you'll probably get many more analytical responses than mine, which is why ST is great. there's a lot of missing info about you that others will likely want to know. what was the 70.3 result/course, what was your training like for that, nutrition strategy, etc etc etc.

that all being said, I did tremblant as my first IM this year. it was awesome, the more you search on the forum for info about it, the more you'll read all the positive things people have to say about the race, so you've picked a great one to work towards! as far as training volume, i started IM-specific training in march, and started at about 7.5 hours/week and worked up to my biggest weeks being 14-15 hrs (only 2 or 3 weeks were this high). i finished in 11:22. for some reference for you, i have 10 years experience in racing distances (mostly sprints, but have done 4x 70.3s) before I did the ironman (my 70.3 PB is 4:53). so im by no means elite and i got by just fine on an average volume of probably 11-12 hrs/week. you'll read many people do 15+ hours/week average, with big weeks pushing 18-20 hours, for an ironman. this approach is great, but not a prerequisite to finish and have fun. some people average 10 hours per week and do just fine. so the short answer to your question, is that it depends.

my advice is to read up on this forum, there's so much good info on this site about IM training volume and strategies. also, try and figure out your strengths/weaknesses. you'll read, and I would agree, bike fitness is king for IM. not just to smoke the bike split, but you need to get off the bike as fresh as possible to be able to run. this was my philosophy and my overall training was bike-focused because it's a relative weakness for me. i've read some people have 4.5 or 5 hours as their longest bike ride of training and maybe only do that once or twice...i did 5 training rides of 100+ miles/6 hours (longest was 115) to really try and have great bike endurance bc its what i felt i needed to focus on most. and i would say it worked for me. so the point is, try to figure out your best recipe for success. that doesn't just mean blindly training as many hours per week as your life will allow.

DO IT!! If you're asking, just commit. If you have a program that worked for a half, then it really isn't that much different. All you're doing is increasing your long rides... The high volume really only lasts a month... Here is the training plan I used. Once I figured out what worked for me, I modified it greatly... My race was October 13 and had so much fun I signed up for Lake Placid July 26 next year. Can't wait!!

PS-There are some HARD CORE people on here with awesome advice. But if you're just looking to finish strong and enjoy the day, just build up your biking as much as you can and use the plan that got you to 70.3.

Six months out:
Aim for five key sessions each week.
• Monday – 1 hour swim
• Tuesday – 1 hour cycle
• Wednesday - DAY OFF
• Thursday – 45 to 60 min. run
• Friday – 1 hour swim
• Saturday – 60 min. run
• Sunday – 2 to 3 hour cycle

Five months out:
Gradually increase the time spent on each discipline in the schedule above by roughly 10 percent each week. At the end of the first two months, I suggest taking a week’s break before ramping up your training with a 16-week IRONMAN-specific schedule. You can also use this time to address any technical issues.

Four months out:
• Monday – DAY OFF
• Tuesday – 1.5 hour cycle/1 hour run
• Wednesday – 1 hour swim
• Thursday – 1.5 hour cycle/1 hour run
• Friday – 1 hour swim
• Saturday – 3 to 4 hour cycle/15 min. run off the bike
• Sunday – 40 min. ocean swim/ 1.5 hour run
You should increase the cycle and run times by 10 percent (on average) each week throughout the month, allowing one week to be slightly less as a recovery week.

Three months out:
• Monday – DAY OFF
• Tuesday – 1.5 hour cycle/70 min. run
• Wednesday – 1 hour swim increasing distance at session
• Thursday – 2 hour cycle
• Friday – 1 hour swim
• Saturday – 4 to 5 hour cycle/20 min run off the bike
• Sunday – 45 min ocean swim/1.45 run

Two months out:
If possible, include an Olympic or half-distance race about six to eight weeks before your IRONMAN. Also include race simulation brick sessions – that include a swim, bike and run. (They don’t have to be long ones.)
• Monday – DAY OFF
• Tuesday – 2hour cycle/1 hour run
• Wednesday – 4km swim
• Thursday – 1.5 hour ride/ 1.5 hour run
• Friday – 1 hour swim
• Saturday – 6 to 7 hour ride/10 min. run off the bike
• Sunday – 45 min. ocean swim/1 hour cycle/2 hour run

One month out:
• Monday – DAY OFF
• Tuesday – 1.5 hour cycle/1 hour run
• Wednesday – 4km swim reducing to 3km until taper week
• Thursday – 1 hour cycle/1.5 hour run
• Friday – 1 hour swim
• Saturday – 4 hour cycle
• Sunday – 30 min. ocean swim/1 hour cycle/1.5 hour run

Pre-race week:
• Monday - DAY OFF
• Tuesday – 2 hour cycle/1 hour run
• Wednesday – 1 hour swim
• Thursday – 45 min. cycle/30 min. run
• Friday – DAY OFF
• Saturday – 20 min. swim/30 min. cycle/10 min. run
• Sunday July 26 Lake Placid IRONMAN Race Day. Enjoy!

Hey thanks for the insight, much appreciated! Sorry I was a big vague in my OP. My result for the 70.3 was 5.10 and I was coming off training for a few Olympic races so had't done much different in preparation for the 70.3. Had a good few longer distance 3 hour+ rides also in the weeks leading up and ran up to about 9 miles. I didn't have any issues with nutrition and stuck to a pretty standard plan of taking in about 300 cals per hour in the form of gels and carb drink. I will definitely go digging through the forums for past threads on this topic as I am sure there are plenty. Thanks again for the helpful feedback.

Hey thanks so much for the program, really kind of you. I guess my concern was that I would have to be doing really long workouts all the time and that it would basically take up all of my free time. I am fine with this being the case in the immediate weeks leading up to the race but just couldn't sustain this for like 6 months. I definitely want to go for it and I think I will sign up soon. It will be am awesome goal to look forward to at the end of next season.

It sounds like you have a great base fitness. Don't get intimidated by how you hear people talking about a full IM. Seriously, I had never biked or swam longer than the Olympic distances. I ran an April Marathon, but hurt my knee and pretty much only lifted and swam until July 1st. I did a sprint triathlon that weekend and could barely finish the run without walking through the aid stations-I was so out of shape... But I started working hard July 1st. So it is TOTALLY doable. I even got pneumonia September 9th and did NOTHING for 2 weeks... The race was October 13 and I was fine.

YOURE GOING TO LOVE IT!!

Go for it, I think the recommendations for IM, and the prep in general are massively overblown.

My own n+1 experience - in 2006 I lost a lot of weight and in 2007 started exercise on doctors advice. I did my first HM 1:36 in April. May I bought a bike and started riding for the first time. June I did my first Marathon in 3:28. July my first Oly tri. August my first HIM (Wiesbaden) and then September my first IM, in 11hours more or less exactly, four months after buying a bike.

It remains my second best IM performance - despite years afterwards of doing it 'correctly' with periodized plans over 6 months and whatever else was popular at the time, it took me ages to beat that time.

No PM, no HR, just enjoying training as I felt.

Go for it and enjoy yourself, the same with the training.

Enjoy it, that's the main thing.

Thanks for the support guys : )

Did my first IM this year after a bunch of 70.3s over the past few years and the biggest difference in my mind isn't the training load, but it's the nutrition. In a half, you can kind of wing it and survive, but the full is a different story. I ended up hiring a nutritionist who helped me with a plan and it ended up being great. Just food for thought.

You're way faster in the half than I am, so I'll spare you my training plan thoughts.

ps - considering Tremblant for my second IM, so maybe I'll see you out there.

The # of people who toe the line at an IM is much, much, much > than the number of people who should have actually toed the line.

You can race an IM, well complete an IM off as little as 10h per week. To not half ass it though is going to require a more substantial investment in training time.

It's like golf in some respects. You can go play knowing your game isn't up to par (hahaha pun intended). That means you have to play conservative. You lay up instead of going for it over the water. You get the ball on the green in 3 instead of 2 on a par 4. You play to not make mistakes. That's about 70%, maybe 75% of all athletes that tee it up for an IM. They just don't have the fitness to do anything other than go from start to finish and hope they don't screw something up yet 50% of that 70% will screw something up and end up with as much walking as running +/- a touch.

Now the other 25-30% have invested more training time, some a lot more than others but enough that they can take some shots here & there and still have a good race. They can decide to be tactical & decide to try to hit the green in 2 carrying over the water. Sure some are going to blow up and hang out on the course for an extra hour or so but some are going to be rewarded with a great race.

IMO the first step when I have an athlete come to me wanting to do an IM is have them step back and evaluate their life, do they have the time, do they have the flexibility to put in some solid training for months on end? Do they have the spousal support etc?

IMO there is nothing wrong with just racing 70.3 and shorter. You can be a lot more aggressive in those races off 10h. You can get into a pissing match with someone on the bike and still pull a great race out of the rabbits hat. That's not going to happen in an IM.

Anyway food for thought before you decide anything else. ymmv

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

Hey thanks for the great insight. Yes I totally get what your are saying here. Honestly I don't think I would sign up for an IM if I did not intend to the work it takes to have a good performance on race day. Obviously a bunch of things could go wrong on the day (even if I have put in the time) but I would definitely be looking to have a strong finish and not walking most of the marathon. Finishing doesn't mean all that much to me unless I finish strong and I feel satisfied with the work that I have done. I intend on putting in the time necessary to be well prepared going in to my race, otherwise I would definitely just stick to the shorter course races. Luckily I am in a good position to train a lot of hours and have some great support behind me. Wish me luck and thanks again for the insight : )