Your Half Distance Triathlon 21 Week Race Plan for Advanced Athletes
We will use the very latest techniques of polarised training to get you to the finish line in great shape & enjoy your training journey on the way. This plan is 21 weeks with a general phase of 10 weeks, a specific phase of 9 weeks & a 2 week taper.
This plan is ideal for highly competitive athletes with a goal of achieving a PB, European or World Championship qualifcation at their next half distance race.
Polarised training is a model which means you will spend 80% of your time training at a moderate intensity & 20% at a high intensity. Polarised training plans generally outperform other training methods & help prevent injury.
In the specific phase, the weekend swim & bike or bike & run workouts are scheduled on the same day & should be done back to back as a "brick" session to simulate the demands of 70.3 racing.
On weekdays during the specific phase, bike & run workouts scheduled on the same day are optional bricks. These sessions are good opportunities to practice pacing & nutrition & to test out race equipment so that these things are familiar on race day. There is an optional Olympic Distance practice race or race simulation in week 18.
In the general phase there are sessions in HR Zone 3 & above to develop speed, muscular endurance & aerobic capacity.
This plan assumes you have completed several triathlons and can comfortably swim and run for an hour and cycle for 60 minutes and complete at least 6 hours of aerobic exercise weekly.
The weekly training load starts at 9.5 hours in week 1 and peaks at 15 hours in week 19.
- 21 weeks of structured swim, bike, run and S&C sessions
- 🏋️ S&C sessions to help prevent injuries from a NASM Certified Personal Trainer
- 📹 Links to videos that will help you complete the sessions. Swim Drill videos, S&C exercises and more
- 🚴 Bike sessions include Power (FTP) profiles that you can download and use with your power meter and indoor trainer (Zwift, TrainingPeaks Virtual, Wahoo, Rouy, Garmin etc)
- 🏃🏻♂️➡️Run sessions have Power structured session for download to STRYD, Garmin, Coros, Polar etc
- 🌊 Swim sessions are heart rate and RPE based
My name is Karen and I live in Malaga, Spain where I coach and run Triathlon training camps all year round (ChiliTri). Karen is an IRONMAN® Certified Coach and British Triathlon Federation Level 3 Coach. I also work as a Coach Educator & Assessor for the British Triathlon Federation, helping to develop the next generation of triathlon coaches in the UK.
Karen has an MSc in Sports Performance Coaching
Good luck with your training and half distance event!
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I’m Karen Parnell, British Triathlon Level 3 Coach & Tutor, IRONMAN U Coach & MSc in Sports Performance Coaching. With certifications spanning NASM PT, WOWSA Level 3 Open Water, 80/20 Endurance, & World Triathlon Female Athlete Coaching, I bring proven expertise across all aspects of swimming, cycling & running.
My passion is helping athletes like you reach your race goals through a holistic approach that blends smart training, tailored nutrition, strength/mobiity, recovery & mental strategies.