Long-distance triathlon glossary·Spec.

Specificity : train how you race

Load

Core training principle: the body adapts specifically to the stimuli it is exposed to.

Specificity states that to improve at an event, you must train in conditions close to that event : pace, duration, terrain, intensity. For an Ironman, this means long bike rides at race pace, regular run off-bike sessions, and open-water swim sessions when possible. The more your training resembles your target race, the more adaptations transfer on race day.

In TriPaced:

In TriPaced, key sessions in the Peak phase are automatically calibrated to your target race A pace (Ironman or 70.3). Brick blocks, run threshold intervals, and swim efforts in competition zone are direct applications of this principle.

Related terms

  • TSS : Training Stress Score
  • CTL : Chronic Training Load (fitness)
  • ATL : Acute Training Load (fatigue)
  • TSB : Training Stress Balance (freshness)
  • Sweet spot : the efficiency zone
  • Threshold : the upper sustainable limit