This is not couch to 5K. This is couch to your first 70.3, or half Ironman. You've bought the big-ticket item, you've just chucked 500 euros or dollars at ironman.com, and you're excited, probably with a few mates.
In this article I'll go through some easy-to-follow basic principles for structuring a 16-week plan, the session types you might want to use, and the mental and physical things to think about along the way. Something that felt like a big, fearful task becomes a manageable, step-by-step process. With the right approach it's more achievable than you think, and you'll get through it much better and enjoy your training.
If you've already done a couple of these, there should still be something in here for you. For the common traps to avoid at the same time, read 5 Beginner Half Ironman (70.3) Mistakes.
The 16-Week Overview
There are loads of different durations you can follow. I'm using 16 weeks as an example. We're in winter in the northern hemisphere as I write this, so the first races are probably only in April or May and we've got time. Adapt it if you're reading at another time of year: 12 weeks is enough, but let's use 16.
I like to break it into four blocks of four weeks. You can also do four blocks of three weeks, depending on how much time you've got. In short:
- Block 1 (weeks 1 to 4): build frequency. Lots of short, easy sessions across swim, bike, run and strength work, then a little more volume, then a sprinkle of intensity.
- Block 2 (weeks 5 to 8): increase volume. Lengthen the longer sessions and keep one or two high-intensity workouts a week.
- Block 3 (weeks 9 to 12): simulation. Longer bike-and-run sessions that practise the demands of the race and your race fuel.
- Block 4 (weeks 13 to 16): the final push. An easy week, one hard week, then a two-week taper into race day.
The order is always the same: frequency first, then volume, then a sprinkle of intensity. By intensity I mean out of breath, no conversation, pretty hard. There are metrics, power and paces you can use, but this is the overview.
Block 1 (Weeks 1 to 4): Build Frequency
Weeks 1 and 2: lots of short, easy sessions
There are seven days in a week. Instead of trying to go out for three-hour sessions, let's build frequency in the swim, bike, run and strength work. It could be 20 minutes of running, 30 minutes in the pool and 40 to 50 minutes on the bike. Guys and girls, we just want lots of repetition, and it's all done very easy, so you can have a conversation.
If you can do that three to four times a week, great, but you might not have the hours, and this is where we have to be careful. Remember you're just starting out, so I'd only run two to three times a week, with big gaps between workouts. Don't run on consecutive days. You can swim and bike lots, and add two to three short core and gym sessions.
These first two weeks are about getting the body moving and used to running, biking and swimming. Your upper body will get tired, you'll naturally start eating more, you'll be more focused, and you'll tighten up your bedtimes because you're getting up early to swim.
Weeks 3 and 4: add duration, then a little intensity
Now slowly increase the duration. The bike is the first place to do it, because you can do a lot more on the bike with less stress. You won't want to suddenly go from 40 or 50 minutes in the pool, you'll hate it. Bike sessions might go to 50 minutes, an hour, then 75 minutes, again three to four times a week, so your body builds some nice resilience.
Be careful with the run. Only increase it per week, whether by distance, volume or time, and don't suddenly jump it up. A 10% increase each week is probably safe, depending on your background.
At the back end of this block you can start to add 30 to 90 seconds of intensity, once or twice a week if you can cope. That will more than likely be the bike and the pool. I'd be careful not to add intensity on the run in the first block. If you have a really good running background you can, but if you're slightly injured, do it in the pool because it's the safest.
For rest periods, 30 seconds on and 30 off, or 90 on and 90 off, works well. A 1:1 ratio is really good. If you really are just starting out, I'd even use a longer rest, around 1:2. You want about 12 to 16 minutes of total work, so for example 12 by 1 minute, or 12 by 90 seconds. Keep it really simple: on the bike you're working hard, huffing and puffing, with a high heart rate, and you can't have a chat.
What the easy sessions look like
- Swim: use a pull buoy to get you down the pool, as most triathletes and beginners do. Total 1,000 to 1,500 m, broken up simply as 10 by 100 m with 30 seconds rest, or 15 by 100 m. Keep it really easy: you want to get out of the pool feeling better than when you got in.
- Bike: zone 1 and zone 2, chat effort, at about 80 to 90 rpm. You'll be sweating, but there's no set session to follow. On the turbo you can choose an undulating course, and outside just go as easy as you can to build the fitness and the aerobic system. A heart rate monitor is useful here.
- Run: keep it flat or on a treadmill, in zone 1 and 2. Look at my video on zone 2 training for what that feels like. It's a bike video, but it carries over to the run quite easily. Make sure you have the right footwear, and have been videoed on a treadmill at least, to check you're in a neutral or supportive shoe.
A heart rate monitor is one of the nicest ways to track progress: you'll see your pace get quicker for the same heart rate, and that happens after about four weeks. There are no real specifics on which sessions to do, but it gives you an idea to apply to those 20, 30 and 40-minute sessions.
Block 2 (Weeks 5 to 8): Increase Volume
Now we start lengthening the sessions. We want to add a bit of volume, and you definitely want two hard workouts each week for these four weeks. That could be the bike, and you can start to introduce the run as well. The intensity efforts should stay at 30 to 90 seconds, and you don't lengthen those.
Swim
Try some harder efforts, and keep them short. A good main set is 50 m repeats with 20 seconds rest: start at 10 by 50 m, then 12, then 16, building to 20 by 50 m in week four. You're in the water for about 25 to 40 minutes in total, and all the rest of your swimming is easy. Use a pull buoy if you like: we just want to get through the water, not reinvent the wheel. If you can get some swim lessons or a technique analysis, you'll advance much quicker.
Bike
Try to increase the duration of your longer ride up to 2 hours, flat and easy. That'll be great. Remember you're a beginner, so don't worry about going 3 to 4 hours just yet. Your other two sessions can be 45 minutes, so you have three rides, which is plenty:
- One long, easy ride of up to 2 hours.
- One session on hills.
- One session of 60-second to 2-minute intervals, done very hard, for 12 to 20 minutes of total work. Keep a 1:1 ratio of rest, so work for 60 seconds, recover for 60.
Run
Slowly increase your volume. I'd do two to three runs a week, each 30 to 40 minutes long. You won't find much long running volume here. You're getting a lot of aerobic stimulation, so we don't have to push a lot of volume, which is where you get injured.
Rest days
You'll start to get tired here and your legs will fatigue. You can train every day if you need to, but if you need a rest day, just take it. You're not going to lose fitness. It's guided by work, life, kids, stress and how you're feeling. If you're absolutely exhausted, don't go and ride long: take a rest day and bounce back quickly the next day. We'll build in some recovery down the line.
As a general rule of thumb, you don't need to do three weeks on and one week recovery. That's quite an old method of training. But if you're unsure, it's a great way to do it, because you get a week where you mentally switch off.
Block 3 (Weeks 9 to 12): Simulation
The weather's getting better, hopefully, and now you want to do some longer sessions, because we're training for the demands of the event. This is simulation, and it's your chance to practise your race fuel and learn how to drink and eat. Watch some of my other videos on fuelling, because it's not all about gels and sports drinks.
Bike and run
Do two long sessions of 2.5 to 3.5 hours in the four weeks. Not every weekend, just two, because it's going to really drain you. That's pretty much 60 to 80 km on the bike (about 40 to 50 miles), followed by a 5 to 8 km run off the bike. All of this is steady, conversation pace, just getting through the motions. It'll be a monster session for you, and it'll probably take a couple of days to recover from.
If you can maintain one hard workout a week, please don't neglect it. It's very important, and it can be short. Only 20 minutes of hard work is fine, maybe in the pool if your legs are stuffed. If you can manage that, you're on a good pathway for not overdoing the training load.
Swim
Keep one hard swim a week, but instead of 50s move to 100s: 10 to 15 by 100 m, hard, with 30 seconds rest. That's 1,000 to 1,500 m of good hard work, and the rest of your swimming is easy. Keep that training stimulus quite simple so you can switch off and think about the other sessions.
Run
Now we go longer. If you're racing a flat course, train on flat or undulating terrain (most races are flat, but your area might be super hilly). Build up to a 60-minute run once a week, an hour on your feet. The other two runs a week are about 45 minutes, nice and easy. Don't worry about intervals on the run.
And remember, take a day off if you need one. You don't necessarily have to have a rest week. If you're tired and your HRV is low for three or four days, take a day off, or two. It's not going to make a difference. It depends on your quality of sleep and your diet, and it's very individual.
Block 4 (Weeks 13 to 16): The Final Push and Taper
This final four-week phase is quite important. The fatigue has caught up with you, so I take the first week as a very easy week, a de-load. You'll feel quite rubbish. Then, with three weeks to go, you do one hard week, then a two-week taper.
Week 13: the recovery week
Drop the volume. If you've been managing five or six hours, do three to five. Do two bike sessions and two runs, however you feel. Don't stress: this is your down week. In the pool, this final block is when you want to do a wetsuit swim if you can, in open water or in a pool, building to a continuous 1,900 m.
Week 14: the hard week
Now we want to push the body. This is your biggest volume of training, with everything very hard: race-pace efforts, which means your target speed, effort or power. If the course is hilly, include hills. Ideally you simulate the race, working quite hard:
- Bike: a long ride plus 10 to 15-minute intervals, three to four of them, on hills or flat to match your race terrain. The rest of the biking is nice and easy. You've got one key session, and you can see the pattern.
- Run: one long run. If you can build up to 10 to 15 km this week, you're in good shape.
Weeks 15 and 16: the taper
Tapers are quite individual and everyone does it differently. I use a two-week taper, which I've been doing for years, and some of my athletes only do 7 to 12 days. Over two weeks you reduce the volume slowly, but maintain intensity: instead of doing 3 to 4 reps, you do two. If you've only managed two of those sessions, just do one in your recovery period. You're still training quite hard, but dropping down relative to where you got to.
You still get out for a longer ride at the weekend, but super easy, because you want to keep the aerobic system going. As soon as you shut down completely, the body starts to recover and you'll feel horrendous on race day. Too much rest and you'll be stale.
Race Week and the Day Before
If you race on a Sunday, I'd take Friday off completely. If you race on a Saturday, take Thursday off. Get your logistics sorted: the travel, the gear, your fuel and hydration, with your bottles sorted and the right carbs, as you've tried in training. You're freshening up, looking at the course maps, the wind and the weather, and working out whether you need extra layers on the bike. If it's going to be a cold swim and cold air, think about some tight clothing to wear on top, because baggy clothes flap around and slow you down.
On the day before the race, I'd certainly go out and test the bike, just to get the blood flowing, because the nerves are pretty high. If they allow you to get in the water, sight the landmarks from the water looking back at the land. That's probably the best thing you can do, and you can work out the triangle or the out-and-back. Look at the maps, where the aid stations are, and where you might see your friends and family at checkpoints. That's really important on the run, which is normally laps. You can always give them some emergency gels, or something you like such as a banana or a flapjack.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to train for a half Ironman (70.3) from scratch?
I use 16 weeks as the example, in four blocks of four weeks. Twelve weeks is enough, and you can also do four blocks of three weeks, depending on how much time you have.
How should a beginner add intensity to 70.3 training?
Frequency first, then volume, then a sprinkle of intensity. Start with 30 to 90 second efforts, once or twice a week, on the bike or in the pool rather than the run. Use a 1:1 work-to-rest ratio (1:2 if you're really just starting out), for about 12 to 16 minutes of total work.
How long should my longest ride and run be before a 70.3?
In the simulation block, do two long sessions of 2.5 to 3.5 hours in the four weeks, around 60 to 80 km on the bike with a 5 to 8 km run off the bike, at a steady conversation pace. Build to a 60-minute run once a week, and in the hard week try to reach 10 to 15 km.
Do I need a rest week every four weeks when training for a 70.3?
Not necessarily. Three weeks on and one week off is an old-fashioned method, though it's a good option if you're unsure, because you get a week to mentally switch off. Otherwise listen to your body: if you're tired and your HRV is low for three or four days, take a day or two off. It won't make a difference to your fitness.
How long should I taper for a half Ironman?
Tapers are individual. I use two weeks, and some of my athletes only do 7 to 12 days. Reduce the volume slowly, keep the intensity but do fewer reps, and still do an easy longer ride at the weekend so you don't go stale.
Final Thoughts: Aim for Progress, Not Perfection
There you have it: the roadmap from couch to your first 70.3. It's quite a journey. You are going to make mistakes, and you shouldn't aim for perfection. Follow a step-by-step, methodical process, and you'll get there.
Want to build the plan around your own week? Read Build Your Own Half Ironman (70.3) Training Plan. And if you'd like guidance on the way, get in touch and let's start talking!
