The Ironman Triathlon is one of the longest and toughest endurance races in sports. It covers 140 miles with swimming, cycling and running. Regardless of an athlete's previous experience with triathlon racing of lesser distances, those training to compete in an Ironman should follow a structured training program.
36-Week Training Program
Offered by Trifuel, a website providing information for triathletes, this Ironman training program is 36 weeks long. The program has four segments: orientation, preseason, competition season and taper season. The orientation season lasts two weeks and the preseason runs from week three to week 22. The competition season runs 12 weeks while the taper season lasts two weeks. This program is relatively clear, concise, and easy to follow provided you've had some experience with endurance sports training.
Beginner Ironman Training Program
Beginner Triathlete is a program for first-time Ironman triathletes. As with most Ironman training programs, participants should be prepared to train 10 to 15 hours per week at a minimum. This program spans 20 weeks, having five phases consisting of a prepare phase, base-1, base-2, base-3 and a race-tapering phase. This program assumes that although you are training for your first Ironman race, you have trained for lesser distance triathlons.
29-Week Ironman Training Program
Ironman and Power Bar have teamed up to offer a detailed training and nutrition plan lasting 29-weeks. The Ironman Power website provides a daily training plan, daily tips from professionals and other essential information needed to get you trained for your first Ironman race. Additional training tools can be found on the website such as nutritional calculators, and route finders to assist your training.
Conclusion: Balance
Although not a training program, an article on Ironman's website titled "Creating a Balanced Training Program" is worth reading before or while you are putting your training plan together. The article covers the important aspects of Ironman training often overlooked by athletes and outlines five elements in which balance is essential. Working on weakness in your training is equally as important as building on your strengths. Finally, it is easy for training to overtake other elements of your life. Balance between your work, family, personal, and training commitments are key factors in your seasons overall success.
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