Have you contemplated the challenge of doing an Ironman, but the thought of giving up to training all your time not spent working, eating or sleeping has held you back? Perhaps, you are an experienced triathlete, having completed sprint and Olympic-distance races. Life, however, has your clock in a stranglehold and training time is at a premium.
Back in 1999, I designed a training plan for people who don't have much time but simply want to complete the event without illness or injury. It is certainly not for beginner athletes, but for beginning Ironwomen and Ironmen. Training covers 13 weeks and culminates in completing your first Ironman race in about 12 to 14 hours. Your largest training week will encompass about 13 hours, while other weeks are less.
Can YOU do it?
Before beginning this plan, you are capable of swimming three times per week for an hour per session. You estimate you could hold at least a two-minute-per-100-yards pace for the 2.4-mile swim (total swim time of about 1 hour, 20 minutes, give or take).
You can bike comfortably for an hour and a half or so. With training, you're confident you could average between 15 and 16 mph for 112 miles (total bike time between 6:15 and 7:30).
Right now, you're capable of doing a long run in the 1:15 to 1:30 range. You think you could manage a marathon pace of 10- to 11-minute miles (total run time between 4:15 and 5:00). Up to this point, you've been training around eight to ten hours each week without major problems.
Due to a long list of commitments, weekday training is fairly light. However, weekends are open for long training hours. You realize taking at least one day off from training each week keeps you healthy and in good spirits.
If this athlete profile fits you, your estimated completion time for an Ironman is between 12 and 14 hours. This projection still allows for a three-hour buffer to complete the race under the maximum 17 hours permitted.
Workout Details
Training for an Ironman requires preparation. You'll need a plan that maps out what sport to do each day, for how long and what type of workout to do.
I've started off with a one-hour swim and a 30-minute run. The goal of the swim is to work on technique and neuromuscular training while keeping your intensity low, thus concentrating on form over speed. The run is done at a steady pace for aerobic maintenance, keeping your heart rate in a designated zone.
By integrating training intensities and heart-rate zones into your Ironman preparation, you'll have a good indicator of your conditioning, and rest and stress levels. A more thorough explanation can be found here. We'll use a heart-rate monitor to designate the intensity for cycling and running workouts. This intensity is like the tachometer of your car, it tells you the pace of the engine. Keep in mind that heart rate can be influenced by fatigue, heat, hydration and other factors, so it is not a direct measurement of pace.
Plan Description
Let's look at the plan in general (click on the workouts shown for details). Saturday and Sunday workouts are long ones, with training hours building throughout the 13 weeks. If your work or life schedule does not allow for long weekend workouts, the system allows you to easily shift the workouts to a different day.
The initial weekend cycling workout lasts for 1 hour, 30 minutes and builds to five hours two weeks prior to the race. The long run begins at 1:30, building to three hours in week 11. Swimming begins at 1:00 and builds to 1:30--not as much growth as cycling and running.
In the first four weeks of training, workout time increases to build overall endurance. Intensity stays fairly low. If you are swimming with a masters group, try to have the coach include at least one 1,000-yard steady swim. Your long, weekend swim should have a main set in the 1,000 to 1,500 yard range.
The fourth week is a rest week. Then, in the second four weeks, the weekend-training volume continues to grow. For swimming, include at least one 1,650-yard steady swim, rest two to three minutes, then immediately swim another 500 to 800 yards. On Saturdays, make the main set of the swim workout in the 1,500 to 2,500 yard range.
Because weekend workouts are the main focus, there are more days of rest during weeks five, six and seven to allow for recovery. By the end of week seven, you'll train a total of eight hours over the two weekend days.
The weekend total training hours continue to build to about 9:30, by the end of week 11. Include at least one steady swim--with minimal rest--around 45 minutes to 60 minutes. On Saturdays, make the main set of the swim workout in the 2,000- to 3,000-yard range. Include some open water swims if a safe situation for practice sessions is available.
The long run on Sunday of week 11 will be the last long workout before reducing training volume. Weeks 12 and 13 are designed for recovery and to fill your muscles full of glycogen. Short workouts with quick accelerations are designed to keep your arms and legs feeling fresh. WARNING: Do not be tempted to increase training volume during weeks 12 and 13.
While Training for an Ironman...
If you're getting tired, it is OK to:
- Totally skip one low-intensity workout and rest instead.
- Reduce the Saturday bike by up to 30 minutes or the Sunday run by 15 minutes.
- Do an entire medium-intensity workout within a lower heart rate zone.
If your masters swimming group meets in the evening and you run in the morning that's fine. Stick to your specified workout, however, if it calls for a bike/run brick.
Be careful not to start "stacking" workouts on top of each other if you miss one. Missing several workouts during the week can't be made up in a couple of days on the weekend.
There is no absolute minimum number of hours you can train and still complete the Ironman. The plan I developed, along with the modifiers already suggested, is along the lines of minimum. The absolute answer really depends on each individual athlete. The more you cut training hours, the longer and more torturous the race will be, and you put yourself at greater risk for injury.
Training for an Ironman is intended to keep you burning fuel at an aerobic rate. This is when you are trying to teach your body to be an efficient fat-burning machine. When you get into the heart-rate zones near lactate threshold, your body prefers to use more glycogen as fuel, as opposed to fat and oxygen. At the same time, short bouts into sprint-pace hear-rate zones will not send you into flameout status. Although heart-rate monitoring is a good tool, it is not a precise measure of aerobic metabolism. A few beats either side of the zones won't be a problem.
Going the Distance
Training for an event like this requires a commitment to proper nutrition and especially hydration. For workouts over an hour long, you'll need to consume about one water bottle per hour and a minimum of 150 to 250 calories per hour.
Training for an Ironman can be an extremely rewarding and life-changing journey. However, it requires a strong commitment and some sacrifices. Ultimately, I want you to be successful.
Over the years, I've received many emails and letters from people telling me about their success. The goal of an Ironman is possible, you just need to make it a reality.