Ironman Training Plan

24 weeks·ironman·intermediate

Weeks: 24
Sessions: 212
Peak week: 16h 00; week 21
Long ride: 5h 00; week 19
Taper: 3 wk

BaseCutbackBuildPeakTaperRace

Heart-rate zones use the Karvonen formula from max HR 185 and resting HR 55. Enter yours to recalculate.

Week-by-week training plan
Wk	Focus	Sessions	Volume	Biggest session
01	Base: technique + aerobicLong ride 2 h 45 min	9 · 4 key	8h 40	Long ride 2 h 45 min
Tue Oct 6 Swim technique + aerobic 25 min 8 × 50 drill/swim 4 × 100 @ 1:52/100 yd, 15 s rest Wed Oct 7 Bike intervals 75 min 10–15 min warm-up 3 × 5 min Zone 3 (146–159 bpm), 3 min easy 10 min easy Thu Oct 8 Swim endurance 25 min continuous or broken 400s @ 1:54/100 yd · bilateral breathing, sighting every 6–8 strokes Thu Oct 8 Run + strides 50 min easy with 6 × 20 s strides Fri Oct 9 Endurance ride 50 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · high cadence, flat route or trainer Fri Oct 9 Easy run 35 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · about 10:25/mi Sat Oct 10 Long ride 165 min Long ride, Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · fuel 60–80 g carbs per hour Sun Oct 11 Open-water / long swim 25 min continuous swim @ 1:51/100 yd · wetsuit if racing in one Sun Oct 11 Long run 70 min Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) · flat to rolling route
Weeks 2–24 locked Unlock the full plan. Every session, every week Paces and loads from your numbers PDF, calendar and Garmin export Re-plans when you miss a key session Billing period$79 / year$14 / month Annual works out at $6.58 a month Secure checkout with Stripe · Cancel any time
02	Base: technique + aerobicLong ride 3 h	9 · 4 key	9h 05	Long ride 3 h
03	Base: technique + aerobicLong ride 3 h	9 · 4 key	9h 35	Long ride 3 h
04	Recovery weekLong ride 2 h 15 min	9 · 2 key	6h 50	Long ride 2 h 15 min
05	Base: technique + aerobicLong ride 3 h 15 min	9 · 4 key	10h 00	Long ride 3 h 15 min
06	Base: technique + aerobicLong ride 3 h 15 min	9 · 4 key	10h 15	Long ride 3 h 15 min
07	Base: technique + aerobicLong ride 3 h 30 min	9 · 4 key	10h 45	Long ride 3 h 30 min
08	Recovery weekLong ride 2 h 30 min	9 · 2 key	7h 55	Long ride 2 h 30 min
09	Build: threshold + weekly brickLong ride 3 h 30 min	9 · 5 key	11h 10	Long ride 3 h 30 min
10	Build: threshold + weekly brickLong ride 3 h 45 min	9 · 5 key	11h 35	Long ride 3 h 45 min
11	Build: threshold + weekly brickLong ride 3 h 45 min	9 · 5 key	11h 55	Long ride 3 h 45 min
12	Recovery weekLong ride 2 h 45 min	9 · 2 key	8h 35	Long ride 2 h 45 min
13	Build: threshold + weekly brickLong ride 4 h	9 · 5 key	12h 40	Long ride 4 h
14	Build: threshold + weekly brickLong ride 4 h 15 min	9 · 5 key	13h 15	Long ride 4 h 15 min
15	Build: threshold + weekly brickLong ride 4 h 15 min	9 · 5 key	13h 25	Long ride 4 h 15 min
16	Recovery weekLong ride 3 h 15 min	9 · 2 key	10h 00	Long ride 3 h 15 min
17	Peak: race-specific bricksLong ride 4 h 30 min	9 · 5 key	14h 15	Long ride 4 h 30 min
18	Peak: race-specific bricksLong ride 4 h 45 min	9 · 5 key	14h 50	Long ride 4 h 45 min
19	Peak: race-specific bricksLong ride 5 h	9 · 5 key	15h 25	Long ride 5 h
20	Recovery weekLong ride 3 h 30 min	9 · 2 key	11h 05	Long ride 3 h 30 min
21	Peak: race-specific bricksLong ride 5 h	9 · 5 key	16h 00	Long ride 5 h
22	Taper: less volume, keep intensityLong ride 4 h	9 · 5 key	12h 50	Long ride 4 h
23	Taper: less volume, keep intensityLong ride 3 h 15 min	9 · 5 key	10h 20	Long ride 3 h 15 min
24	Race weekRace	5 · 1 key	3h 05	Race

Your paces

Swim CSS: 1:45/100 ydcritical swim speed
Run easy: 10:25/mi
Run threshold: 7:53/mi
Run race pace: 8:25/miopen-run pace; expect 3–8% slower off the bike

Heart-rate zones · Karvonen

Zone 1: 120–133 bpmrecovery
Zone 2: 133–146 bpmaerobic base
Zone 3: 146–159 bpmtempo
Zone 4: 159–172 bpmthreshold
Zone 5: 172–185 bpmVO2max

The numbers

About this plan

This ironman training plan runs 24 weeks for an intermediate athlete, from 8.7 hours in week 1 to 16 hours in week 21. Week 12 is 8.6 h, split about 15% swim, 55% bike and 30% run across 9 sessions. Over the plan that is 71 swims, 70 rides and 70 runs for a 3800 m / 180 km / 42.2 km race.

Zone 2 (133–146 bpm) carries the 5 h long ride of week 19; Zone 4 (159–172 bpm) is for the full-distance (140.6) triathlon intervals. 71 swims use a 1:45/100 yd critical swim speed; 13 bricks follow long rides.

Recovery weeks: week 4 (6.8 h), week 8 (7.9 h), week 12 (8.6 h), week 16 (10 h) and week 20 (11.1 h). The 3 taper weeks go from 16 h to 3.1 h; the 264-hour block ends with run race pace near 8:25/mi.

Week 1, shown in full above, is 8.7 hours: Tuesday — swim technique + aerobic, 25 min; Wednesday — bike intervals, 75 min; Saturday — long ride, 165 min; Sunday — long run, 70 min; plus 5 easier sessions.

The phases run base weeks 1–7 (8.7–10.8 h), build weeks 9–15 (11.2–13.4 h), peak weeks 17–21 (14.3–16 h), taper weeks 22–23 (10.3–12.8 h) and race week 24 (3.1 h).

Questions

FAQ

How many hours a week is this ironman training plan?

8.7 hours in week 1, 8.6 h in week 12, 16 hours in week 21; 264 hours in all.

What heart-rate zones does the ironman training plan use?

Karvonen zones: Zone 2 133–146 bpm for 8.6 h weeks like week 12, Zone 4 159–172 bpm for the 95 key sessions.

How many brick workouts are in the ironman training plan?

13 bricks across 24 weeks, the longest behind a 5 h ride.

What is the longest bike ride before the full-distance (140.6) triathlon?

5 h, in week 19, before a 3-week taper to 3.1 h.

Keep exploring

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