Download a framework only after checking the runway
The PDF turns a selected build length and race date into a printable week-by-week outline. It is not an individualized prescription. Before downloading, confirm that recent swim, bike and run consistency makes the opening weeks plausible.
Choose the longer runway when the shorter option would require an immediate jump in frequency, long-session duration or training stress. A later start does not make compressed training safer.
Complete the readiness screen
| Question | Ready to proceed | Adjust first |
|---|---|---|
| Can you swim, ride and run with stable technique at easy effort? | yes | build basic consistency |
| Has recent weekly frequency been repeatable? | yes | choose fewer sessions |
| Are pain, illness and daily function stable? | yes | pause and seek appropriate care |
| Can work, sleep and family absorb the opening month? | yes | use a longer or lower-volume lane |
| Is the race date and course confirmed by the organizer? | yes | verify before anchoring dates |
Personalize the printed plan
After download, mark:
- the fixed race date and any travel;
- current weekly swim, bike and run frequency;
- long-session access and safe routes;
- recovery days protected by work or family;
- equipment, open-water and fueling rehearsals;
- the weeks where training must reduce rather than accumulate.
The useful plan is the one that can be adjusted. When a week is missed, do not squeeze two weeks together. Resume from the last repeatable load, remove intensity first when recovery is poor, and reconsider the race goal when the remaining runway no longer supports the work.
Use the PDF with the live decision tools
The IRONMAN training hub explains how the phases fit together. Use the training start-date calculator to compare alternative runways and the 70.3 fueling planner only for rehearsed nutrition assumptions.
Public plans cannot account for swimming skill, bike fit, terrain, climate, disability, menstrual cycle, medication, previous injury or access to safe training. Those are reasons to adjust the framework, not to hide them.
Stop and reassess
Stop training and seek appropriate medical assessment for chest pain, fainting, severe breathing difficulty, an acute injury, or pain that changes normal movement. Persistent fatigue or illness also needs an individual decision.
26weeks can adapt supported goal pathways from completed training and the actual event date; the downloadable PDF remains a planning artifact. It does not diagnose readiness and is not medical advice.