Can You Be Fully Trained for an Ironman in Just 6 Months?
Can you be fully trained for an Ironman in just 6 months of training?
How long should it take you to train for a full Ironman from ground zero?
You've done one Sprint Triathlon and now you want to do a full Ironman. Can you be ready in 3 months?
You are a seasoned athlete with several 70.3 races under your belt. Do you really need 6 months to train for an Ironman?
You recently completed 2 Olympic races and now you want to do an Ironman. How long do you need to train?
You are coming off an injury and want to start training for an Ironman. Can you be ready in 6 months?
Here's the scoop- there is no one right answer for all scenarios. Watch this video to get my take on this topic:
In general, if you are a seasoned athlete with several long course races under your belt, then yes you can do an iron distance race in less than 6 months. If you've never done a full 140.6 and you don't have a long course base built, then you may need more than 6 months to train.
When someone comes to me and asks me to train them for an iron distance event in just 3 months and they only have one sprint triathlon under their belt, I will highly suggest that they choose another race further into the future. My main reason for this is SAFETY and INJURY PREVENTION. There is nothing worse for your body than trying to cram several months of training into a few weeks. That is asking for an injury in my opinion. It's better to allow yourself the proper amount of time and let your body adjust gradually to an increasing training load than to rush to the start line sacrificing building a strong base.
I hope you find this video helpful.
Have you thought about hiring a an ironman coach for your next race? Click the purple button below and fill out the short form to have a FREE 15 minute chat with Mary about your race goals.
Mary Timoney
Ironman University Certified Coach
USA Cycling Coach
ACSM Trainer
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