Free 12-month Ironman training plan: Conquer a full Ironman triathlon with this comprehensive plan

By giving yourself a year to train for your first long-distance triathlon, you can increase your training load and intensity gradually without putting your body under too much stress. Plus we’ve got free training plans for every ability and distance to help you.

Giving yourself time to train also means you’re far less likely to get injured so you can really reap the rewards come Ironman race-day.

How to get started training for your Ironman

Set a realistic goal

After deciding which race you wish to focus on, start to build the framework around that race. Give yourself enough time to prepare properly and calmly. Use the other races along the way to judge or improve form.

Let the training and racing decide what your realistic goals should be. Don’t get too obsessed with specific numbers, paces and time splits; it’s more likely than not things will change along the way. Let the body decide what you’re realistically capable of doing, not what you think the body should achieve.

Give yourself enough time

You wouldn’t believe the number of athletes who go to their coach a few weeks before their ‘A’ race and ask for help. A common response is ‘Well, there’s not too much we can do with the race this close’. The most important thing you can do before any training has commenced is draft your season out with care, precision and wriggle room, ultimately making the big event the climax to all your hard work.

Have patience

‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’ is an adage attesting to the need for time to create great thing…