8 weeks out from your Bastion and you should be heading into your biggest weeks of training so plan carefully. Remember that 3 weeks out from the event you will begin your taper (more on that in a few weeks) so now is the time to get the last of the hard work done.
Many athletes benefit mentally and physically from going through a “simulation” weekend. You will know that your physical training is only one component of long distance race preparation. The other elements are your nutrition, pacing and mental strategies. These are crucial to a good race day experience which is why we will remind you about these here:-
Your mental strategies
Your race day nutrition
Getting your pace right
A simulation weekend is a great time to practice these.
This is best done 6 weeks out from your race giving you plenty of time to learn from and recover from the experience.
Your simulation could begin on a Friday evening with a 3.8 k timed, open water swim, followed on the Saturday by a 180 k ride or a maximum duration on the bike of 7 hours with a transition to a 1 hour run. Then, on the Sunday put your running shoes back on and complete a 2 hour run.
All of these sessions should include long intervals at your target race pace and either on parts of the course or on similar terrain. 7 hours on the bike is a longer ride than most athletes would complete as preparation for a long distance triathlon but this is close to the field average time on the bike during the event.
The Bastion is more challenging than many other long distance events and you need to be ready.
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"I think the concept behind the Masters Programme is excellent. I find the sessions easy to follow, particularly the swim sessions." Masters Year 2 Athlete