Ironman South Africa 2025 Training Plan

Ironman South Africa turns Twenty in 2025 and the organisers look like they are planning to make this year’s event a special one. I am sure that we can expect a very nice medal at the end of the red carpet. To follow is a twelve week schedule that will have us ready to do this milestone event justice. With the race date fairly early in the year on the 30^th of March, we will need to begin focused training as the new year begins. This program however, relies on us starting it with a good endurance foundation in place. So, not too much goofing off over the festive season so that we can begin 2025 ready to jump straight in.

Swims

Drills Session 1

• 3-500 mixed w/u (alternate free and back).
• 5-800 alternating – 25 kicking on your left side; 25 kicking on your right side; 50 freestyle. Kick on your side with fins, extend your bottom arm forwards with your finger pointing towards the opposite wall. Top arm resting on your side. Focus on keeping your hips up and your body parallel to the surface. Breath by turning your head and then putting your face back into the water.
• 5-800 alternating 25 scull one; 25 freestyle; 25 scull two; 25 freestyle. Scull one = arms extended forwards and then sculling your hands from the wrist as if you are starting the catch phase of the stroke. Keep your elbows up higher than your wrists and your wrists higher than your fingers. Scull two = Arms at ninety degrees to your body. Then scull your hands back and forth to move forwards. This is isolating the middle part of the stroke where the catch ends and the pull starts. Keep your forearms at ninety degrees to the surface of the water and your elbows high again.
• 5-800 alternating – 50 kicking on your side changing sides by doing a full stroke halfway down the length; 50 freestyle.
• 2-400 easy mixed stroke warm down.

 

Drills Session 2

• 4-500 mixed w/u (alternate free and back).
• 8-16 X 25 with a band around your ankles, no pullbouy with :20 rest. Keep the hips, thighs and ankles up by focusing on body position and posture.
• 8-16 X 100 UNCO Drill as follows: 25 single arm (right arm) with the static arm (left) at your side. Breath towards the static arm, not the pulling arm, so breathing to your left; 25 free, breathing every stroke and to the left again; single arm again but this time the left arm, right arm at your side, breathing to your right; 25 freestyle again, breathing every stroke to your right.
• 8-16 X 25 with a band around your ankles, no pullbouy with :20 rest. Keep the hips, thighs and ankles up by focusing on body position and posture.
• 4-500 mixed w/u (alternate free and back).

 

Drills Session 3

• 3-500 mixed w/u (alternate free and back).
• 5-800 alternating with fins – 25 kicking on your left side; 25 kicking on your right side; 50 freestyle. Kick on your side with fins, extend your bottom arm forwards with your finger pointing towards the opposite wall. Top arm resting on your side. Focus on keeping your hips up and your body parallel to the surface. Breath by turning your head and then putting your face back into the water.
• 5-800 alternating 50 scull; 50 freestyle; with a pullbouy – During the sculling do two thirds of the length with your hands in a high position, just under the water surface. Then the last third of the first length and 2^nd third of the 2^nd length (so the middle third of the 50) with your hands at about 45 degrees to the surface of the water. Then the last two thirds of the 2^nd length with your arms at 90 degrees to the surface of the water.
• 5-800 alternating – 50 kicking on your side / 50 freestyle with fins – do six kicks on one side, the three full strokes, then six kicks on the other side. Keep changing sides for six kicks with three strokes in between.
• 2-400 easy mixed stroke warm down.

 

Drills Session 4

• 4-500 mixed w/u (alternate free and back).
• 8-12 X 50 with a band around your ankles and pullbouy with :20 rest. Nice fast turnover and good body rotation.
• 8-16 X 100 UNCO Drill as follows: 25 single arm (right arm) with the static arm (left) at your side. Breath towards the static arm, not the pulling arm, so breathing to your left; 25 free, breathing every stroke and to the left again; single arm again but this time the left arm, right arm at your side, breathing to your right; 25 freestyle again, breathing every stroke to your right.
• 8-16 X 25 with a band around your ankles, no pullbouy with :20 rest. Keep the hips, thighs and ankles up by focusing on body position and posture.
• 4-500 mixed w/u (alternate free and back).

 

Drills Session 5

• 2-500 mixed w/u (alternate free and back).
• 100 kick with fins and board.
• 10-15 X 50 with pullbouy, band and small paddles with :30. Focus on efficient stroke and good body rotation. Don’t worry about speed.
• 100-200 kick with fins and board.
• 10-15 X 50 as fast as you can! With :45 rest in between. Sprint these but focus on maintaining your stroke and pull as you fatigue in the last 10-15m.
• 100-200 kick with fins and board.
• 10-16 X 25 Flat out sprint again with :30 rest. As above, keep your stroke together as you start to tire.
• 2-500 easy mixed stroke warm down.

 

Strength Session 1

• 4-600 mixed w/u (alternate free and back).
• 4-600 pull with 2:00 rest at the wall afterwards. Good body rotation. 75% effort.
• 4-6 X 100 with 1:00 rest. As fast as possible but concentrate on a strong pull and good form rather than thrashing away at the water.
• 4-600 pull with 2:00 rest at the wall afterwards. Good body rotation. 75% effort.
• 4-6 X 100 with 1:00 rest. As fast as possible but concentrate on a strong pull and good form rather than thrashing away at the water.
• 4-600 pull with 2:00 rest at the wall afterwards. Good body rotation. 75% effort.
• 200 easy mixed w/d.

 

Strength Session 2

 

• 4-600 mixed w/u (alternate free and back).
• 8-15 X 200 paddles and pull with :40 rest. Good steady pace throughout. Trying to keep the splits within 4-5 seconds of each other. This should be more muscular than cardiovascular effort.
• 4-600 easy mixed w/d.

 

Strength Session 3

• 4-600 mixed w/u (alternate free and back).
• Pyramid – 100; 200; 300; 400; 300; 200; 100 with 1:00 rest in between reps.
• 16-20 X 75 with the paddles with :30. Strong and powerful but consistent pace. Muscular rather than cardio effort.
• 4-600 easy mixed w/d.

 

Strength Session 4

• 4-600 mixed w/u (alternate free and back).
• 400 steady
• 16 X 25 paddles with :10 rest.
• 400 steady.
• 8 X 50 paddles with :15 rest.
• 400 steady.
• 12-16 X 75 with the pullbouy with :30. Easy and relaxed focused on stroke and body roll.
• 4-600 easy mixed w/d.

 

Strength Session 5

• 4-600 mixed w/u (alternate free and back).
• 20-30 X 75 with pullbouy, band and small paddles with :30. Focus on efficient stroke and good body rotation. Don’t worry about speed.
• 4-600 easy mixed w/d.

 

Endurance Progression 1

Each session begins and ends with a warm up and cool down as for the other swim sessions. The main sets are simple and progress each week as follows:

1. 20-30 X 100 with a third of the repetition time as recovery between each
2. 10-15 X 200 with a quarter of the repetition time as recovery between each
3. 6-10 X 300 with a fifth of the repetition time as recovery between each

Endurance Progression 2

Each session begins and ends with a warm up and cool down as for the other swim sessions. The main sets are simple and progress each week. First week as follows:

• 5 X 100 with :30 rest.
• 100 easy backstroke kick.
• 4 X 100 with :20 rest.
• 100 easy backstroke kick.
• 3 X 100 with :15 rest.
• 100 easy backstroke kick.
• 2 X 100 with :10 rest.

Second week add a set of 6 X 100 / 100 easy backstroke kick and in the third week another set of 7 X 100 / 100 backstroke kick.

Endurance Session 3

• 2-400 mixed w/u (alternate free and back).
• 1000 at a steady, comfortable endurance pace but doing a fast lap every 10^th.
• 200 easy backstroke.
• 1000 at a steady, comfortable endurance pace but doing a fast lap every 8^th.
• 200 easy backstroke.
• 1000 at a steady, comfortable endurance pace but doing a fast lap every 6^th.
• 2-400 easy mixed w/d.

 

Endurance Session 4

• 2-400 mixed w/u (alternate free and back).
• 500 @ 70-75%
• 100 easy
• 5 X 100 @ 80% with :30 rest.
• 100 easy
• 400 @ 70-75%
• 100 easy
• 4 X 100 @ 80% with :30 rest.
• 100 easy
• 300 @ 70-75%
• 100 easy
• 4 X 75 @ 80% with :30 rest.
• 100 easy
• 200 @ 70-75%
• 100 easy
• 4 X 50 @ 80% with :30 rest.
• 100 easy
• 100 @ 70-75%
• 100 easy
• 4 X 25 @ 80% with :30 rest.
• 2-400 easy mixed w/d.

 

Endurance Session 5

• 2-400 mixed w/u (alternate free and back).
• 500 with 1:00 recovery.
• 400 with :45 recovery.
• 300 with :30 recovery.
• 200 with :20 recovery.
• 100 with :10 recovery.
• 4 X 25 with :10.
• 4 X 50 with :15.
• 4 X 75 with :20.
• 4 X 100 with :30.
• 4 X 125 with :40.
• 2-400 easy mixed w/d.

 

Endurance Session 6

4000 steady freestyle with a mild acceleration every 10^th length.

Tuesday Rides

FTP Progression

Each of these session are done on the indoor trainer and will have a thorough warm up and cool down period to prepare the body for the effort but also to add a little bit of volume to the session.

1. As follows:

• 30:00 @ 75-80% of FTP. Trying to stay nice and comfy at a good cadence.
• 10:00 easy @ 50-60%.
• 10:00 alternating :30 @ 75-80% / :30 @ 100-105%. So not completely easy for the ‘recovery 30 seconds’.

 

2. As follows:

• 10:00 alternating :30 @ 75-80% / :30 @ 100-105%. So not completely easy for the ‘recovery 30 seconds’.
• 10:00 easy @ 50-60%.
• 30:00 @ 80-90% of FTP. Bit harder than the 30 minute period last week but you will be nicely warmed up after the :30/:30s.

 

3. As follows:

• 15:00 @ 80-90% of FTP.
• 5:00 easy @ 50-60%.
• 10:00 alternating :30 @ 75-80% / :30 @ 100-105%. So not completely easy for the ‘recovery 30 seconds’.
• 5:00 easy @ 50-60%.
• 15:00 @ 80-90% of FTP.

 

4. As follows:

• 5 X 2:00 @ 95-100% / 2:00 easy.
• 20:00 steady @ 80-90% of FTP (straight into this after the last 2:00 easy period above).
• 2:00 easy.
• 10 X 1:00 @ 95-100% / 1:00 easy

 

5. As follows:

• 8:00 as (2:00 @ 105-110% of FTP / 6:00 @ FTP)
• 2:00 @ 50-55%.
• 10 X 2:00 @ FTP / 1:00 @ 50-55%.
• Straight into the 8:00 without any additional recovery.
• 8:00 as (6:00 @ FTP / 2:00 @ 105-110% of FTP)

 

6. As follows:

• 4 X 12:00 alternating 2:00 @ 95-100% of FTP / 1:00 50-55%. Have 6:00 easy @ 50-60% in between each 12:00 interval.

 

Thursday Runs

 

On Thursdays we have a three week cycle. The first week is a steady, tempo run. The second is a threshold targeted interval session and the third week will be a strength or hill-rep session.

 

Tempo Run – The session is an hour in total with a short warm up and cool down period on each end. The threshold period should build gradually for the first few minutes until we are running at more or less our PB half marathon pace / perceived effort. Once there, we hold that for at least 40 minutes. The objective is to run at this, slightly uncomfortable pace and effort while focusing on staying as efficient and ‘easy’ as possible. The focus is on energy conservation and holding good running form and posture.

 

Threshold Intervals – As for the tempo run, these sessions begin and end with a short warm up and cool down period. The difference between the harder efforts and the easier ones is not that great. It is a subtle change from surge to relax rather than, hard / easy. We want to see our heart rate graph gradually rising throughout the period in a gently wavy pattern.

 

• Session 1 – 12 X 2:00 @ 10km PB pace / 2:00 @ 21.1km PB pace
• Session 2 – 10 X 3:00 @ 10km PB pace / 2:00 @ 21.1km PB pace
• Session 3 – 8 X 4:00 @ 10km PB pace / 2:00 @ 21.1km PB pace
• Session 4 – 6 X 6:00 @ 10km PB pace / 2:00 @ 21.1km PB pace

Strength Intervals – As for the tempo and threshold run, these sessions begin and end with a short warm up and cool down. Our strength intervals are hill repetitions. The hill reps are 3-400m long on an incline that is not too steep. We don’t want to be winching our way to the top. We want to be able to hold good running form and posture throughout. These sessions are as much about learning good running mechanics as they are a muscle strength and cardio-vascular exercise. The recoveries are and easy walk / jog back down the hill to our start point. We want to aim at 8-12 reps in the first session, depending on our level of experience and then adding a few reps to that total in the second session if possible.

Weekend Rides

Aerobic Endurance – This whole ride is done at a comfortable effort but one which is steady and slightly above what is perceived as a recovery effort level. This is Zone Two power (60-70% of maximum heart rate). We always want to finish these sessions feeling like we could have gone quite a bit harder or a bit longer.

Building Rides – These are aerobic endurance rides which start easy and gradually build throughout the session. Starting at Zone One power (50-60% of maximum heart rate) and building to the top end of Zone Three power (75-80% of maximum heart rate) before easing down in the last ten minutes. These are the best rides for experimenting with nutrition and hydration before race day.

Ironman Pace Rides – That is fairly self-explanatory. Here we want to experiment with race day pacing and build into what we perceive we will be able to hold on race day and still run off.

Weekend Runs

Aerobic Endurance – As for the corresponding ride of this nature. These are sessions which we want to cover at a pace and effort that is easy and relaxed but slightly higher than a recovery session. Finishing feeling like we could have gone harder or longer. HR @ 60-70% of maximum.

Building Runs – Again, as for the cycles like this, we want to start easy at a recovery effort level and gradually build through the run so that we reach about 85-90% of our maximum heart rate before we ease down for the final few minutes.

Ironman Pace Runs – Where this differs from the rides of this nature is that we will want to work off perceived effort more than actual pace because we will not be as fatigued as we will be on race day.

Transition Run – This is a short run off the bike at an easy effort. As the name suggests, it is to get the feel of the transition from bike to run. We want the transition time in these sessions to be as short as possible.

Brick Run – This is longer than a transition run and will continue to the point where we have run through the transition period and a little bit into the run itself where the fatigue of the ride starts playing a role and not the change of mechanics from pedalling to running. The transitions can be a little longer in order to change clothing properly.

Optional Sessions

These should be treated as ‘nice to have’ and will depend on our available time in the day but also on our levels of fatigue. They are not sessions that should be forced. If we are feeling fairly fresh and have time in our day for a second session, then these will add some volume to our overall week.