Typically? It doesn't typically sell out.

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it's never been in October before so this is a new go around for 2015 - hard to tell.

Good to know. I'm doing my first 70.3 in May and wanted to finish that before deciding I want to do a full.

Did you read Susan's comment? No one knows what to expect for Lou 15.

Doing your first HIM 5 months before your first IM is not a good idea, even if you have a great time in your HIM and everything goes according to plan. Training is radically greater and you need a greater attention to a fueling strategy that works for you. I would really suggest doing your HIM and then, if you decide to go all the way, to gear up for a 2016 IM.

That's not to say it's impossible to make the jump in 5 months. But odds are high that something will go majorly wrong, and you'll just suffer your whole way through - if you can finish at all. Most people would rather have fun on their first IM, and you're probably not going to get that with this approach.

So what's wrong with some of the 5 month training programs for a full ironman? I was viewing the HIM as potentially part of training for an IM if I actually decided to do it. The HIM would certainly serve as a solid base for the IM training.

Different schools of thought on this, but generally most people like to plan a whole season around IM and work backwards so that you can build up some more base in the winter months and such.

You can definitely get fit in 5 months time to finish your first IM. May not be your best time, but it is totally possible.

I think the other posters comment comes from the idea of most people focusing on their long term goals all year as opposed to switching focus mid year. I'm not a coach or anything, so take my opinions with a grain of salt.

Thanks. That's sort of what I'm in the process of doing. I just haven't sorted out the full year. I sort of figured the HIM training and race would lead into IM training for IM Louisville. I've still got some time to figure it out

Unless you are trying to win your age group, doing a HIM and then training for 5 months for a full is perfectly ok. You should have a nice base for the full training with all the HIM training you would be doing.

The type of schedule you're looking at doing really depends on your goals. Do you want to "just finish" your Ironman debut, or do you want to make a serious run at a good place?

If it's "just finish" then ramping up to your first Half and then your first Full in the same year is fine. Personally, for me, I did 2 seasons of half races before I went into a season with my first full on the schedule. I think having 8 half races under my belt helped me do well in my first full.

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Proud Member of Chris McDonald's 2018 Big Sexy Race Team "That which doesn't kill me, will only make me stronger"
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I plan to decide and, most likely, sign up for IM LO by the end of the year. I doubt it will sell out before then.

You could use an IM plan longer than 5 months. You could start working on IM training way earlier and then you could 'simply' train through your HIM. The downside of that is the amount of training time you will lose due to tapering in/out of the half.

Like others said, it depends on your goals. IMO both are doable, but think you're better off focusing on just one until you have a couple years of training and races behind you.