IM Training - Enough time or Not?

How big of a problem would I have if I planned to do a full IM this fall (AZ-community fund entry). I just want to finish and have no time goal for my first IM. I feel like I have a good base and am finishing up a HIM 12 week plan that I’ve really enjoyed and hasn’t just completely wiped me out or anything. I actually found it much easier than straight marathon training 5-6 days a week. Realistically I would like to do my first HIM next month to make sure of my training before registering for a full IM (and will as long as slots remain available), but I don’t want to miss out on one of the remaining slots for AZ Nov. Some say don’t rush it and enjoy the sport (do some sprits, halves etc), but I really don’t want to wait an entire year to year 1/2 before I take the plunge on the full as there are some upcoming family issues in 09 that may through a kink into training as hard as I need to.

So background - have run for the past 3 years, completed 7 marathons and numerous halves. Before Feb this year I just basically just ran, nothing else. Occasionally took a day to ride to change up from the 5 or so days of running each week.

So far this year:
Run:
December - Marathon
January - Marathon
February - Marathon
Since then kept base of 20-25 miles a week with long runs of 10-15 miles some weeks.

Bike since Feb:
Long Rides of: 2 @ 35, 42, 45, 50, 2 @ 52, 2 @ 60, 1 @ 62. Most of these have had 3-5 mile runs afterwards and then long run the following day.
Also, 2 weekly rides each week since Feb of 25-35 miles each ride

Swim since Feb:
Usually 2 swims a week ranging from 1750-2500 yards a time. Obviously swimming isn’t my strength, but I feel like I’ve done enough to get to T1.

So with this kind of base, what am I looking like with a 6+ month window of training time before Arizona IM?

Thanks for any input…

go for it, you will be fine
.

Go for it. I would also say do some olympics and a half IM or 2 this year. That way after this year you will know better how much you like tri. training, how much training you like to/can do and what race distances you like best.

I just did AZ on Sunday as my first, you sound like you would be fine. All I would really do is increase your biking to 100-200 miles a week. I followed a 20 week plan (I can send it to you if you PM me with your e-mail) and a HIM in the middle would be a good training day for the full.

Go for it. I would also say do some olympics and a half IM or 2 this year. That way after this year you will know better how much you like tri. training, how much training you like to/can do and what race distances you like best.

I can tell you that definitely from a training standpoint, I like Tri’s A LOT more than just the straight marathons. Training in each sport 3x a week vs just flat out running 5-6 days a week is SO much more enjoyable that I really wish I had started it 3 years ago. I have really enjoyed every minute of the training. I love running, but running 5-6 days a week can wear on you at times! The only downside to the Tri training is that even though it seems to be less pressure on my body, the time factor is huge. It’s not just grabbing a pair of shoes and hitting the door.

I am thinking that I really will like the halves and full IM (even though I haven’t done one yet) the most in that I hate running 5k’s as their just blood and guts for 3 miles, 10k’s are ok, but I really like settling into a rhythem in the half marathons or full marathons instead of the just full runs of the 5k’s and 10k’s.

You are golden. Go for it!!

You can get there from where you are. You’re on the same track I was on before my first IM a few years ago. If you hit the training hard – and based on your track record, you’ve got a handle on the kind of training volume you’ll need to start doing – you’ll survive.

The real key to finishing your first IM with so little long course experience is going to be mastering fueling and pacing. Fueling and pacing can seem intuitive but there’s way more science and experimentation necessary than most of us newcomers to the sport realize. Until you’ve done a few races this long, you just can’t appreciate how delicate the balance is between feeling fine and a total meltdown. At the right bike pace with temps in the 60s, you may need a bottle of Gatorade and a half bottle of water an hour plus a GU shot, but if the temperature hits 90, you’re looking at a totally different plan. And without any experience, it will be a complete crapshoot what that plan should look like. Will you need two bottles of Gatorade, a bottle of water, two Salt Stick tablets an hour? Can you even stand drinking Gatorade when it gets hot? (When the temp hit 90 at IMCDA two years ago and the last leg had us pedaling into a stiff wind, I stopped digesting anything, even Gatorade. And I had trained hard with Gatorade in 70 and 80 degree heat). I started drinking water and swallowing Endurolytes, but couldn’t find a way to digest anything with calories. I wound up walk/jogging the whole marathon. (Tip to the wise – don’t even try to swallow a handful of pretzels if you can’t generate saliva.)

So my advice is that you take the fueling and pacing issues just as seriously as the training. Find someone who can help you analyze your needs using your training as a laboratory. If you take this stuff seriously, you stand a great chance of finishing. But there’s absolutely no way to “wing” this stuff in an IM.

PM me if you have any questions at all.

Thanks for all the advice…Lukily I live about 60 miles from the Gulf of Mexico therefore having about 3 months out of the year (at least it seems!) that the temps aren’t 80 or above. It is a contstant battle while marathon training during the middle of summer to experiment with the right pace vs. humidity vs. heat vs. caloric and drink intake. Also, very luckily I somehow have a stomach of steal and can just about handle anything. I do realize there is a LOT more training involved in an IM than just a marathon, but I know through training the last three years in the dead heat of summer how my body reacts to what. I usually have a pretty good handle of what I can actually do vs what I want to do in the heat and know when to dial it back a few notches when it’s one of those brutal days.