Long Distance IM Hawaii Prep/2nd Season Highlight (Nils Goerke) 12 Weeks is a 12-week triathlon plan. This article combines the actual plan description with a example week from the stored workout entries.
What this plan is built for
This is the Special Kona Prep Plan. It starts after a 2-week break following the qualifying race. In the first week after the race, you should train less rather than more (feel free to take a complete break and spend time with your family, friends, or your surroundings). In the second week, you can do a few easy sessions to get used to the load again.
Then the plan begins with an adaptation to the renewed higher intensities. After a short reactivation of your VO2max, it’s time to stabilize your thresholds, both the upper LT1 (IM race pace) and the aerobic-anaerobic LT2 (MLSS). The focus now for running is on longer intervals, and for cycling, especially in the last weeks, on more strength-intensive (Torque) intervals. Make sure to train at a slightly lower intensity rather than too intensely.
If you have managed the previous 12-week blocks well and handled your first long-distance race successfully (which is why the easy weeks after the race are extremely important), then you have a great foundation. The first season highlight also has a positive effect on your performance. So be sure to maintain a healthy lifestyle during the prep. This means getting enough sleep, good nutrition, sufficient intake of macro (CARBS are immensely important) and micronutrients, and having a good feeling during training. If in doubt, it’s better to lower the intensity in training if things aren’t going smoothly, or even skip a session entirely. You can also skip a session completely if the "stress" from outside (job, family, environment) becomes too great. The season is really long now, the foundation is there, and overdoing it can backfire faster now - a missed or weakened session can be easily compensated.
Training logic and load
In the peak phase precision matters: key sessions count, but freshness and clean execution decide the outcome. The important part is not upgrading easy days into hidden hard days. The workout data shows which sessions are structured and which ones are intentionally simple.
The plan contains 150 scheduled entries across 12 weeks. The sequence matters as much as the total hours: hard, technical, or long workouts only work when the surrounding days allow you to absorb them.
Example week: Week 6
This week is not a generic template. It is built from the actual training plan entries, and the workout charts use the stored workout data.
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400 m | 6x variable on / 0 min easy | 8x variable on / 1 min easy | 1x variable on / 1 min easy + 2 more steps
400 warm-up 6x50 freestyle 25 build up to max/25 easy 8 x 400 freestyle GA1: 1./5.
40 min @ 75% | 4x 0 min on / 1 min easy
The goal is to optimize fat metabolism and to perfect running technique in a fatigued state at the end with the strides.
300 m | 6x variable on / 1 min easy | 1x variable on / 0 min easy | 1x variable on / 0 min easy + 10 more steps
The series today is for race preparation. If you want to swim with a wetsuit on the weekend and the pool is not too warm, feel free to swim the series in the wetsuit.
15 min @ 75% | 4x 4 min on / 2 min easy | 10 min @ 70%
This session is designed to prepare the body for the race this weekend: The intervals should be run slightly faster than the target race pace, and the rest should be consciously relaxed.
45 min @ 55% | 3x 8 min on / 4 min easy | 10 min @ 50% | 3x 1 min on / 3 min easy + 1 more step
LIT Training. Time: 1h31 with 3x8min IM70.3 efforts (do not exceed!) + 2-3 short minute intervals Perceived exertion: 7 out of 10 Effect: Today you can create a bit of tension in your muscles again.
1 min @ ?% | 4x variable on / variable easy
Short course inspection in the competition area; if you are not there yet, try it in the outdoor pool with a wetsuit (if used in competition) or in a local lake.
10 min @ 70% | 3x 1 min on / 1 min easy | 5 min @ 70%
Session to prepare for the competition: Easy jog focusing on "clean technique and ease" with 3 x 30 seconds at race pace or slightly faster, with 1 minute easy in between each effort.
10 min @ 55% | 3x 3 min on / 3 min easy | 3x 1 min on / 4 min easy | 10 min @ 50%
This workout comes directly from the training plan.
TEST DAY Everyone who doesn't have a race planned today should complete a test day.
If you are completing a 70.3 distance, then follow your usual warm-up routine (if possible, a short 10-minute jog to get the circulation going), then mobility and warming up the upper body, and with high water temperatures, also a short war
2:30 h @ 85%
If you no longer have a test race in your annual planning, then complete a test day.
21100 m
If you don't have a test race left in your annual plan, then complete a test day.
How to read the workout charts
The chart is based on the workout data: longer segments take more width, higher intensities sit higher, and harder work is marked with stronger colors. For swim or distance-based segments, the graphic represents the planned sequence rather than GPS data.
Practical execution
What to watch
- Execute the key days precisely instead of making the easy sessions faster.
- Use the plan description as context: equipment, fueling, mobility, and realistic threshold values are part of the training.
- When life or fatigue adds pressure, trim secondary work first and keep the most important session stable.
Training effect
Executed well, the plan improves your ability to absorb the intended stimulus repeatedly. Depending on sport and phase, that means more aerobic stability, better pace durability, stronger technique under fatigue, or more confidence at target effort.