Race Shape › Answers › What are A, B and C races?
AnswersWhat are A, B and C races?
A, B and C describe how much a race matters in a season. An A race is the goal: the plan is built around it and it gets a full taper. A B race matters but is not the goal: it gets a few easy days in front and nothing rearranged after. A C race is training in a race setting: no taper at all, run on tired legs on purpose.
How each is handled in a Race Shape plan
| Priority | What the plan does |
|---|---|
| A race | The plan ends on it. Full taper — one to three weeks by distance |
| B race | Three easy days before it, nothing rearranged after. A hard effort, not a peak |
| C race | No taper, no rearranging. Run it off tired legs, practising racing rather than producing a result |
Why it matters
Every taper costs training. Treat every race as an A race and you spend half the season tapering and recovering, and never build. Treating most races as B or C is how athletes race often and still arrive at their goal race fitter than they started.
C races have a particular value: racing tired teaches pacing discipline and the feel of race-day effort in a way training cannot. The danger is going out at goal pace anyway, because it is a race. Set the priority before the start, not in the first kilometre.
Common questions
How many A races can I have?
One or two a season, spaced well apart. More than that and there is no time to build between them.
Can a C race be a personal best?
Occasionally, but chasing one costs the week around it. The point is practice.
Can I change a race's priority later?
Yes. Adjust the plan and it rebuilds around the new priorities.
Sources
- Friel, J. The Triathlete's Training Bible.