An Adaptable Triathlon Race-Week Schedule

Monday: easy short brick (30–45 min). Tuesday: short intervals, 30–45 min total. Wednesday: easy swim or rest. Thursday: short bike + 10-min run-out (start carb load for 70.3+). Friday: very short shake-out workouts, travel, lay out gear. Saturday: race briefing, course recon if possible, 20-min easy ride. Sunday: race day. Volume drops 40–60%, intensity stays, sleep prioritized, hydration up, alcohol/caffeine experimentation off-limits.

Volume is roughly 60% of a normal training day. The goal is to flush out residual fatigue from your final big training block while staying loose.

Workout: 30–45 minute brick — 25 min easy bike + 10–15 min easy run. Or a 45-min easy swim with a few 50 m pickups.

Nutrition: normal eating, slightly higher carb than usual (5–6 g/kg). Hydrate normally.

Other: confirm travel, check bike over (tires, chain, brakes), update race-day app if your event uses one. Begin to sleep 8–9 hours per night for the rest of the week.

Workout: a short, race-pace 'sharpener.' Examples:

• Bike: 30 min easy + 4×3 min at race effort with 2 min easy.
• Run: 20 min easy + 4×400 m at 5 km pace.
• Or a short swim: 1,000 m main set with 4×100 at race pace.

The goal is to remind the body what race pace feels like — not to build fitness. You cannot gain fitness in race week. You can only lose it.

Nutrition: maintain. Sleep: prioritize.

If you struggle to know what 'short and sharp' looks like, copy the taper week of our Ironman 70.3 training plan.

Workout: 30–45 min easy swim with technique focus, or full rest. Recreational walking is fine. No bike, no run — let the legs rebuild glycogen.

Nutrition: if your race is a 70.3 or Ironman, today is the first day of your carb load — increase carbs to 8–10 g/kg. Lower fiber (skip the salad, bran, beans), lower fat (skip fried food).

Sleep: 8+ hours. Cumulative sleep this week matters more than sleep the night before the race.

Mental prep: read your race-day plan once. Visualize the swim start calmly. See our full carb loading protocol for exact targets.

Workout: 30–45 min total split across two disciplines, with short race-pace surges.

• Example: 20 min easy bike with 3×30 sec hard + 15 min easy run with 3×30 sec strides.

The legs should feel 'springy' by the end. If they feel heavy, that's normal — taper fatigue is real, and recovery rebounds within 48 hours.

Nutrition: continue carb load for 70.3/Ironman. Sprint/Olympic athletes can start a moderate load today (5–7 g/kg).

Practical: finalize packing checklist (use our race day checklist). Charge all electronics. Print race instructions.

Workout: very short. 15–20 min easy bike OR 10-min run. Skip if traveling all day.

Travel rules:

• Aim to arrive 2 days before the race to recover from travel.
• Hydrate aggressively on planes (250 ml of water per hour).
• Walk 5–10 minutes every 2 hours on long drives.
• Don't try new restaurants at the destination — bring familiar food in a cooler if possible.

Gear: lay out everything you'll pack into transition. Don't pack yet. Photograph the layout. See our triathlon race day packing checklist.

Sleep: Friday night sleep matters more than Saturday's, because Saturday is the 'nervous' night. Aim for 9 hours.

Workout: very short shake-out. Examples:

• 15 min easy bike with 2×30 sec pickups.
• 10 min easy run with 4×20 sec strides.
• 10 min easy swim in the race-venue water if open-water swim is allowed.

Race admin (in this order):

1. Athlete check-in and packet pick-up (do it early to avoid lines).
2. Race briefing — mandatory at most events.
3. Bike check-in to transition (most 70.3 and Ironman events).
4. Course recon — drive the bike course, walk the run start, scout T1/T2 layout.

Nutrition: big breakfast and lunch, moderate-sized early dinner (5–6 pm). Final small snack 2 hours before bed (banana, toast with honey).

Pre-bed routine: lay out race-morning gear, set 2 alarms, eat a small carb-rich snack, lights out by 9–10 pm. Don't worry if you don't sleep well — Friday's sleep covered you.

Follow a strict hour-by-hour plan. See our race morning routine hour-by-hour guide for distance-specific timing.

Core structure:

• Wake 3.5 hours before start.
• Breakfast 3 hours before start (1–4 g/kg carbs — familiar food only).
• Arrive at venue 90 min before start.
• Set up transition, body-mark, fit timing chip.
• Restroom 60, 45, 30, and 15 min before start.
• Warm-up 30 min before start (swim if allowed, otherwise jog + dynamic stretches).
• Wetsuit on 15 min before start.
• Gel + small sip of water 10 min before start.
• Calm breathing in the corral.

Then execute the plan you trained for.

1. Do not try new food. No new restaurants, no new gels, no new supplements.
2. Do not try new gear. No new shoes, race kit, sunglasses, helmet, or bike position changes.
3. Do not over-research. Reading 50 race reports the night before causes anxiety, not knowledge.
4. Do not 'test' fitness. A long ride on Tuesday will cost you the race. Trust the plan.
5. Do not drink alcohol for 72 hours pre-race — dehydration and poor sleep quality.
6. Do not get a massage deeper than 'flush' technique within 48 hours.
7. Do not stand for hours at expos. Sit, hydrate, conserve.
8. Do not skip meals because of nerves — fuel matters even if you don't feel hungry.
9. Do not check social media or work email within 30 min of bed.
10. Do not panic about a poor night's sleep — Friday's covered you.

Sprint: no formal carb load needed. Reduce volume but keep one race-pace session 4 days out. Travel logistics are simple — most sprints are local.

Olympic: 1 day of light carb loading (5–7 g/kg) on Saturday. Otherwise mirror the template above with slightly less volume.

70.3: Wednesday–Saturday carb load (8–10 g/kg). Travel Thursday or Friday at the latest. Two shake-out sessions, not one.

Ironman: Thursday–Saturday carb load (10–12 g/kg). Travel Wednesday if possible. Drive the entire bike course. Lay out transition bags exactly as you'll race. Practice walking through T1/T2.