Colby... Ladies... I dreamed of doing an Ironman last night!

[Tri Girl]

VERY cool dream!!!

IMFL would be nice, but you could also try IMLP. It's late July, so you could do most of your training starting in January. OR.... you could just do an iron distance race that's not an M Dot race sometime else in the late summer/early fall (ahem... Redman in OKC... ).
There is also the Great Floridian (had a friend that did that one and he liked it), IMWI (in Madison in early Sept), Chesapeake Man in Maryland (Sept.29), or even the Tri One O One race in the Woodlands on Nov. 11 (101.06 mile race- a new series this year).
I totally understand if you have your heart set on an M Dot, but there are LOTS of other options for iron distance if you can't get into an M Dot.

Awesome, dream!!!!

[KSH]

VERY cool dream!!!

IMFL would be nice, but you could also try IMLP. It's late July, so you could do most of your training starting in January. OR.... you could just do an iron distance race that's not an M Dot race sometime else in the late summer/early fall (ahem... Redman in OKC... ).
There is also the Great Floridian (had a friend that did that one and he liked it), IMWI (in Madison in early Sept), Chesapeake Man in Maryland (Sept.29), or even the Tri One O One race in the Woodlands on Nov. 11 (101.06 mile race- a new series this year).
I totally understand if you have your heart set on an M Dot, but there are LOTS of other options for iron distance if you can't get into an M Dot.

Awesome, dream!!!!

Well, I am back to considering the Redman as my first IM. I figure do 1 IM, work out the kinks... then do my second one as an M Dot race and be ready for it.

It's just so hard to figure it all out... when you have to register for an M Dot race 1 year in advance. I do know that I can't train Nov/Dec/Jan/Feb. I'm just too much of a weather whimp.

I saw the Tri 101 race in Houston... but if I'm going the distance, I am going the FULL distance.

IMLP- that's in NY right? No way. Too far away and it sounds cold.

I think IMFL would be my best bet. Although I would probably need to go watch/volunteer so I could register at the site. I heard for some of the IM's, when people register at the site, they line up a day ahead of time and camp out. UGH.

[rocknrollgirl]

IMLP is HILLY, HILLY, HILLY...I mean huge hills....... so flatter might be the way to go to start. Right?

[Wahine]

IMLP is HILLY, HILLY, HILLY...I mean huge hills....... so flatter might be the way to go to start. Right?

Yup.

KSH - if you have the base it takes about 6 months to do a decent job of training for IM. I take 8 months but that's so I can fit in 2 build cycles and race cycles.

[colby]

You guys are making it harder and harder to say I couldn't do an IM in a year, but it seems totally crazy to have done a couple of sprints, a marathon, a few HMs, whatever I do this year, then go straight into IM... nuts I tell you.

I'm really debating HIM this year. I think i could do July or August. I'm just concerned that I have no training plans, I'm doing it all on my own. Maybe that's not so bad...

So, KSH, if you're not convinced yet, I just about am...

[KSH]

You guys are making it harder and harder to say I couldn't do an IM in a year, but it seems totally crazy to have done a couple of sprints, a marathon, a few HMs, whatever I do this year, then go straight into IM... nuts I tell you.

I'm really debating HIM this year. I think i could do July or August. I'm just concerned that I have no training plans, I'm doing it all on my own. Maybe that's not so bad...

So, KSH, if you're not convinced yet, I just about am...

Colby, DO AN HIM this year! DO IT! It's laying the base for an IM.

My HIM is in October.

I have a coach... so that's my training plan. Now, I just have to do everything he tells me to do. He gives me one rest day a week, yet somehow I always end up with two. Oopss!

Otherwise, if you join Beginner Triathlete and pay a small fee for the Bronze plan, you can have access to training plans made by a coach. It would be money well spent and cheaper than a coach (although mine is only $85 a month- and he gives me weekly training plans).

Once you get a HIM under you, you can make the decision on the IM. Your HIM will be earlier enough in the year that you can probably find an M Dot IM for 2008.

As for me, unless I do a non-M Dot IM, I can't do an IM until 09.

[colby]

Colby, DO AN HIM this year! DO IT! It's laying the base for an IM.

My HIM is in October.

I have a coach... so that's my training plan. Now, I just have to do everything he tells me to do. He gives me one rest day a week, yet somehow I always end up with two. Oopss!

Otherwise, if you join Beginner Triathlete and pay a small fee for the Bronze plan, you can have access to training plans made by a coach. It would be money well spent and cheaper than a coach (although mine is only $85 a month- and he gives me weekly training plans).

Once you get a HIM under you, you can make the decision on the IM. Your HIM will be earlier enough in the year that you can probably find an M Dot IM for 2008.

As for me, unless I do a non-M Dot IM, I can't do an IM until 09.

Good advice, KSH. I'm a little concerned that July 8th would be too soon, otherwise I'd sign up for IM 70.3 in Lake Stevens, WA, which isn't TOO far from where I live. I don't mind traveling across the state. There is a HIM locally, small race, August 5th. There are at least one or two more within decent driving distance, the latest being September 15th. I am crazy and would like to run the marathon again at the end of November, so I guess I have to be careful about going too late.

Hmm, food for thought... could I really ramp up by July 8th, today being April 18th? That's 3 months, or 11 weeks. Seems tight. August 5th might be better, another 4 weeks. Plus I'd get to sleep in my own bed the night before.

If I did an Iron race, I would love to do IMCdA, which means I'd also get to sleep in my own bed the night before. That's June 24th, and last year it sold out in two days. That means if I want in, I'd signing up this year before I even do a HIM. Of course, if we follow the Tri Girl model of "just do it" signups, that doesn't matter. What a serious commitment. I'm usually a last minute commitment type of person (bad colby).

If I didn't sign up, I'd be in the non-Mdot for 2008 and committing like you in 2009 if I wanted Mdot.

[Starfish]

Yup.

KSH - if you have the base it takes about 6 months to do a decent job of training for IM. I take 8 months but that's so I can fit in 2 build cycles and race cycles.

How would you describe/quantify a decent base for IM training?