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At 3bikes, we don’t just help our readers progress. We aim to help them grow. In their body, their mind, and their understanding of what true preparation is. Not just accumulating kilometers. Not just suffering to progress. But understanding the levers of performance. And using them at the right time. When Tiago, a promising young middle-distance runner, confided in us his ambition to finish in the Top 10 of the French Junior Half-Marathon Championships, we knew we had a rare profile. Not just for his potential. But for his seriousness, his desire to learn, his ability to listen. So we decided to set up a tailor-made protocol. A progressive build-up over six weeks, structured around three pillars: a precise training plan, daily monitoring, and targeted supplementation with 4Endurance products. Here is the story of this preparation. It’s not just a report. It’s a method. And perhaps a guide for all those who want to train intelligently.
By Jeff Tatard – Photos: All rights reserved
A three-dimensional approach: physical, mental, nutritional
Performance never relies on a single parameter. For a runner like Tiago, everything is a matter of balance: between training volume and recovery, between intensity and consistency, between the will to push oneself and the ability to regenerate.
That’s why we structured his preparation cycle around three complementary axes.
1. The training plan: each week, key sessions (threshold, tempo, long climbs, long rides) aimed at developing specific half-marathon endurance, but also muscular and mental resistance. No session is left to chance.
2. The athlete’s feelings: almost every day, Tiago shared his sensations with us. We don’t try to “objectify” everything. We listen to what he says: legs, breath, mental state, digestion, sleep. These are precisely the signals that dictate adjustments.
3. The supplementation strategy: four 4Endurance products were used, each for a specific function. No haphazard mixing. No overload. Just a surgical approach. And above all, a reasoned integration into the daily life of a young athlete who must be preserved and also protected from the risks associated with performance-oriented sport.
4Endurance products: why, when, how
Just because a product is well designed doesn’t mean it should be used indiscriminately. Each supplement has a role. Its effectiveness depends on when it is taken, the type of session, and the runner’s condition. Here’s how we articulated the four key products of the protocol.
ABSOLUTE: we use it before sessions that require mental focus, concentration, and a form of voluntary muscle tension. It’s not a stimulant. It’s a tool to be ready. Mentally and physically. Tiago took it 60 minutes before difficult sessions: threshold, tempo, climbs. He often said: “I felt more aligned, more focused, more concentrated. As if everything was centered on what I had to do.”
NITRATE+: very useful for long and sustained efforts, especially long rides, specific half-marathon paces, or tempo blocks. We take it two hours before. It acts on vasodilation and the ability to transport more oxygen. Result: “I found that it made the pace feel more fluid. Less tension, easier to maintain over time.”
BICARB: remarkably effective when properly dosed and used. It serves to buffer lactic acid. Very useful before long interval sessions, climbs, or threshold efforts. We took it on an empty stomach on key days, or 90 minutes before certain lactic sessions. Tiago said: “With this, I was more able to stay in heart rate zone 5 without blowing up. I could endure longer.”
RECOVERY: simple but essential. After every demanding session, we want to recharge the batteries. That’s where RECOVERY comes in. It provides proteins, carbohydrates, and electrolytes. The goal is not just to rebuild, but also to allow the athlete to come back fresh the next day. This product was systematically used after hard sessions and long rides. Tiago often said: “Honestly, after a tough session, it was my little reward. The taste is great, and I immediately felt that it did me good.”
The progression: week after week
What is striking when you follow an athlete daily is how much small adjustments make a difference. Here’s how the preparation was structured, with six weeks of increasing load, followed by a tapering week before the race.
Week 1: building the foundations
First specific pace blocks, first long climb sessions. The goal is to establish benchmarks, feel the body working at the right rhythms, and regain automatisms after a lighter period.
From the first long ride with a half-marathon pace finish, ABSOLUTE and NITRATE+ are introduced. Immediate result: “better heart rate stability, less drift at the end of the effort“.
Week 2: adding density
Volume increases, while maintaining active recovery. One of the key sessions: 3 x 3 km at tempo. This is where BICARB comes into play. Taken on an empty stomach in the morning, it helps to better absorb the lactic load. Tiago notes a clear difference compared to similar blocks last year: “I didn’t blow up in the last 3,000. Mentally, I was clearer.”
Week 3: mental and muscular resistance
Long ride with pace blocks, hilly tempo, hill repeats: this week is demanding. But it’s also when Tiago starts to feel that he “holds up”. He strings together efforts without deepening his fatigue. We make sure not to combine NITRATE+ and BICARB on the same day: one buffer per day is enough. And always RECOVERY after intense sessions. This ensures the continuity of training.
Week 4: technical adjustment and relaunch
Less volume, more precision. Two race-pace sessions, one more explosive hill session. Tiago tests his sensations. He begins to say: “I’m more relaxed at 3’38/km. It feels less forced.” This is a strong signal: the target pace is becoming comfortable. Supplementation is perfectly integrated. It is no longer a temporary aid, it is a permanent tool.
Week 5: the final blocks
Two times 5 kilometers at half-marathon pace. This is the test. Tiago manages to maintain the pace without slowing down. It’s not spectacular. But it’s clean. Controlled. We feel that the work has paid off. No overtraining. Just a body ready to deliver. The week ends with a fluid ride, without forcing, but with good legs.
Week 6: tapering
Volumes are reduced. Frequency is maintained. No innovations. Just sleep, good habits, and mental continuity. We continue ABSOLUTE before small pace reminders. We keep NITRATE+ to stimulate vascularization. And most importantly: we don’t change anything in the routine. This regularity secures the race.
Race Day: relaxation, lucidity, impact
On the morning of the race, Tiago takes nothing. Everything has already been built upstream. The essential is in the body, in the reflexes, in the mind. He is ready. Not overexcited. Just ready.
During the race, he chooses a simple and solid strategy: 40g of carbohydrates every 30 minutes. A gel right from the start, just after the warm-up and the adrenaline rush – that moment when the wait weighs heavily and the body is already consuming. Then another after 30 minutes. And a last one after an hour of effort.
And then there was the context: the most competitive French championship in history, on one of the most demanding courses in the country – the mythical Auray-Vannes. Nothing was easy, everything had to be conquered.
Tiago fought. He maintained his pace, resisted race attacks, and pushed when others faltered. He, who only came with the 14th best French performance on record, finished 6th in France among U20s. A place that, under these conditions, is worth a victory. Because the result, however beautiful, doesn’t tell the whole story. What matters is the manner: the lucidity, the control, the total commitment. Tiago knew how to run with what he had built. With his body. And with his mind. And perhaps that is the true victory: being present in his race. Not submitting to anything. Choosing his actions.
Conclusion: a reproducible method, a philosophy of progression
This preparation is not an exception. It is a method. It is for all those who want to progress without burning out. For those who understand that the body is a system: that it must be respected, listened to, and supported.
4Endurance doesn’t do everything. But used correctly, at the right time, each product has its role. The important thing is consistency. Never substitute them for training, but use them as levers. And above all: never forget that each athlete is unique.
At 3bikes, we don’t create heroes. We tell stories of journeys. We observe, we question, we are interested in what can inspire. It is in this spirit that we followed Tiago: not to make him a fixed model, but to show what a preparation carried out with seriousness and intelligence produces.
Not just for his potential. But for his curiosity, his desire to learn, his ability to listen and decide. Tiago doesn’t follow blindly: he tests, he adjusts, he understands. He moves forward with precision. And perhaps that is, today, a true path to the highest level: being an actor in one’s own progression. Combining rigor and desire. And giving each race, like Auray-Vannes, a value that goes beyond the ranking.
| The 4Endurance products used by Tiago are available here => •ABSOLUTE: €29.90 per box •NITRATE+: €34.90 per box •BICARB: €24.90 per box •RECOVERY: €27.90 per box For more information: www.4endurance.fr |
Want to go further?
It’s rare for an athlete to share the behind-the-scenes with such clarity. But Tiago is not just a promising runner. He is a rigorous student at a prestigious Parisian business school, a methodical curious person, a passionate individual who observes, tests, adjusts.
Today, he agrees to reveal the key weeks of his preparation. Not to impress. But to transmit. To show that behind performance, there is a method. A real one. Designed in detail, thought to last.
For those interested, here is the full plan: each session, each intention, each lever used at the right time. It’s concrete. From the field. A clear strategy that everyone can adapt to their level. To read, to understand, to make one’s own. It’s not just a plan. It’s an approach.
WEEK 4 (August 4 to 10) — Half-marathon specific + long climbs
Monday
45’ easy run + lower body strength + 5 strides
→ Nothing to take
Tuesday
5 x 2’ long climb (3-4%) + 10’ flat at half-marathon pace
→ ABSOLUTE: 3 capsules 60 min before
→ NITRATE+: 3 capsules 2h before
→ RECOVERY: 1 dose within 20 min after
Wednesday
1h easy run
→ Nothing to take
Thursday
3 x 12’ tempo 3’55 hilly
→ ABSOLUTE: 3 capsules 60 min before
→ BICARB: 6 capsules 90 min before
→ RECOVERY: 1 dose within 20 min after
Friday
Rest
→ Nothing to take
Saturday
1h45 at 4’30/km hilly + 10’ at half-marathon pace
→ ABSOLUTE: 3 capsules 60 min before
→ NITRATE+: 3 capsules 2h before
→ BICARB: 6 capsules 90 min before
→ RECOVERY: 1 dose within 20 min after
Sunday
1h easy run
→ NITRATE+: 3 capsules 2h before (if heavy legs or need for active recovery)
WEEK 5 (August 11 to 17) — Volume + resistance
Monday
45’ easy run + lower body strength + 5 strides
→ Nothing to take
Tuesday
12 x 1’ hill repeats
→ ABSOLUTE: 3 capsules 60 min before
→ NITRATE+: 3 capsules 2h before
→ RECOVERY: 1 dose after session
Wednesday
1h easy run
→ Nothing to take
Thursday
3 x 3 km at 3’38/km (false flats)
→ ABSOLUTE: 3 capsules 60 min before
→ BICARB: 6 capsules 90 min before
→ RECOVERY: 1 dose after
Friday
Rest
→ Nothing to take
Saturday
1h50 with 4 x 10’ at marathon pace (3’55)
→ ABSOLUTE: 3 capsules 60 min before
→ NITRATE+: 3 capsules 2h before
→ BICARB: 6 capsules 90 min before
→ RECOVERY: 1 dose within 20 min after
Sunday
1h easy run
→ NITRATE+: 3 capsules 2h before (if more dynamic session)
WEEK 6 (August 18 to 24) — Assimilation
Monday
45’ easy run + lower body strength + 5 strides
→ Nothing to take
Tuesday
6 x 1’ hill repeats (recovery on descent)
→ ABSOLUTE: 3 capsules 60 min before
→ NITRATE+: 3 capsules 2h before
→ RECOVERY: 1 dose after
Wednesday
Rest
→ Nothing to take
Thursday
2 x 10’ light tempo (3’55)
→ ABSOLUTE: 3 capsules 60 min before
→ BICARB: 6 capsules 90 min before
→ RECOVERY: 1 dose after
Friday
45’ easy run
→ Nothing to take
Saturday
1h15 hilly
→ NITRATE+: 3 capsules 2h before
→ BICARB: 6 capsules 90 min before
→ RECOVERY: 1 dose after
Sunday
45’ easy run
→ Nothing to take
WEEK 7 (August 25 to 31) — Specific + mental
Monday
45’ easy run + lower body strength + 5 strides
→ Nothing to take
Tuesday
4 x 2 km at 3’38/km
→ ABSOLUTE: 3 capsules 60 min before
→ NITRATE+: 3 capsules 2h before
→ RECOVERY: 1 dose after
Wednesday
1h easy run
→ Nothing to take
Thursday
20’ + 6 x 3’ hill repeats + 10’
→ ABSOLUTE: 3 capsules 60 min before
→ BICARB: 6 capsules 90 min before
→ RECOVERY: 1 dose after
Friday
Rest
→ Nothing to take
Saturday
1h40 hilly + 15’ at half-marathon pace
→ ABSOLUTE: 3 capsules 60 min before
→ NITRATE+: 3 capsules 2h before
→ BICARB: 6 capsules 90 min before
→ RECOVERY: 1 dose after
WEEK 8 (September 1 to 7) — Final reminders
Monday
45’ easy run + lower body strength + 5 strides
→ Nothing to take
Tuesday
2 x 5 km at half-marathon pace
→ ABSOLUTE: 3 capsules 60 min before
→ NITRATE+: 3 capsules 2h before
→ RECOVERY: 1 dose after
Wednesday
1h easy run
→ Nothing to take
Thursday
2 x 8’ tempo (3’55)
→ ABSOLUTE: 3 capsules 60 min before
→ BICARB: 6 capsules 90 min before
→ RECOVERY: 1 dose after
Friday
Rest
→ Nothing to take
Saturday
1h15 hilly
→ NITRATE+: 3 capsules 2h before
→ BICARB: 6 capsules 90 min before
→ RECOVERY: 1 dose after
Sunday
50’ cool easy run
→ Nothing to take
WEEK 9 (September 8 to 14) — Tapering + race
Monday
Rest
→ BICARB: 6 capsules in the morning on an empty stomach
Tuesday
2 x 6’ at half-marathon pace
→ ABSOLUTE: 3 capsules 60 min before
→ NITRATE+: 3 capsules 2h before
→ RECOVERY: 1 dose after
Wednesday
45’ easy run
→ BICARB: 6 capsules in the morning on an empty stomach
Thursday
Rest
→ NITRATE+: 3 capsules on an empty stomach in the morning
Friday
30’ easy run + 3 x 1’ race pace
→ BICARB: 6 capsules in the morning on an empty stomach
→ NITRATE+: 3 capsules on an empty stomach
Saturday
20’ very light easy run
→ NITRATE+: 3 capsules on an empty stomach
Sunday
Race: French Championships – Podium Objective
→ Nothing to take. Just: well hydrated, calm, focused, ready.
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