OK so hopefully you know that the race day is on the weekend of the 8/9 August.
Well then, these two dates are important for your training: 29th July and 10th July.
Here’s why.
Peak Effectivenes Day
10th of July is the peak ‘effectiveness day’. Simply put, training you do on or around this day has the most residual benefit left on race day. Of course that doesn’t mean you only train around then but remember TO “train a bit more around then”. It’s the peak of your peak period.
Taper Day
29th of July is a more nuanced day, it’s ‘taper day’. It’s probably more important, in a way, if you don’t yet understand what tapering is. After this day then your efforts run the significant risk of making you SLOWER on race day. After this day the FATIGUE from exercise may well remain on race day. That fatigue COULD outweigh the benefits of the training you do. It’s complicated. Google it; or click (here) to get an indication.
After 29th July you should stop doing weights (you’ve been doing them at least once a week right :-)? ), you should add at least one extra rest day each week and you should, probably, reduce both the intensity and duration of your training by a good 20% or so. If you’re following a plan that should be built in already.
Today is also probably a day to think about too. From ‘around about now’ until your taper day then, if you already class yourself as ‘quite fit’, you should probably only have a couple or three days of longer efforts at most and instead ramp up the shorter intensities of your training efforts – 20 minute, 5 minute and one minute efforts.
If you’re new to triathlon then don’t forget to do ‘BRICK’ training at least once every other week..