Your season goal is getting closer. We’ll show you what to pay attention to in the last four weeks when your fitness is there and your body is ready. The key is to make clever use of this final phase and arrive at the start line recovered and motivated.
4 Weeks Out
Stick to the plan – and trust it
You’ve been training for weeks, your body has adapted, your fitness is growing. Doubting the structure now or making fundamental changes simply makes no sense. If your plan has worked so far, there is absolutely no reason for skepticism. And honestly: there’s no time left for a fundamental course correction in endurance training anyway. 😉
Training sessions missed at an earlier point should no longer be made up now. Instead, focus on completing the planned sessions cleanly and in a controlled manner.
An often underestimated point in this phase: your gear. Now is the ideal moment to go through everything calmly. Are your race shoes sufficiently broken in? Have your socks, shirt, watch, and nutrition belt all been tested and are they ready to go? Anyone who sorts this out now can approach the final weeks with full focus on training.
3 Weeks Out
The final speed check – and setting the stage for race day
Three weeks (or at the latest two weeks) before your season peak is the ideal time for a final tune-up race. A shorter distance than your main event works best – it lets you refresh the race feeling and test your target pace under real conditions without putting excessive strain on the body.
The insights from this are valuable: How did the pace feel? What worked well, what less so? These answers form the basis for your race tactics on the big day. Target pace, energy management over the distance, behaviour at aid stations – anyone who thinks this through concretely now will arrive at the start line in three weeks with a clear plan and a calm head.
2 Weeks Out
The training work is mostly done – now it’s time to bring the fitness home
Two weeks to go. The fitness is built – even if you don’t always feel it directly at this stage. Now comes the taper: the workload is consciously reduced so that the body goes into the race fresh and recovered. This can sometimes feel strange, and the temptation to do more is often strong. Hold yourself back deliberately – it will pay off.
A tried-and-true principle that applies especially now: no experiments. Everything that will be used on race day – shoes, nutrition, gear – should already have been tested. Whatever hasn’t been tried yet can wait until after.
These weeks are also ideal for logistical preparation: travel and the schedule around race day. Anyone who plans this calmly now will have a completely clear head on race day.
1 Week Out
Pure anticipation!
The final week before the race. Nerves are rising, excitement too. Both belong – and both are a good sign.
The body no longer needs new stimuli now; it needs space to unfold everything that was built in the weeks before. Sessions serve activation and mental preparation – the fitness has long since arrived.
And the nerves? Accept them. They are not a problem – they are energy. Anyone who understands them that way can channel them directly on race day. The body is ready, the work is done. Now it’s time to look forward to the race.