kovaaWeekly hours, beginner26 weeks
Lighter bars are recovery weeks. Peak week 7.9 h.
3.8 km swim, 180 km bike, 42.2 km run
IRONMAN triathlon training plan
A 26-week plan for a full-distance IRONMAN triathlon (3.8 km swim, 180 km bike, 42.2 km run). If you're intermediate, expect 7–14 hours a week through base, build, peak and taper. Here's how the season is laid out for beginner, intermediate and advanced athletes, with its phases and some of the key workouts.
Updated
26weeks
4–8hours a week
7sessions a week
The phases
| Phase | Weeks | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Base | Weeks 1–12 | Aerobic fitness, technique and strength. Mostly easy, with one or two controlled harder sessions a week. |
| Build | Weeks 13–21 | Race-specific work: longer threshold and race-pace efforts, plus bricks. |
| Peak | Weeks 22–23 | Your biggest weeks, and race rehearsals. |
| Taper | Weeks 24–25 | Volume drops but the intensity stays, so you arrive fresh. |
| Race | Week 26 | Short openers during the week, then race day. |
Key workouts
Run
Long Run
Steady time on your feet. It's where most of your endurance comes from.
| 01 | Ease InZ1 | 10:00 |
| 02 | Long RunZ2 | 65:00 |
| 03 | Cool DownZ1 | 5:00 |
Start slower than feels right; the first 20 minutes set the day.
Bike
Race-Pace Blocks
Rehearses IRONMAN race power until it feels automatic.
| 01 | Warm UpZ2 | 20:00 |
| 02 | Race PaceZ2 | 2 × 45:00 |
| 03 | Cool DownZ1 | 15:00 |
Race nutrition every 20 minutes.
Swim
Long Swim
Builds the endurance to swim the full distance and still ride well.
| 01 | Warm UpZ2 | 400 m |
| 02 | Long SwimZ2 | 2000 m |
| 03 | Cool DownZ1 | 200 m |
Settle into a rhythm you could hold all day; sight every 6–9 strokes even in the pool.
26weeks
7–14hours a week
7sessions a week
Weekly hours, intermediate26 weeks
Lighter bars are recovery weeks. Peak week 13.5 h.
The phases
| Phase | Weeks | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Base | Weeks 1–12 | Aerobic fitness, technique and strength. Mostly easy, with one or two controlled harder sessions a week. |
| Build | Weeks 13–21 | Race-specific work: longer threshold and race-pace efforts, plus bricks. |
| Peak | Weeks 22–23 | Your biggest weeks, and race rehearsals. |
| Taper | Weeks 24–25 | Volume drops but the intensity stays, so you arrive fresh. |
| Race | Week 26 | Short openers during the week, then race day. |
Key workouts
Run
Threshold Intervals
Builds the pace you can hold for an hour.
| 01 | Warm UpZ2 | 15:00 |
| 02 | StridesZ5 | 4 × 20s |
| 03 | ThresholdZ4 | 3 × 8:00 |
| 04 | Cool DownZ1 | 10:00 |
Settle into pace by minute 2 of each rep; don't chase the first 30 seconds.
Bike
Sweet Spot 2 × 30
Two 30-minute sweet spot blocks, so you can hold power late in a long race.
| 01 | Warm UpZ2 | 15:00 |
| 02 | Sweet SpotZ3 | 2 × 30:00 |
| 03 | Cool DownZ1 | 10:00 |
Smooth and seated; no surges on the rises.
Swim
Long Swim
Builds the endurance to swim the full distance and still ride well.
| 01 | Warm UpZ2 | 400 m |
| 02 | Long SwimZ2 | 2000 m |
| 03 | Cool DownZ1 | 200 m |
Settle into a rhythm you could hold all day; sight every 6–9 strokes even in the pool.
26weeks
9–14hours a week
9sessions a week
Weekly hours, advanced26 weeks
Lighter bars are recovery weeks. Peak week 13.8 h.
The phases
| Phase | Weeks | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Base | Weeks 1–12 | Aerobic fitness, technique and strength. Mostly easy, with one or two controlled harder sessions a week. |
| Build | Weeks 13–21 | Race-specific work: longer threshold and race-pace efforts, plus bricks. |
| Peak | Weeks 22–23 | Your biggest weeks, and race rehearsals. |
| Taper | Weeks 24–25 | Volume drops but the intensity stays, so you arrive fresh. |
| Race | Week 26 | Short openers during the week, then race day. |
Key workouts
Run
Threshold Intervals
Builds the pace you can hold for an hour.
| 01 | Warm UpZ2 | 15:00 |
| 02 | StridesZ5 | 4 × 20s |
| 03 | ThresholdZ4 | 3 × 8:00 |
| 04 | Cool DownZ1 | 10:00 |
Settle into pace by minute 2 of each rep; don't chase the first 30 seconds.
Bike
Sweet Spot 2 × 30
Two 30-minute sweet spot blocks, so you can hold power late in a long race.
| 01 | Warm UpZ2 | 15:00 |
| 02 | Sweet SpotZ3 | 2 × 30:00 |
| 03 | Cool DownZ1 | 10:00 |
Smooth and seated; no surges on the rises.
Swim
Long Swim
Builds the endurance to swim the full distance and still ride well.
| 01 | Warm UpZ2 | 400 m |
| 02 | Long SwimZ2 | 2000 m |
| 03 | Cool DownZ1 | 200 m |
Settle into a rhythm you could hold all day; sight every 6–9 strokes even in the pool.
Your own plan will look different.
The app builds yours from your race date, the days you can train and your thresholds. The Plan tab shows each week next to what you've actually done, and every session lists its steps and targets before it goes to your Apple Watch.
When your week doesn't go to plan.
- A short night or a low HRVThe hard session turns into an easy one and moves later in the week.
- A missed sessionKey sessions get moved, easier ones get dropped, and the week's load stays in a safe range.
- Sick, injured or travelingTell kovaa and it rebuilds the next few days around it, then eases you back in.
- You get fasterWhen a test or race shows a new FTP, threshold pace or CSS, kovaa suggests new targets.
Questions
How many weeks do I need to train for an IRONMAN triathlon?
kovaa builds a 26-week plan for an IRONMAN triathlon if you have that long. With fewer weeks, it keeps the taper, cuts the base phase the most, and trims build and peak to fit. A full race plan needs at least 30 weeks for beginners, 20 for intermediate and 14 for advanced athletes. With less time than that, kovaa gives you a plan to finish safely instead.
How many hours a week does IRONMAN training take?
Beginner: about 4–8 hours a week. Intermediate: about 7–14 hours a week. Advanced: about 9–14 hours a week. Every third or fourth week is a lighter recovery week. Short on time? The intermediate plan also fits into 6–8 hours.
What happens if I miss a session?
kovaa rebuilds the rest of the week. Key sessions get moved, easier ones get dropped, it won't stack two sessions on one day, and the week's load stays within safe limits. Small changes happen on their own. Bigger ones show up as a suggestion you can accept or skip.
Is this the plan I would get in the app?
Yes, it's the same engine. Yours is built around your race date, the days and hours you have, your thresholds (FTP, threshold pace and CSS) and any injuries, then adjusted every morning from your sleep, HRV and resting heart rate.