Im not sure i even consider myself normal, but im wondering what it would take to do ironman. Ive wanted to do it since i first ever heard about it probably 10 or so years ago. Now i am about to finish college and that will open up a lot of free time to be able to train for it. But can i hold down a job or continue going to school and train for it? Or do I need to take time off and devote myself completely to ironman? And how much time before the event do I need to start specifically training for it?

Yes, common people can do Ironman events. Most of the participants are everyday people like you and me. Conservatively you would need to train for 12-15 hours per week for 36 weeks in order to complete the event. That of course is dependant on your conditioning and strength of each discipline. Many often choose to complete in a sprint or olympic distance event the first year. If all goes well then you can start thinking about moving up to 1/2 iron or full.

I always caution people about jumping right in and going for an iron distance right away. Too many people get burnt out or worse yet injured from doing too much too fast.

I dont have a lot of triathlon experience but lots of running. Ive done marathons and 50k's. Im hoping to get a new bike for my graduation present and then Id like to do a half ironman in september. And if that goes well, I'd like to try the full distance next summer.

The thing is that i know you have to usually sign up for these ironman events like a year in advance. And right now i still feel clueless about everything.

Your partly right about the Ironman races filling up quickly. If you enter into an Ironman trademark race you do need to do that a year early. Registration for those events open the day after the event for the following year. US and Canada events close within 2-4 days. You can enter into overseas events much closer to race date.

However there are iron and 1/2 iron distance events not under the Ironman trademark. Some of those events you can register for as late as the week before. Living in Chicago you can look at an event in Lake Geneva Wisconsin. They offer 1/2 iron distance and dont close the field. It is much smaller than many other events but if you want to participate for the distance and not the event it would be ok. You should also still be able to sign up for the chicago tri. Its not a 1/2 iron distance but you could sign up with a local training group to gain experience and meet others in your area that will be completing the same event.

For experience I would look at some local tri clubs in your area. Chicago endurance sports offers training, and from what I hear there are some very experienced people willing to help new participants into the sport.

I created a new thread instead of replying. Anyway, here's my two cents again:

For what I have been reading, normal people can do an IronMan event. But, one thing is to (do) complete an IM and the other is to race an IM. Normal people aim just to finish it. I am training for an IM, my first. I’m a full time office worker 40hrs M-F, father of one 9 years old daughter (ballet classes, rehearsals, soccer practices), husband of a very active gal (her activities doesn’t include sports whatsoever), home-owner (home remodeling, paint house, fix garage door, clean the yard, etc), student of on-line classes and indeed I make time to run, ride, swim. Did I mention I’m 41?. My last tri was an 1/2IM in September. Don’t dare to ask my time! As I go I like more and more to go out and practice. I sort out the various activities as they come along. My bulk of time out-there is in the early hours of the weekends. By 10 am I’m back home from a 3-4hr work out. In weekdays I take 2hr. lunch which are dedicated to the gym (Bike-Run), swimming is the hardest ‘cause I got to go to the pool and come back that takes me 90 min more, but I sort it out. Many times my girls complain but at the end they support me. This year I planned out a short tri (ICE breaker-Folsom) an Olimpic (SJIT) and 1/2IM (Santa Cruz), also I have 3 marathons lined up.
The IM goal is 05 Wisconsin (if I am lucky enough to get a place). If not in 2005 it will be in 2006, 07… Hey! as long I am having fun doing this I’ll keep my hopes up. I know I need some one to coach me for an IM; by myself it won’t happen. Also I need a tri bike. I have read the threads here and are very informative, I’ve narrowed down my choices and soon will get a bike. So there you go. Figure out your activities, join a trigroup, subscribe to a trimagazine, join websites like this one, have fun and do an IM. Who knows after your first you may be racing one.

Wow, you have a very busy life. That's good to know that it is possible to have a life and still train for ironman. I wonder about students doing ironman. I would love to do the WI 2005. I volunteered at it last year and it seemed like a very well run event with a good course. Registration opens the next day and I think you can get in if you sign up on that day. The thing is that its in Sept and ill probably be in school and I noticed that there's a lot of pre-race stuff the days before. I dont know if I'd be able to miss classes for all of it. Do you know how many days before the event most people typically get there?

I’ve read that they get to the venue within days of the competition. The pros get there with one week or more in advance to take control of all the variables in advance. In IM Canada 2003 Air Canada with HQ in Toronto felt the full effects of the blackout on the east coast just over a week prior to the race and a computer virus hit systems a few days later. Flights were delayed, cancelled and missed with bikes and luggage often days late in arriving. So I guess is better to be there with plenty of time.