Welcome to Build Week #1, team.

Last week was Active Recovery, and the point of it was never rest for its own sake. It was to let the work you have already done settle in so you can absorb what comes next.

This week the coached Tuesday, Thursday and Friday sessions are back on the schedule. That is the clearest signal that a new three-week block has begun: two build weeks, then recovery again at the end of the month.

Nothing heroic is required in week one. Show up, get the routine back, keep the easy sessions genuinely easy and respect the harder ones. Consistency now is what makes Build Week #2 feel manageable rather than overwhelming.

Monday 17 August — Squad Swim, MSAC Outdoor Pool, 6.15pm
Tuesday 18 August — Run Intervals, Albert Park Lake, 5.45am
Tuesday 18 August — Wind Trainer, MSAC, 6.15pm
Wednesday 19 August — Squad Swim, MSAC Outdoor Pool, 5.45am
Thursday 20 August — Run at The Tan, 6.00pm
Friday 21 August — Endurance Swim (programmed athletes), 5.45am
Saturday 22 August — Long Course Ride, Elwood Beach, 6.30am
Saturday 22 August — Short Course Ride, Elwood Beach, 7.00am
Sunday 23 August — Fairfield Long Run, 8.00am

Re-establish the routine before you chase the numbers.

– Get to the sessions you missed during Recovery Week. Attendance is the first form of progression.
– Keep the aerobic work aerobic. The intensity comes later in the block, not on day one.
– Weekend rides step up again. Fuel before you feel like you need it, and start conservatively.
– Sleep and food come back to the front. A build block asks more of both.

If you finish the week feeling like you could have done a little more, that is exactly right for Build Week #1.

From Head Coach Ollie

Last week we talked about the weekend ride stepping up from 60 km to 80 km to 100 km. Plenty of you have told us the number itself is the intimidating part, so this week let us deal with the head rather than the legs.

Here is the thing worth holding onto: you are not attempting the 100 km ride today. You are attempting this week's ride, at this week's distance, off the back of every session you have already completed. The progression exists precisely so that the longest ride never arrives as a shock.

Three things that make the mental side much easier:

1. Shrink the ride. Do not set out to ride 80 or 100 km. Ride to the first regroup, then the next. Long rides are completed in sections, never in one mental leap.
2. Fuel before you feel like you need to. Most of what athletes describe as "hitting the wall mentally" at the 70 km mark is simply under-fuelling that started 40 km earlier. Eat early, eat regularly, drink to a schedule.
3. Judge the ride on execution, not the clock. Steady, controlled and comfortable is a successful long ride. Chasing somebody else's pace is how a good ride becomes a bad one.

If you are nervous about the distance, that is a sign you are taking it seriously, not a sign you are underprepared. Ride with the group, ask questions at the regroups, and let the progression do its job. You will get there.

Going from 60 km to 100 km is a pacing and fuelling problem, not a fitness problem. Ride the first third genuinely easy, start eating at 20-30 minutes rather than when you are empty, and aim for 60-90 g of carbs an hour. The wall at 70 km is usually a decision made at 30 km.

If you keep hearing the same swim cue but cannot quite feel the change, a one-to-one session with Ollie gives you focused coaching, immediate feedback and time to work on the part of your stroke that matters most. It is suitable whether you want more confidence, better efficiency or a clear technical priority to take back into squad sessions.

You can choose personal poolside coaching or Swimming Stroke Video Analysis. Video captures what is happening above and below the water so Ollie can show you where speed is being lost and give you clear priorities for every session that follows.

Six things on the calendar worth planning around, from club racing in the next few weeks through to the big local middle-distance day in November.

AusTriathlon has published the 2026/27 Victorian Regional Series calendar. If a regional title is on your season plan, these are the dates to map out now:

25 September 2026: Ballarat Duathlon, Ballarat
25 October 2026: Bendigo Triathlon, Bendigo
28 November 2026: Rutherglen Triathlon, Rutherglen
13 December 2026: Portarlington Triathlon, Portarlington
16 January 2027: Echuca Moama Triathlon, Echuca
14 February 2027: Albury Wodonga Triathlon, Albury
14 February 2027: Maffra Triathlon, Maffra
14 March 2027: Cowwarr Weir Triathlon, Cowwarr
14 March 2027: Hexman Triathlon, Shepparton

There are two events listed on 14 February and two on 14 March, so choose the event that best fits your location and season goals. Check AusTriathlon and the host club before entering for the latest event details.

Registrations are open for the 2026/27 2XU Triathlon Series, and Tri Alliance members have two separate club discounts confirmed with O2 Events.

Individual race entries: 20% off, active now and ongoing on any single or multiple race entry.
Full Series 5 Race Bundle: 10% off. This does NOT stack with the current Opening Special, '5 Races for the price of 4'. The club discount on the bundle becomes active from the next pricing period beginning 30 August.

What 20% off an individual entry means on the published 2026/27 prices:
– Sprint: $119.00 becomes $95.20
– Fun Tri: $79.00 becomes $63.20
– Tri Kids: $46.00 becomes $36.80

On the bundle, the Opening Special is still the cheapest way into all five races, even without the club discount. The club discounts matter most if you miss the Opening Special, or if you enter races individually.

2026/27 series dates:
– Race 1, Elwood – Sunday 6 December 2026
– Race 2, St Kilda – Sunday 10 January 2027
– Race 3, Sandringham – Sunday 7 February 2027
– Race 4, Elwood – Sunday 28 February 2027
– Race 5, St Kilda – Sunday 11 April 2027

When you enter, select Tri Alliance from the pre-populated club list so your result counts towards our club points. Full race details and entries are at 2xutriathlonseries.com.au.

The codes are member-only so we do not publish them here – hit the button and tell us whether you are entering a single race or the full series bundle, and we will send you the right one.

Sunday 8 November 2026, St Kilda.

1.9 km swim from the St Kilda Sea Baths, 90 km on the bike, then a 21.1 km run, with the race village in Catani Gardens. It is the biggest middle-distance day on our doorstep, and it is the reason the long ride and long run work in this block matters. If 70.3 Melbourne is on your season plan, the training you are doing right now is the foundation for it – come and talk to a coach about how to structure the run in.

Racing, volunteering, returning from injury, taking on a first event or helping someone else? Send the story, result and a photo so the squad can celebrate it.

Important this week

No changes to the timetable this week, but Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings are back on now that we are in a build week.

Monday 17 August — Squad Swim, MSAC Outdoor Pool, 6.15pm
Tuesday 18 August — Run Intervals, Albert Park Lake, 5.45am
Tuesday 18 August — Wind Trainer, MSAC, 6.15pm
Wednesday 19 August — Squad Swim, MSAC Outdoor Pool, 5.45am
Thursday 20 August — Run at The Tan, 6.00pm
Friday 21 August — Endurance Swim (programmed athletes), 5.45am
Saturday 22 August — Long Course Ride, Elwood Beach, 6.30am
Saturday 22 August — Short Course Ride, Elwood Beach, 7.00am
Sunday 23 August — Fairfield Long Run, 8.00am

Please note the Tuesday morning run at Albert Park Lake starts at 5.45am, not 6.00am.