Coach Ray’s Ironman 70.3 Tempo Brick #4
Cycling, July 07, 2025
Tempo is an intensity that means different things to different athletes and coaches. For me, I define Tempo as an effort comfortably below the Threshold pace. It is the sort of intensity that is typically maintained during fast Ironman 70.3 events. It is higher than the aerobic effort of long steady workouts, sort of in the mid-zone between the aerobic and threshold efforts. Spending more than 15-20 minutes at this intensity, helps the body practice clearing the small amount of lactic acid generated at this pace, without needing to slow down to do so. This is a perfect session for triathletes competing in Ironman and Ironman 70.3 distance events.
For a full understanding of my Level's intensity system, please read my previous articles about intensity for cycling and running.
The inspiration for this workout comes from needing a series of workouts for athletes competing in Ironman 70.3 events. I sat down with a pen and paper and planned a series out. This is the first of the Tempo Brick sessions that came from that planning time.
Coach Ray's Tempo Brick #4
- Bike
- 90min WU Level II;
- 30min Level III;
- Run
- 20min Level III;
- 10min CD Level II;
- 10min Stretching
Start this brick with a two hour ride. The first 90-minutes is your Warm Up (WU) at Level II. Then increase your effort to Level III for thirty-minutes, then transition to the run.
Start the run at Level III for twenty-minutes before moving to a Cool Down (CD) for ten minutes at Level II.
Finish with 10 minutes of stretching to assist with the recovery.
Read more about the benefits of brick sessions here:
I am the Head Coach and Director of Qwik Kiwi – Endurance Sports Consultant.
I specialise in assisting first-timers and recreational athletes in achieving their sporting goals. I can be contacted at coachray@coachray.nz and 021 348 729.
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