Many people want to embark on a triathlon adventure.
The only thing that separates you from achieving your finisher medal is months of training, a bunch of expensive gear, your full-time job, and other life commitments.
You might wonder how someone who is working a full-time job can dedicate the time and energy toward swimming, biking, and running enough to complete such a long race.
Is it even possible?
Here, I’m going to share my experience on how to train for an Ironman when working full time.
How to Create a Realistic Training Schedule for Your Full-Time Job
First, you need to start planning your week hour by hour.
Make sure you leave out some space for unexpected things to come up.
How many hours should you dedicate to training?
As I mentioned here in my triathlon training plan post, a minimum of 10-15 hours of training per week is a perfect amount of time to get ready for an Ironman triathlon.
Then, you need to explore the Ironman calendar and sign up for the race.
You want to take a vacation in advance to have the race week fully dedicated to preparation.
Third, establish a consistent training schedule.
You can block off training time in your calendar. This will help you plan wisely without communication issues with those affected by your training by setting expectations. I will elaborate on this topic further in the article.
After all, you need to be flexible and not stress about missing a few workouts each week. Instead, focus on doing what you can do.
Making the Most of Your Time
Most of the Ironman athletes swear by early training sessions and I can’t agree more.
I also use early mornings to get in a workout, even if it’s just a short one, to get my day started on the right foot.
Here is what my work-life-training balance looks like:
- I had my first training session very early. I wake up at 6.30 to get up and start at 7 am. Then, by the time everyone starts the day, I have one workout off my shoulders it turns out that I have one workout in time for work and while the children are sleeping.
- The second workout is free-flowing, depending on the work schedule and family time.
- I have a weekly training schedule, which I plan every Monday, so I can change the training sequence, shorten it, or add it.
- I book time slots in my calendar for the week of training so that there is no overlap with meetings or important calls.
- I always add personal activities to the work calendar as well to avoid overlap with meetings or calls.
Getting the Day Job Done
I also recommend that you do all your work on your phone and always have your laptop with you.
You want to answer quickly from the phone or laptop in almost any situation where it is possible. And sit down at the laptop as soon as possible at the first opportunity to get the work stuff done quickly and meet all the deadlines.
Another thing that might seem controversial for someone, especially those juggling work, family, and sports, is that I do not take a full vacation. This means that even when I’m off, I can still answer work-related messages and calls.
My work day is pretty extended. I always tell everyone that I can answer messages from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., but the time for calls and meetings is still limited. It’s mostly from 10 to 19 p.m.
I also tell everyone that they can message me every single day, but I do avoid work calls on weekends.
Another important thing that will keep you motivated is to surround yourself with people who support your goals.
Your coach, friends, and family are the crucial powers that help you move forward no matter what.
Then, you need to identify your time constraints and wasted time to make the most of your training schedule:
- use your lunch time as a workout period
- run/cycle to work
- if you’re going to the pool to swim, run there
One more advice: be flexible. Life happens, and there is no need to stress about missing a few workouts each week. Just do what you can do.
Schedule three swim, bike, and run sessions per week, but also give yourself the flexibility to miss or reschedule one each week if needed. In fact, if you have to sacrifice something, let it be the workout you are good at.
Structuring Your Ironman Training
As a novice and probably self-coached athlete who works full-time, you don’t want to overcomplicate things.
So, keep your Ironman training plan simple. Your weekly schedule can look like this:
- 2 swim sessions
- 3 bike sessions
- 2-3 run sessions
- 1 rest day (optionally)
The majority of a triathlon race is a bike leg, so you want to concentrate most of your time on cycling training.
Make sure you get three biking sessions per week.
Focus on quality over quantity.
Incorporate intervals, tempo efforts, and threshold training to maximize fitness gains in less time.
For example:
- Bike: 1 long ride, 1 interval session (e.g., 4×8 minutes at race pace), 1 recovery or technique ride.
- Run: 1 interval session (e.g., 6x1K at 10K pace), 1 long run, and optionally 1 easy recovery run.
- Swim: 1 technique-focused session, 1 interval session (e.g., 10x100m at race pace).
Also, you want to include one long workout for each discipline weekly to build endurance:
- Gradually increase your long ride to 4-6 hours.
- Build your long run to 2-3 hours.
- Aim for a continuous swim of 60-90 minutes.
Incorporate 1-2 brick sessions (bike followed by a run) every 2-3 weeks to simulate race-day fatigue and improve transition efficiency.
How to Train for an Ironman While Working Full Time: Sample Ironman Triathlon Weekly Schedule
Final Thoughts
Completing the Ironman race while working a full-time job is a huge challenge.
But, with some dedication, professional coach support, and thorough planning, this is absolutely doable.
Me, and thousands of other Ironman finishers can agree on that one.
Slowly incorporate training into your lifestyle, and soon, you will realize that you can make it work if you really want it.
Remind yourself why you started training for an Ironman in the first place – write down your goals and why they are important to you.
And don’t forget to celebrate your progress and accomplishments along the way. You are making a huge effort, and that’s something to be proud of!
Make sure you join our global triathlon community for more practical tips, insights, and communication with fellow athletes.
