Ironman, advanced level: how many weeks of preparation?

For an athlete at advanced level, Endu builds a 25-week preparation. If your race is closer, the plan compresses phases while keeping the taper; if it's further away, it lengthens the preparation, and when the gap is large the preparation starts right away, gently and at your current volume, before building up.

How many sessions per week?

This example has 7 sessions per week. You choose 6 to 7 training days and the exact days (e.g. Tue, Thu, Sat, Sun): the plan sticks to them.

Can I follow sessions on my watch?

Yes, on Garmin and COROS. On Garmin, the Endu app (Connect IQ Store) shows today’s session and starts it as a guided workout. On COROS, link your account from your profile: your running, trail and cycling sessions land in the watch calendar. Other brands are not supported yet.

How much does it cost?

14-day free trial, then €7.99/month with no commitment or €59.88/year (€4.99/month). Unlimited objectives and sports.

Advanced Ironman plan

226 km · swim 3.8 · bike 180 · run 42.2

25 weeks, 7 sessions a week, up to 15.6 h of training a week at the peak. Here is the structure Endu generates for a runner at advanced level preparing a Ironman. Volume, long run and intensity change with the declared level.

Create my plan for Ironman

weeks: 25
sessions: 173
sessions / week: 7
peak week: 15.6 h

Plan structure

Periodised in phases: build the base, move to race-specific work, then taper before the race.

General preparation
Weeks 1–2 · 2 wk
Base
Weeks 3–10 · 8 wk
Build
Weeks 11–16 · 6 wk
Specific
Weeks 17–21 · 5 wk
Taper
Weeks 22–24 · 3 wk
Race week
Weeks 25–25 · 1 wk

Volume progression

Week by week: lighter recovery weeks are built in to absorb the load.

Wk	Phase	Hours	km
1	General preparation	9.9 h	38
2	General preparation	10.3 h	39
3	Base	10.8 h	37
4	Base	11 h	38
5	Base	11.4 h	40
6	Baserecovery	9.2 h	30
7	Base	11.7 h	41
8	Base	12 h	42
9	Base	12.3 h	44
10	Baserecovery	9.9 h	33
11	Build	12.6 h	43
12	Build	12.8 h	44
13	Build	13.1 h	45
14	Buildrecovery	10.4 h	36
15	Build	13.4 h	46
16	Build	13.7 h	46
17	Specific	14.5 h	47
18	Specificrecovery	11.3 h	38
19	Specific	14.8 h	48
20	Specific	15.2 h	49
21	Specific	15.6 h	50
22	Taper	11.2 h	48
23	Taper	9.5 h	39
24	Taper	8 h	31
25	Race week	4.1 h	9

Sample week — week 15 (Build)

Real sessions from the plan with their targets. Each session is detailed step by step, and can be sent to a Garmin or COROS watch.

TuesdayRunningVery hard
4 × 1.2 km at MAS
2 min 30 s jog recovery
52 min · 11.4 km
TuesdaySwimmingEasy
1 h 15 continuous swim
1 h 15 · 3.5 km
WednesdayCyclingEasy
46 min at endurance pace
46 min
ThursdayBrickHard
1 h 34 bike + 24 min run
including 3 × 10 min at threshold on the bike
2 h 06
FridaySwimmingHard
9 × 300 m at threshold
20 s recovery
1 h 12 · 3.5 km
SaturdayCyclingEasy
4 h 49 at endurance pace
4 h 49
SundayRunningEasy
Long run 2 h 24
2 h 24 · 27.1 km

Example generated for a advanced-level profile (MAS 17.5 km/h, 7 days available per week). Your plan will depend on your level, availability and feedback.

This plan’s check-up

Pass

A 25-week build (recommended minimum: 16); a longest run never more than 4% above the previous month’s; volume rising at most 7% from one week to the next; 85% of the time at easy effort; the longest session 4 weeks before the race; a taper cutting volume by 74% in race week.

4 worth knowing · 21 checks passed

Remarks

Lighter weeks — 5 loading weeks in a row without a lighter week (up to week 5).
Long run after the long ride — The long run falls the day after the long ride in 11 weeks.
Strength training — No strength session.
Fueling — Long sessions (up to 330 min in this plan) are where race fueling is rehearsed.

The 21 checks passed, in detail

Length of the build — 25 weeks: enough for this race (recommended minimum: 16).
Sessions per week — 7 sessions a week: the minimum for this race is met.
Volume progression — Running volume rises at most 7% from one week to the next (a signal appears beyond 20%).
Long run increase — Each week, the longest run is at most 4% longer than the longest of the previous month (benchmark: 10%).
Intensity distribution — About 85% of the time at easy effort: the most common distribution among trained endurance athletes.
Demanding sessions — No more than 3 demanding session(s) a week: suited to the level.
Hard days back to back — Demanding sessions are separated by easy days.
Rest days — At least one rest day a week.
Timing of the longest session — The longest session falls 4 weeks before the race: the right time.
Bike-run bricks — 9 bike-run bricks over the last 12 weeks.
Taper — Volume drops 74% in race week.
Intensity during the taper — Short race-pace efforts remain in the last two weeks.
Frequency during the taper — The number of sessions stays close to usual (86%).
Swim / bike / run balance — Swim 18%, bike 54%, run 28%: within coaches’ benchmarks.
Frequency per discipline — Each discipline comes back at least 2 times a week.
Sessions per week — 7 sessions a week: enough for a long format.
Open water — 5 open-water session(s) before the race.
Longest ride — The longest ride lasts 330 min (benchmark: 300 to 390 min).
Longest run — The longest run lasts 165 min (benchmark: 120 to 180 min).
Swim distance — The longest swim covers 95% of the race distance.
Long ride increase — The long ride grows in small steps.

Endu runs its own plans through the plan check open to everyone: same public rules, same thresholds, same sources. The rules and their sources, and a check of your own plan.

Your plan, not a template athlete's

This plan is generated for an athlete at advanced level with 7 days available per week. Yours will be calibrated on your MAS, your available days and your feedback after every session. 3 minutes. 14-day trial, cancel anytime.

Create my plan for Ironman

Frequently asked questions

Ironman, advanced level: how many weeks of preparation?: For an athlete at advanced level, Endu builds a 25-week preparation. If your race is closer, the plan compresses phases while keeping the taper; if it's further away, it lengthens the preparation, and when the gap is large the preparation starts right away, gently and at your current volume, before building up.
Is this plan well built?: Pass at Endu’s plan check, the same as for any plan: 21 of 21 checks passed. A 25-week build (recommended minimum: 16); a longest run never more than 4% above the previous month’s; volume rising at most 7% from one week to the next; 85% of the time at easy effort; the longest session 4 weeks before the race; a taper cutting volume by 74% in race week. The rules and their sources are public on endu.fr/en/controle-technique.
How many sessions per week?: This example has 7 sessions per week. You choose 6 to 7 training days and the exact days (e.g. Tue, Thu, Sat, Sun): the plan sticks to them.
Can I follow sessions on my watch?: Yes, on Garmin and COROS. On Garmin, the Endu app (Connect IQ Store) shows today’s session and starts it as a guided workout. On COROS, link your account from your profile: your running, trail and cycling sessions land in the watch calendar. Other brands are not supported yet.
How much does it cost?: 14-day free trial, then €7.99/month with no commitment or €59.88/year (€4.99/month). Unlimited objectives and sports.