A training countdown to the Noosa Triathlon

Time to get serious. After a steady burn of training sessions in prior weeks, this week will be your biggest training week yet, consisting of longer sessions to build endurance. Become best friends with your bike and mix things up by getting out and about with training buddies to ride picturesque bike trails.

For local Brisbane city slickers, fall in love with the river city on a 35-kilometre ride around Brisbane on the River Loop. Or, go west and ascend Mt Coot-tha for a challenging but rewarding ride with a killer view that will set you up to conquer the big hill in the Noosa course. On the Sunshine Coast, there’s a 90-kilometre coastal pathway ideal for cycling and running that stretches from Pelican Waters in the south to Tewantin in the north. Gold Coast cyclists can use Currumbin and Tallebudgera Valley to train on the undulating hills, which are as close as you can get to the terrain at Noosa.

4 weeks to go: paddling out

Swimming in open water is different to a leisurely paddle in a 50-metre pool. You don’t have a ledge to hold onto or a wall to push off, and that’s before you add the combination of water currents, swell and hundreds of swimmers into the mix. Dive into one of Queensland’s many amazing ocean swims to familiarise yourself with conditions you might expect in this spectacular ocean swim off Noosa beach.

3 weeks to go: transition training

Your time in transition is valuable to get some practice in before the big day. Beginners will experience ‘jelly legs’ between the bike and run transition, so this week focus on ‘running off the bike’.  A brick session, where you jump off the bike and straight into a 1-2 kilometre run is an important conditioning technique to ensure your body is acquainted with the numb sensation. For route inspiration, check out these spectacular running tracks.

2 weeks to go: prep and pamper

As you start to ease off your intensive training and condition your body with short and sharp sessions, use this week to prepare your equipment. Check your bike to ensure there are no mechanical issues and get a service if needed. Most importantly, your body also needs to be maintained through a well-balanced diet, plenty of water and some pampering. Yep, you heard right, time to spoil yourself with a massage. You’ve earned it!

1 week to go: carb loading

This is by far the best week of the countdown! It’s taper time and carb-loading week. In the kitchen, pump up your carbohydrate intake to give your body the right energy for race day. If you’re already on the Sunshine Coast or have arrived early, get your carbohydrate fix with a juicy burger from The Burger Bar in Noosaville or settle into Miss Moneypenny’s on Hastings Street for a bowl of truffled macaroni and cheese or a prosciutto pizza. Sunshine Beach Surf Club is home to some of the best views, sea breezes and pub food around. There’s plenty of delicious food options in town!

Let the festivities begin

Noosa will morph into athlete headquarters for the five-day festival leading up to the Noosa Tri. With daily events for both juniors and adults, you’ll be surrounded by a sea of lycra, coloured running shoes and happy healthy people.

Whether you’re a serious competitor or a novelty participant, you’ll feel inspired to push yourself that little more to achieve your personal best.

And instead of late nights, it’s early mornings at this festival with early risers taking to the beach and walking paths to train. If you’re looking for a little fun, support the participants of the Breakfast Fun Run and check out the wacky costumes.