increasing your ability to sustain higher speeds for longer and longer durations. Stay aero as much as possible, but sit up when you're considering a backpedal break. Often enough, just riding tall for a minute or two is all that's really necessary to keep the pedals turning over.
Friday Swim Base + VO2max + Speed Intervals (2800m) Warm-Up 300m Easy, RPE4; 8x25m SA Drills w/ 10s rest between drills; 3x100m Easy-Moderate, RPE6 w/ 5s rest between intervals; 7x150m Hard, RPE9 w/ 60s rest between intervals; 9x50m Sprints, All-Out, RPE 10 w/ 10s rest between sprints; 8x25m SK drills w/ 15s rest between drills; Cool-Down 300m easy, RPE4
Friday Recovery Run + Strides Run another Easy 60 minutes at RPE4 pace with 8x20-second relaxed, mid-run sprints at RPE10 with 40 seconds of rest after each.
Saturday Brick Workout Longfellow + 90min Base Run: Time to put your longest brick components together starting with a solid 4 hours of steady riding at a modest power output with plenty of time down low followed by a quick transition into your running gearand 90 minutes of Easy-Moderate, RPE6 running.
Sunday Continuous Base Swim (4200m) Warm-Up 400m Easy, RPE 4; 3400m Easy-Moderate, RPE 6; Cool-Down 400m easy, RPE 4
Sunday Base Run Just run 65min at an Easy-Moderate, RPE6 pace this weekend.

Week 6

Tuesday Sonora During this last step of pushing your endurance capabilities during super-FTP intervals a bit further, the recovery valleys shrink one last time to a diminutive 1 minute each. But hey, you'll be done even sooner than usual and you'll gain a new appreciation for how important it is to stay below your FTP if you plan to last for multiple hours without falling apart.
Wednesday Swim Base + Threshold Intervals (2200m) Warm-Up 300m Easy, RPE4; 8x25m CS Drills w/ 10s rest between drills; 4x100m Easy-Moderate, RPE6 w/ 5s rest between intervals; 5x200m Moderate-Hard, RPE8 w/ 20s rest between intervals; Cool-Down 300m easy, RPE4
Wednesday Tempo Run Run 10min up to Easy-Moderate, RPE6 to warm up, then run steadily, Moderate-Hard, RPE8 for just 30 minutes before cooling down for 10 minutes at an Easy, RPE4 pace for a total of 50 minutes of running
Thursday Piute As we continue to taper your workload, your progression workout reaches its low point where the 5 progressive steps are each only 12 minutes in duration. If you've struggled with remaining aero during the longer steps, see if you can last for the majority of each of these slightly shorter no-rest intervals.
Friday Swim Base + VO2max + Speed Intervals (2300m) Warm-Up 300m Easy, RPE4; 8x25m CU Drills w/ 10s rest between drills; 3x100m Easy-Moderate, RPE6 w/ 5s rest between intervals; 5x150m Hard, RPE9 w/ 75s rest between intervals; 5x50m Sprints, All-Out, RPE 10 w/ 20s rest between sprints; 8x25m K&R drills w/ 15s rest between drills; Cool-Down 300m easy, RPE4
Friday Recovery Run + Strides Run an Easy 50 minutes at RPE4 pace this week and work in only 4x20-second relaxed, mid-run sprints at RPE10 with 40 seconds of rest after each.
Saturday Big Mountain In keeping with the goal of reducing your fatigue without compromising any of your hard-earned fitness, your long ride drops sharply during this first taper week. Spend plenty of time aero, and if you choose to ride outside, it's not a bad idea to log a steady 3 hours of stress, even if that makes for more than 3 hours of saddle time.
Sunday Swim Time Trial (3000m) Warm-Up 300m Easy, RPE 4; 2400m Hard, RPE 9; Cool-Down 300m easy, RPE 4
Sunday Long Base Run Trim your weekly, longest run at an Easy-Moderate, RPE6 pace down to 1 hour 40 minutes this week.

Week 7

Tuesday Adams This week brings a shortened version of the same workout you've face for 3 weeks now, and this one even includes generously long recovery valleys. Soak in some recovery but get in some intensity while keeping the workout's training load relatively low.
Wednesday Swim Threshold Intervals (1600m) Warm-Up 300m Easy, RPE4; 8x25m BB Drills w/ 10s rest between drills; 5x200m Moderate-Hard, RPE8 w/ 45s rest between intervals; Cool-Down 300m easy, RPE4
Wednesday Tempo Run Run 10min up to Easy-Moderate, RPE6 to warm up, then trim your final, steadily Moderate-Hard, RPE8 run down to just 20 minutes before cooling down for 10 minutes at an Easy, RPE4 pace for a total of 40 minutes of running
Thursday Pettit Nothing more than an easy spin to keep the blood flowing and the muscles supple. Keep your spin quick and light and ride aero if you're up for it.
Friday Swim VO2max + Speed Intervals (1100m) Warm-Up 300m Easy, 3x100m Hard, RPE9 w/ 60s rest between intervals; 4x50m Sprints, All-Out, RPE 10 w/ 20s rest between sprints; Cool-Down 300m easy, RPE4
Saturday Truuli -2 Just like you practiced way back in Week 4, keep these workouts both short but briefly intense and remind your muscles and your mind what it feels like to do some work.
Saturday Recovery Run + Strides After your recovery ride, do a super short, 20-minute run at an Easy, RPE4 pace and work in a final 4x20-second relaxed sprints with 40 seconds of recovery jogging between each in order to open your legs up a bit prior to tomorrow's event.
Sunday Full Distance Triathlon

Week 8

Athletes nearing the culmination of their ultra-distance training can now shift their focus to the fine-tuning of their abilities lumped together with distances & paces very much in line with their race-day demands.

Full Distance Triathlon

Establishing base fitness paves the way for workloads that are heaped higher & higher during build training. With both forms of conditioning buttoned up, the intent is now to top off your fitness, uncover a high level of freshness and lock down your confidence over these final 8 weeks of training.<

Full Distance Triathlon - Mid Volume

Establishing base fitness paves the way for workloads that are heaped higher & higher during build training. With both forms of conditioning buttoned up, the intent is now to top off your fitness, uncover a high level of freshness and lock down your confidence over these final 8 weeks of training.

Full-Distance Triathlon Training Plans

Full Distance Triathlon (8 Weeks Per Block)

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