Mikelle Coelho's Strategy Between 70.3 São Paulo and Floripa
With just four weeks between races, the triathlete explains how she balanced mental rest and an overload week.
In an interview with Stemma Sports ahead of Ironman 70.3 Florianópolis, Mikelle Coelho detailed managing the tight four-week gap following the São Paulo race. The triathlete explained how she split the block between mental recovery, a heavy stimulus week, and tapering.
Racing back-to-back half-Ironman events within a tight turnaround demands surgical precision in periodization. With only four weeks separating Ironman 70.3 São Paulo and Ironman 70.3 Florianópolis, professional triathlete Mikelle Coelho had to recalibrate body and mind to toe the start line in Santa Catarina at peak form.
The sequence caps a demanding second half of the season for the athlete, who had already raced a triathlon in Fortaleza three weeks before São Paulo. After a draining race in São Paulo that left her feeling less than satisfied, prioritizing complete recovery became her first move.
A week of physical and mental reset
For Mikelle, the outcome and physical toll in São Paulo meant easing off the gas right in week one. "It wasn't a race I enjoyed; I didn't come away feeling good or upbeat. I really needed time to back off and give both my body and mind a break," she explained. That initial stretch served as a dedicated recovery week, vital for resetting mentally and recharging.
Overload week and race taper
With the clock ticking and only three weeks remaining until race day in Florianópolis, her training structure had to be sharp and efficient. The triathlete plugged in a high-load week, pairing volume and intensity to switch back into competitive gear.
Following that concentrated training block, the workload dropped to kick off the tapering phase. In the final week leading up to the race in Jurerê Internacional, the focus shifted entirely to preserving energy and arriving refreshed on race day.