Prepare for the half-distance triathlon in Nelson Mandela Bay (1.9 km sea swim, 90 km bike, 21.1 km run) with a structured 12-week plan from TRIFIT coach Telani Grobler.
This plan is for athletes who already have a base and want to race well, not just finish. Long rides build to 4 hours with race-power blocks, bricks introduce race-effort running off the bike, and the long run peaks at 2 hours. The Nelson Mandela Bay course is exposed to the wind, so you learn to ride by power and run by effort when the wind picks up. Open-water sessions practise sea entry, sighting off landmarks and calm race starts in your wetsuit.
Every week is different. Bike sessions use tempo staircases, over-unders and rolling race-power blocks, runs mix tempo ladders, hill repeats and relaxed strides, and swims rotate CSS sets, drills and race-distance swims. Weekday sessions stay at 75 minutes or less.
WHAT'S INSIDE
- 12 weeks of structured swim, bike, run and strength workouts that sync to Garmin, Wahoo, Zwift and other compatible devices
- About 10–13.5 hours a week in build weeks, with lighter recovery weeks of about 6–9 hours: 3 swims, 3 rides, 4 runs including a Saturday brick, and 2 short strength sessions
- Swim (CSS), bike (FTP) and 30-minute run threshold tests in week 4, and swim and bike retests in week 8, so your zones keep up with your fitness
- Saturday long rides building to 4 hours (capped at about 110 km), with race-power blocks and fueling practice
- Sunday long runs building to 2 hours, capped at about 20 km, whichever comes first
- Bricks of up to 45 minutes, with race-effort running off the bike from week 5
- A full race rehearsal in week 10: 2 × 45 minutes at race power, 30 minutes at race-run effort off the bike, plus your race breakfast, kit, fuel and transition
- Swims building to about 6 km a week, including a continuous 1,900 m race-distance swim
- Open-water sea sessions in weeks 7–10 and race week, covering wetsuit use, wave entry, landmark sighting and race starts, with a full pool alternative every time
- Clear fueling targets on every long session: carbohydrate per hour and fluid per hour
- A taper week, a full race-week schedule with carbohydrate loading, and a race-day guide for the swim, bike, run and transitions
WHO IT IS FOR
- You have completed a half-distance triathlon, or several standard-distance triathlons, and want to race the half distance well
- You can swim 1,500 m non-stop, ride for 2 hours and run for 75 minutes
- You can train about 10–13.5 hours a week, with long sessions on Saturday and Sunday
- You have a heart-rate monitor. A bike power meter or smart trainer is strongly recommended, because bike sessions are written as a percentage of FTP
- You have medical clearance to train
This plan is independently created by TRIFIT Performance Endurance and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any race organiser.
Telani is a passionate Triathlon and multisport coach. She coaches athletes of all levels, from beginners to competitive and provides personalized online training to each individual. This enables her athletes to reach their personal goals with her full support. She will develop intuitive training plans which will give you confidence to train and race at your best. The only time you fail is when you are not tri-ing.
She also focuses on how to handle panic attacks in open water swim.