Straight to Full or Halfway first?

If you're going to register to do a full next year you SHOULD do several Oly's and at least one 1/2. If you can fit in 2, even better.

Good luck.

I know some will disagree, but I've been told I need to have waaaaay more miles on my legs in all three disciplines before I can give an IM it's due. Was hoping to do Wisconsin in 2007, after 4 seasons of Sprints, Olympics and Halves... Including Half Marathons and a full marathon this fall... but my "coach" doesn't think 2007 is a realistic goal.

On long weekend workout days my group does 80+ mile bike rides followed by 15-17 mile runs. Bad A$$ bricks. I'm not ready for that yet. Could do the bikes and the runs individually, but not as bricks. And that's the key to the whole training. 

An IM is a long trecherous and awful experience, ,pushing you further than you've been pushed before. I've been told it takes years of preparation, and with that in mind, I'm probably looking at 2008 myself... unless I do exceptionally well this year. We will have to see.

Whatever you decide, it's a personal decision, and I can't wait to hear about your journey from Sprint to IM!

Good Luck.

Whiz 

It depends on what your goals are. There are several people, off the top of my head: me, JeepFleeb, OldAg92, that are doing an IM in their first year, and many others in their second. Its possible, but your main goal can only be to finish. To finish with a great time is another story...well, we'll have to see how Jeep does next week, he might be the exception.

Go with what you're comfortable with, but its safer to have more miles under your belt.

I think you and your coach are both very smart people! It seems that some people tend to forget that an IM is a big deal and a big commitment. But then again we all have different goals and motivations.

>>>To original poster - good luck on what you decide!

It really has nothing to do with the amount of races you've done prior an IM. It is about the type of aerobic base you have. Developing your aerobic fitness for an event like IM takes time. True you "might" be able to train and your "might" finish with a year for training. But it is not only the fact that you sign up, you train x hrs a week and race. It is a big commitment to you, your family, friends, job, etc. I haven’t done one and I have no plans do to one in the near future as my goals are different. BUT I have many friends training for IM and most state how big of a commitment it really is. Some people get the joy of doing lots (races, training), some others use it as a goal to live a healthier life, others do it to be competitive and yet others maybe do it for all/none…  It is so inspirational to hear stories from athletes from different backgrounds and how a small triathlon changed their life. Now they are doing racing every years and even doing HIM, IM, ultras, etc. It really doesn’t matter as long as you Tri    I think any challenge is achievable as long as we commit to it and dare to go for it. Just don’t over extend your limits and be safe…

Wow, lots of great thoughts from everyone, thanks!  Based on a lot of good information and a little reflection I've decided to aim for a HIM next year, perhaps the Buffalo Springs HIM in late June. 

Being WAAAAYYAYAYAYAYA out of shape (well, round is a shape...) I think it would be a good idea to set a challenging, but achievable goal.  That's not to say I don't think I could finish an IM in a year (that IS all I was planning for, forgot to mention), but being in school and working full time takes a bite out of the time.  Curses, I need a sponsor who caters to me and lets me focus on training!  Is there a patron saint for triathletes?  I wonder which one would be good for that?  Or maybe a greek god... Mercury?  Is that the guy with the winged shoes?

Anyway, the plan now is to train towards weigh loss and prep for a HIM next year.  I gotta find some 10k's and half-marys to get up to speed and look for a late season Oly or something... i bet I could look at Aaron's training logs and find all of that!  Oh yeah, and keep track of Aaron tearing it up on Saturday!