Step up from 70.3 to the full distance in confidence with my 19 week IRONMAN training plan

Crossing an IRONMAN 70.3 finish line is an incredible achievement, but the step up to the full distance can feel overwhelming. Given how exhausting 70.3 is, and how steep the learning curve is, the vast majority of athletes choose to follow some kind of training plan in preparation for their first full distance. 

Around 25% of athletes who sign up to their IRONMAN race will never make it to the start line due to injury and burnout. Combined with DNF rates as high as 35% in extreme cases, your finish is anything but guaranteed. Especially once you take into consideration there is only one IRONMAN finisher for every three 70.3 finishers.

Each week is between 8 and 14 hours long, with no more than one session on a weekday, allowing you to achieve your IRONMAN dream while maintaining balance in other areas of your life. 

This plan will give you the confidence and structure you need to finish your race feeling strong, with a solid nutrition plan and a vastly reduced risk of injury.

MEET YOUR COACH

My name is Simon Olney, I've have spent the last ten years coaching athletes towards their first IRONMAN finish.

Athletes like you. Not professional athletes, but athletes with full time jobs who have a family and pay for their own kit. I worked in the film industry for ten years, so understand the challenges that come with fitting training in around a stressful, demanding job. 

My plans are written to be simple to understand yet effective. My job is to get you round your first IRONMAN, not try to bamboozle you with complex language. That's not to say that my plans are basic though.

I have taken my professional development very seriously. I am a British Triathlon High Performing Coach, IRONMAN Certified Coach, Strength and Conditioning Coach, Certified Nutrition Coach, Corrective Exercise Specialist, Level 2 Swimming Teacher and Level 4 Personal Trainer. 

I am committed to helping everyday athletes like you achieve their dreams at the right price.

How it works

This training plan is much more than a list of workouts on a spreadsheet for you to follow. Delivered via TrainingPeaks, the industry leader in triathlon software, each workout has personalised targets based on your current fitness level. 

These targets can be sent to compatible fitness devices for you to follow in real time, based on your heart rate, pace or power. 

With additional fitness tests within the plan (where necessary), this plan will grow and change with you, self adjusting to your fitness.

Triathlon Training Guide

IRONMAN is the world's most complex sport bar none. I have created a triathlon training guide including the following seven modules:

• What to do when things go wrong
• Swimming
• Cycling
• Running
• Nutrition
• Strength training
• FAQs

While most of you will be familiar with the basics of the three disciplines, we will be taking our training to the next level and touching on subjects such as cycling power and the finer points of swim technique which aren't necessary for a 70.3, but you likely need to incorporate into your IRONMAN training.

This guide will act as your first point of call when you have a question and help you edit the plan around your ability/schedule.

TrainingPeaks for Triathletes 

This plan is delivered via TrainingPeaks, as I believe it is genuinely the market leader in triathlon software, used by the vast majority of world class athletes.

As a result, it can feel overwhelming and confusing. I have created this mini course to talk you through how the platform works and ensure you can understand the plan fully. 

I help you understand the basic metrics required to help you train for your IRONMAN, and ensure the setup is as painless as possible.

"I'll just use AI..."

In this day and age, lots of people will be inclined to reach for ChatGPT to help with any aspect of their life, including an IRONMAN training plan, or maybe even use one of the myriad of AI triathlon training apps. Here's why you should choose my plan over AI.

AI hasn't completed an IRONMAN

The nerves you feel at the start line. The dark place you find yourself in at the 150KM mark on the bike. The way your legs feel during the first mile of the marathon. The sensitivity of your stomach after six hours of sugar. 

These are concepts that AI has no real understanding of, all it really knows about is the science, not the reality of racing. 

My plan and triathlon training guide can help guide you through these very human experiences in a way that AI simply can't.

It's cheaper than AI training

The main appeal of AI is that it's free, but if we're using it to take on a massive project such as an IRONMAN, we're not going to be able to get away with a free plan.

This means we will need to pay for a subscription to a premium version of an LLM, or subscribe to a triathlon training app. 

Or, you could purchase my plan with a small one off payment which you keep forever. 

No hidden costs, no subscription, just high quality training delivered by a highly qualified and experienced professional.

AI isn't as personalised as you think

I tried to be open minded as a coach and played around with a premium AI training app  which charges athletes three figures a month to use.

I was bitterly disappointed. I was expecting something built around an athlete's strengths and weaknesses as well as their training history that adapted after missing/failing sessions.

Instead it just put everyone on the same plan with very little in the way of individualisation. It felt like a massive grift.

By using AI you are putting your finish in jeopardy

Athletes regularly come to me after missing the cutoff at their IRONMAN event because they followed an AI plan that didn't push them hard enough. Others come to me after burning out from following an AI plan that was too hard for them and didn't adjust.

AI is great for analysing large amounts of data and automating basic tasks, but it struggles badly with these kind of tasks. Very few people have a good enough knowledge of triathlon to know which questions to ask or when to spot errors in an AI plan. 

Let's talk pricing

My 19 week IRONMAN training plan costs £40. Compared to the cost of your race entry, bike, wetsuit, flights, accommodation, pool fees, race suit, running shoes and other expenses, this is a modest investment.

Your training plan is the keystone of your training. Your super light bike won't matter if you find yourself pushing it up the hills, and carbon plated trainers won't be of use if you're walking the marathon due to an achilles issue from mistakes made in your training. 

Think of this plan as insurance to protect the investment you've made so far in your equipment and training.

The countdown to race day is on, and it will be here sooner than you realise. Purchase my plan today to put yourself in the strongest possible position for your budget.