SMASH YOUR IRONMAN PB

Want to get faster in your next Ironman? Hell yes! Follow our 12-week plan and destroy the long-distance competition in 2018

12-week iron-distance plan

Taking that next step in racing the magical ‘iron distance’ and achieving a new PB, or maybe breaking the 12hr barrier, will not happen by luck. It requires a commitment to training, a strong desire to keep improving and dedication in your lifestyle. You simply can’t cheat an Ironman – if you turn up on the start line knowing you haven’t prepared fully, then you’ll get a rude awakening.

If you’re an existing Ironman looking for a better result or a first-timer wanting to target a serious time, then this training plan is designed to see you through the final 12 weeks before race day. You’ll already need to be in training, and it’s expected that you’ll have a decent base level of fitness. For example, you’re already logging 3km in a swim set, you’ve done a couple of rides of 120km each and you’ve run a half marathon in training. These sessions needn’t have been at race pace but you should’ve developed your aerobic fitness with many hours of low-tomoderate intensity miles. The key to a great Iron performance is having built a solid and wide base of aerobic fitness, which in turn helps you become more efficient at using fat as your primary energy source.

The final 12 weeks of training focus more on developing and fine-tuning your race pace, plus the inclusion of more top-end speed work to prepare you for those times when it’ll hurt, and there will be plenty of those!

Within this training plan is a 70.3 race, where the objective is to simulate Ironman race pace and ensure that all kit is suitable for covering the 226km distance. If you need to move the timing of the 70.3 race this is fine, but no later than five weeks prior to race day. The plan also includes a number of longer-distance rides and runs, which you can do as part of a cyclosportive or an organised run. But remember to treat them as stepping stones to a successful Ironman and don’t get obsessed with the results. We’ve also added open-water swimming.

In the plan, the term RP refers to race pace, which is the speed you’re hoping to hold within each discipline during the race, so you need to set out your expectations to work out your RP. For example, if you’re aiming to complete the bike in 5:30hrs then you need to set your bike RP at 33km/h.