How much should I taper if I'm doing a 70.3 with limited training time?
Even with limited time, taper. The 70.3 is too long to fake fitness. Volume drops 30–40% in the last 10 days. Frequency stays — keep swimming, biking, and running, just shorter.
Ironman 70.3 · 10–14 day taper
Ironman 70.3 race week — day-by-day taper, transitions, and fueling
70.3 race week is three sports' worth of taper compressed into one schedule. The complexity isn't training stress — it's logistics: bike check, transition gear, three-sport carb fueling across 4–6 hours of racing, and pacing the bike so you can run.
This is the day-by-day plan we run inside SportPlan for 70.3 athletes. Brick workouts disappear after T-10. Frequency stays high (swim, bike, and run keep their slots) but each session shortens dramatically.
Day-by-day plan (the final 10 days)
T-10
10 days out
Last brick — 1h bike + 15 min off-the-bike run at race effort
Final brick. Bike at sustained Z3/sweet-spot for 50 minutes, transition fast, run 15 min at goal 70.3 run pace. After this, no more bricks. Volume drops sharply from here.
T-7
14 days out — Sunday
Last long ride OR long run (not both) — 90 min easy
Pick one: a 90-minute easy ride OR a 75-minute easy run with 4×4 min at race pace. Not both on the same day. Whichever you skip, replace with a 30 min easy swim with race-pace inserts.
T-6
Monday
Easy swim 30 min OR full rest
Recovery day. Easy 30 min swim drills or full rest. No bike, no run. Bike-fit check: ensure tyres, drivetrain, brakes all serviced. Race-day kit shakedown.
T-5
Tuesday
Bike — 60 min with 4×4 min at race-effort + 2×30s strides on the run
Bike intervals (4×4 min at race-effort power with 2 min recovery) keep the engine sharp without taxing legs. After the bike, 10 min easy jog with 2×30s race-pace strides. Total ~80 min.
T-4
Wednesday
Swim — 1500m with race-pace 200s + easy run 30 min
Swim 1500m total: warm-up 400, 4×200m at race pace with 30s rest, cool-down 300. Optional easy 30-min jog later. Hydration focus starts.
T-3
Thursday
Bike — 30 min easy with 3×1 min race effort. Transition rehearsal at home.
30-min easy bike with 3 short race-effort accelerations. After the bike, rehearse T1 and T2 in your garage: wetsuit off, helmet on, run-out; bike rack, shoes off, run gear on. Time it. Start carb-leaning meals (5–6 g carbs/kg/day).
T-2
Friday — travel day for most
Easy swim 20 min OR short jog 15 min
Travel-friendly session: 20-min swim in race venue if possible (water acclimation), or short 15-min jog. Pack drop-bags. Lay out race nutrition. Check power numbers and run-pace targets one last time.
T-1
Saturday — race eve, bike check-in day
15 min swim + 10 min bike + 5 min run shakeout, then bike check-in
Shakeout in all three sports: 15 min swim (full warm-up + 2×50m race-pace), 10 min easy bike with 2×30s pickups, 5 min easy jog. Total ~45 min. Then bike check-in at race expo. Big carb-rich lunch (3 g/kg). Light dinner before 6 PM. Lay out all race-morning kit.
Race
Race day
Race-morning fueling and three-sport pacing
Wake 3 h before swim start. Breakfast: 2 g/kg carbs (oatmeal + banana + bagel). 90 min before swim: 30 g carbs (gel + sports drink). 20 min before swim: optional 25 g gel. Swim: even effort, sight every 6–8 strokes. Bike: hold target power; eat 60–90 g carbs/hr + 500 ml fluid/hr. Run: first 5 km at goal pace +10 sec/km, then settle; gel every 30 min.
Three-sport race-day fueling
70.3 fueling is the difference between executing your bike-run split and surviving it. Target 60–90 g carbs per hour on the bike — that's 2 gels plus sports drink each hour, or equivalent.
Bike fueling matters more than run fueling because (a) you can absorb carbs better on the bike than running, and (b) the glycogen you preserve on the bike is what you'll spend on the run. Most blow-ups at 70.3 happen because the bike was either under-fueled or over-paced.
Run fueling: gel every 30 min. Water at every aid station. If GI starts complaining, switch to cola or pretzels mid-run — both work when gels stop being tolerated.
Transition rehearsal — practise like it's the race
T1 (swim-to-bike) and T2 (bike-to-run) are 2–4 minutes you can win or lose entirely on preparation. In a competitive age-group, 3 minutes of transition time can be 30 places.
Rehearse at home in your garage with full kit: wetsuit off in 30s, helmet on before touching bike, run-out, bike rack, shoes off, run gear on, gels in pocket. Time yourself. Repeat until smooth.
Race-morning T1/T2 setup: put wetsuit lube, swim cap, and goggles in T1 area; running shoes (no socks if you train sockless), bib belt, hat, gels in T2.
Mistakes that ruin a 70.3
Going hard on the bike. The bike at 70.3 should feel like you're holding back. If your power is at sweet-spot ceiling 30 min in, you'll bonk on the run. Target 75–80% of FTP for steady terrain.
Forgetting to drink during the swim. Most athletes lose 1–2% bodyweight in fluid during the swim alone. Drink in the first 10 minutes of the bike to top up.
New gels or sports drink. If it's not what you trained with, leave it in transition. Use what's worked in your 3+ hour rides.
Skipping the swim warm-up. A 5–10 min swim warm-up before race start raises body temperature and reduces the first-200m shock. Most race directors allow it before the gun.
Ironman 70.3 race-week FAQ
When should I do my last open-water swim?
T-7 to T-5 is ideal — recent enough to remember sighting and turn buoys, far enough out to recover. If the race is wetsuit-legal and you haven't swum in your wetsuit recently, do that swim in your wetsuit.
Can I do an easy ride the day before the race?
Yes — a 10-minute spin to check that bike, gears, and brakes are functioning is recommended. Don't ride longer than 15 minutes the day before unless you live in the race city and it's your normal commute.
What goes in my T1 and T2 bags at bike check-in?
T1 bag (swim-to-bike): bike helmet, cycling shoes, sunglasses, race number belt, gel/sports drink in bike bottle. T2 bag (bike-to-run): running shoes, hat or visor, anti-chafe, run gels. Keep duplicates of essentials — chamois cream, anti-chafe, electrolyte tabs.
Should I drink coffee on race morning if I don't normally?
No. The 1–3% caffeine performance bump is real, but only with prior training adaptation. Cold-starting on race morning risks GI distress at the worst possible time.
Related guides and tools
70.3 race-week adapted to your real readiness
SportPlan watches your HRV, swim/bike/run load distribution, and Body Battery through taper — and shifts the schedule when one sport needs more recovery. See your first week before you pay. €9.99/month, cancel anytime.
Methodology
Methodology designed by Ramon Curto, MSc Exercise Physiology
Ramon Curto designed SportPlan's endurance-training methodology from exercise-physiology principles. SportPlan applies it autonomously to the information you enter and the data you choose to connect; it is not ongoing one-to-one coaching or medical care.
Last revised July 2026
- MSc Exercise Physiology
- Endurance-training methodology
- Connected training-data analysis
- Block periodization · Polarized training