70.3 Training Plan

16 weeks·70.3·intermediate

Weeks: 16
Sessions: 140
Peak week: 11h 35; week 14
Long ride: 3h 30; week 14
Taper: 2 wk

BaseCutbackBuildPeakTaperRace

Heart-rate zones use the Karvonen formula from max HR 185 and resting HR 55. Enter yours to recalculate.

Week-by-week training plan
Wk	Focus	Sessions	Volume	Biggest session
01	Base: technique + aerobicLong ride 2 h	9 · 4 key	6h 25	Long ride 2 h
Tue Oct 6 Swim technique + aerobic 20 min 8 × 50 drill/swim 4 × 100 @ 1:52/100 yd, 15 s rest Wed Oct 7 Bike intervals 50 min 10–15 min warm-up 3 × 5 min Zone 3 (146–159 bpm), 3 min easy 10 min easy Thu Oct 8 Swim endurance 20 min continuous or broken 400s @ 1:54/100 yd · bilateral breathing, sighting every 6–8 strokes Thu Oct 8 Run + strides 40 min easy with 6 × 20 s strides Fri Oct 9 Endurance ride 35 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · high cadence, flat route or trainer Fri Oct 9 Easy run 25 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · about 10:25/mi Sat Oct 10 Long ride 120 min Long ride, Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · fuel 60–80 g carbs per hour Sun Oct 11 Open-water / long swim 20 min continuous swim @ 1:51/100 yd · wetsuit if racing in one Sun Oct 11 Long run 55 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · flat to rolling route
Weeks 2–16 locked Unlock the full plan. Every session, every week Paces and loads from your numbers PDF, calendar and Garmin export Re-plans when you miss a key session Billing period$79 / year$14 / month Annual works out at $6.58 a month Secure checkout with Stripe · Cancel any time
02	Base: technique + aerobicLong ride 2 h	9 · 4 key	6h 40	Long ride 2 h
03	Base: technique + aerobicLong ride 2 h 15 min	9 · 4 key	7h 20	Long ride 2 h 15 min
04	Recovery weekLong ride 1 h 30 min	9 · 2 key	4h 55	Long ride 1 h 30 min
05	Base: technique + aerobicLong ride 2 h 15 min	9 · 4 key	7h 30	Long ride 2 h 15 min
06	Build: threshold + weekly brickLong ride 2 h 30 min	9 · 5 key	8h 10	Long ride 2 h 30 min
07	Build: threshold + weekly brickLong ride 2 h 30 min	9 · 5 key	8h 30	Long ride 2 h 30 min
08	Recovery weekLong ride 1 h 45 min	9 · 2 key	6h 05	Long ride 1 h 45 min
09	Build: threshold + weekly brickLong ride 2 h 45 min	9 · 5 key	9h 00	Long ride 2 h 45 min
10	Build: threshold + weekly brickLong ride 3 h	9 · 5 key	9h 50	Long ride 3 h
11	Peak: race-specific bricksLong ride 3 h	9 · 5 key	10h 10	Long ride 3 h
12	Recovery weekLong ride 2 h 15 min	9 · 2 key	7h 20	Long ride 2 h 15 min
13	Peak: race-specific bricksLong ride 3 h 15 min	9 · 5 key	10h 40	Long ride 3 h 15 min
14	Peak: race-specific bricksLong ride 3 h 30 min	9 · 5 key	11h 35	Long ride 3 h 30 min
15	Taper: less volume, keep intensityLong ride 2 h 30 min	9 · 5 key	8h 30	Long ride 2 h 30 min
16	Race weekRace	5 · 1 key	2h 35	Race

Your paces

Swim CSS: 1:45/100 ydcritical swim speed
Run easy: 10:25/mi
Run threshold: 7:53/mi
Run race pace: 8:07/miopen-run pace; expect 3–8% slower off the bike

Heart-rate zones · Karvonen

Zone 1: 120–133 bpmrecovery
Zone 2: 133–146 bpmaerobic base
Zone 3: 146–159 bpmtempo
Zone 4: 159–172 bpmthreshold
Zone 5: 172–185 bpmVO2max

The numbers

About this plan

This 70.3 training plan runs 16 weeks for an intermediate athlete, from 6.4 hours in week 1 to 11.6 hours in week 14. Week 8 is 6.1 h, split about 17% swim, 52% bike and 31% run across 9 sessions. Over the plan that is 47 swims, 46 rides and 46 runs for a 1900 m / 90 km / 21.1 km race.

Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) carries the 3 h 30 min long ride of week 14; Zone 4 (159–172 bpm) is for the 70.3 (half-distance) triathlon intervals. 9 bricks add a run straight off the bike, and swim sets over 47 swims key off a 1:45/100 yd CSS.

Recovery weeks: week 4 (4.9 h), week 8 (6.1 h) and week 12 (7.3 h). The 2 taper weeks go from 11.6 h to 2.6 h; the 125-hour block ends with run race pace near 8:07/mi.

Week 1, shown in full above, is 6.4 hours: Tuesday — swim technique + aerobic, 20 min; Wednesday — bike intervals, 50 min; Saturday — long ride, 120 min; Sunday — long run, 55 min; plus 5 easier sessions.

The phases run base weeks 1–5 (6.4–7.5 h), build weeks 6–10 (8.2–9.8 h), peak weeks 11–14 (10.2–11.6 h), taper week 15 (8.5 h) and race week 16 (2.6 h).

Questions

FAQ

How many hours a week is this 70.3 training plan?

6.4 hours in week 1, 6.1 h in week 8, 11.6 hours in week 14; 125 hours in all.

What heart-rate zones does the 70.3 training plan use?

Karvonen zones: Zone 2 133–146 bpm for 6.1 h weeks like week 8, Zone 4 159–172 bpm for the 63 key sessions.

How many brick workouts are in the 70.3 training plan?

9 bricks across 16 weeks, the longest behind a 3 h 30 min ride.

What is the longest bike ride before the 70.3 (half-distance) triathlon?

3 h 30 min, in week 14, before a 2-week taper to 2.6 h.

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