Half Ironman Training Plan: Complete 20-Week Schedule

Training for a Half Ironman triathlon is undoubtedly tough, especially for beginners.

This multi-sport event is truly a test of physical and mental endurance and requires impressive aerobic fitness to complete. 

Although most people who venture into the world of triathlons begin with a sprint triathlon, if you have your sights set on a 70.3 triathlon, we have created a 20-week beginner Half Ironman training plan to help novice triathletes progress over the course of 20 weeks to complete their first 70.3 triathlon. 

Ready to get training? Keep reading for our 20-week beginner Half Ironman training plan.

We will cover: 

• What Is a Half Ironman Triathlon?

• 20 Week Half Ironman Training Plan for Beginners

Let’s get started!

What Is a Half Ironman Triathlon?

Usually called an Ironman 70.3 due to the total distance of the race in mileage, a Half Ironman involves 70.3 miles of self-propelled travel, broken down into a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, and 13.1-mile run, sequenced back to back.

Owing to the name, a Half Ironman triathlon is exactly half as long as a full Ironman triathlon, which is 140.6 miles (a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and a 26.2-mile run, which is a full marathon).

When called an Ironman 70.3, the Half Ironman event refers to a specific branded triathlon event, so a Half Ironman triathlon is not only a specific distance triathlon but also a triathlon put on by a specific company called Ironman.

There are about 133 official Ironman 70.3 triathlons per year held worldwide, but in addition to these official Ironman 70.3 races, there are other triathlons that cover the same distances for each leg as a Half Ironman (1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, and 13.1-mile run).

However, when those events are put on by organizations other than Ironman, they are just called “70.3 triathlons.”

According to a RunTri analysis of more than 67,000 finishers in 40 Half Ironman triathlons, the average Half Ironman finish time is about 6 hours, with the 1.2-mile swim segment time being approximately 45 minutes, the 56-mile bike segment in 3 hours, and the 13.1-mile run portion in 2:15.

20 Week Half Ironman Training Plan for Beginners

Although this beginner Ironman 70.3 training plan starts fairly gently and with minimal time commitment, you will be doing some long workouts and aggressive progressions as the training plan unfolds to help prepare you for your Half Ironman triathlon. 

If you have a longer time to train, you can add a week of recovery every so often into the plan or build up more gradually if one of the disciplines has a workout jump that is too challenging for you. 

Most of all, it’s very important to listen to your body rather than the Ironman 70.3 training plan. If you feel overly fatigued or experience excessive soreness or signs of an injury, make sure to rest or modify your workouts accordingly. 

We advise wearing a heart rate monitor, as some of the workouts will have specific heart rate zone-based efforts.

Make sure that you are also working on your nutrition, fueling appropriately before and after your workouts, and consuming enough calories, protein, carbohydrates, and fluids to support your training.

Download The 20 Week Half Ironman Training Plan for Beginners:

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