Alison Freeman: USA Triathlon Level III & TrainingPeaks Level 2 Certified Triathlon Coach
AS SEEN ON TRIATHLETE.COM
Coach Alison provides a deep dive into the low-volume full-distance strategy in this Triathlete Magazine article. This plan takes the low-volume full-distance training plan provided within the article and loads it into TrainingPeaks for you, including structured workouts for many bikes and runs so that you know you are sticking to the intended training zones, and both full-volume and low-volume options for all low-volume weekends.
About the Plan:
This 16-week Ironman training plan is tailored for time-constrained athletes who expect to finish the race in under 13.5 hours. The plan incorporates a low-volume strategy for weekday training, with Monday as your off day and Tuesday through Friday each including a single workout block with typically no more than 90 minutes of training. For weekend training, the plan provides both full-volume and low-volume options for most weekends.
Athletes who are new to the Ironman distance, have not trained for an Ironman in the past several years, or tend to become fatigued or over-trained with a high proportion of intensity in their training should opt for the full-volume weekend workout options. Conversely, athletes who have trained for an Ironman within the last two years and respond well to a relatively higher proportion of intensity in their training can choose the low-volume weekend workout options for all or specific weekends; you must use either the full-volume or the low-volume option for both weekend days.
Select weekends offer only full-volume training to ensure that you have a few sufficiently long rides and runs under your belt and that you have the opportunity to test and verify your race-day pacing and fueling. Four and eight weeks before the race, the weekends include a short spin on Saturday and a long bike-run race simulation day on Sunday; these days can be flipped depending on your schedule.
The plan begins with 5000 yards/meters of swimming, 3 hours 30 minutes of cycling, and 2 hours 40 minutes of running (approximately 8 hours of training). It peaks in week 13 with 7500 yards/meters of swimming, 7 hours 30 minutes of cycling, and 5 hours of running (approximately 15 hours of training).
Take your training further with Coach Alison's book, Unlocking Triathlon
Unlocking Triathlon supplements the training plan with discussions of skill development across all three sports, detailed information on fueling and hydrating for training and racing, coaching guidance from plan start to finish, and detailed race day prep. The training plan plus the book provides the complete package to set you up for success on race day.
Have questions?
Email Coach Alison.
I am a USAT Level III Certified Coach based out of Boulder, Colorado. I specialize in working with athletes new to triathlon or to long-course (70.3 and Ironman) racing. I excel at educating my athletes and giving them confidence in their training - especially important for first-timers! - as well as in maximizing the efficiency of my athletes' training hours. All of this led to my book, Unlocking Triathlon, which was published in Fall 2026 by Human Kinetics.