30-Week Ironman Training Plan
This structured 30-week plan is designed to take you to the finish line of your first long-distance triathlon with confidence, control, and a solid endurance base.
Race distance:
2.4 mile swim | 112 mile bike | 26.2 mile run
Starting from a consistent training base, this plan progressively builds your capacity from around 8 hours per week up to 15–16 hours at peak. It’s built around an annual training volume of approximately 600 hours, using a smart balance of progression and recovery to help you absorb the work and stay injury-free.
While this is a beginner-focused plan, it assumes you already have some experience. Ideally, you’ll be training consistently for 8–10 hours per week and have completed Olympic distance races, with a middle-distance event as a strong advantage.
The goal isn’t just to get you to the start line — it’s to prepare you to race the day well, rather than simply survive it.
You’ll follow a structured progression with planned recovery weeks (around 8 hours) and peak training phases exceeding 16 hours, helping you build durability, resilience, and confidence across all three disciplines.
Before starting, you should be comfortable with:
Swimming: 2 x 2500m per week
Cycling: 3-hour ride
Running: 90 minutes continuous
Every athlete is different, so this plan is designed to be flexible. Once purchased, it will be tailored by your coach to fit around your lifestyle, work, and current fitness.
After purchase, complete the athlete questionnaire and your coach will be in touch within 48 hours to personalise your plan and set you up on TrainingPeaks.
Nick is a Level 3 British Triathlon Coach with 18 years’ experience and has worked as a Master Endurance Coach with Training Bible Coaching UK. He is also a TrainingPeaks Level 2 Accredited Coach and has served as a Regional Development Coach for British Triathlon in the South East.
Alongside his online coaching, Nick runs Speedy Swimming, specialising in 1-2-1 front crawl technique lessons, endless pool video analysis, swim clinics, and group swim sessions.