i plan on doing an olympic as soon as i get out of school in may . i have been running for years and i am 19 yrs old. i see 20 week programs to train for an IM and i feel i would be able to be ready for a HIM by the time may rolls around. I realize that 2008 would be for sure if i train hard but another part is how to train. do i just go out and bike or do u go out and swim. for running i do intervals then a long run, hills another day etc.

Christmas Eve 2002, at age 51 and 232lbs, I put out my last cigarette and eight months later - to the day - August 24th 2003, I finished my first IronManCanada in 15:08:00.

If you think you can do it or if you think that you can't, you're probably right.

Good Luck in whatever you decide.

PoC
just do it.

One of my favorite quotes is a Japanese proverb:
"Make haste slowly."
Look at me or especially POC, in our 50's and living an Iron Life.
IM is an awesome goal and at 19 you DO have plenty of time to get healthy get a good training plan or coach and tackle it when you ARE ready.
POC..I never knew that about you...you have my utmost respect.

vats, youth is a wonderful thing-- go for it! Do your homework, Tri-athlete Training Bible, set a training plan and focus on your goal. Learn all you can, find a tri group in your area and keep visiting trifuel.

Not a good swimmer or biker, spend the winter in the pool and on the stationary bike. Get some coaching if you can or hangout at the swim team practices. Continue running over the winter, building your base and mileage.

Do the marathon in the spring to get an idea of distance, sign up for the oly and a 70.3, squeeze in some sprints too if you can. The more you race the better prepared you'll be.

You'll know if your ready. Work hard, keep your eyes on the prize.

Good luck.

One of the ALOT older guys.:D

in my opinion summer 2007 would be easy for u mate.....takes 6months to train for ironman...if you follow a structured training program I see no reason why you wouldnt be able to complete it in the summer.

I set myself a target of training for the aus ironman in december this year...i started training in may, 6months, i hadn't done a tri before, bought my bike first week of may, had some swimming lessons as i have never really swum...apart from like "fun" swimming while on holiday if you know what I mean, and had never done a half marathon let alone a full marathon.

3months into training a friend and I who is also competeing in the ironma in aus set out our own half IM as a tester....took just over 6 hours where the bike and run were over hills....now only 6 weeks to go, completed another brick today, 5hours 30 on the bike, 1 hr 15mins run, feeling good and looking forward to my next training session.

Both of us are fully confident on completing the IM....infact my mate has already done one before.....and with his experience I aint looking back....remember a lot of it is mental attiude in my opinion. Dont mess about, set your date, focus, plan, you'll do it!!

Go for it!!

Dude, you JUST got that bike. Take a few years and finish college first. IM training is a full time thing. Another concern is your long term health and longevity in the sport. You CAN do an IM in year. Would it be the best idea? Prolly not. As others have suggested, build up over the course of a couple of years, doing longer races every year.

The IM is definately a great goal. Just dont get suckered into thinking it is THE goal. And at $450 for entry fees plus hotel room and food for a few days, it isnt a cheap goal.

levels, you another eccc biker?
I'm 20 and I've been doing tri's for 5 years and although ironman is a lifetime goal, I don't plan on attempting one soon. I just race olympic and sprints as fast as I can for now. Maybe I'll do a half in 2008. But I have some oly distance time goals that I would like to reach before I move up distances. I would rather continue to build up my base. I do not want to just complete the half or ironman, but I want to be fast.

Definitely bring your bike to school and keep it in your dorm room. Biking is definitely the best way to build the huge aerobic base necessary to do an ironman. Join your collegiate cycling team, work on your swim technique maybe with lessons, a masters team, or make friends with someone on your swim team. Learn to love riding your bike. That's the best way to build a base.

I suppose you could do it PoC style and do an IM this summer if its your goal to do IM as soon as possible, but I would work up to it and not risk burning yourself out and turning yourself off the sport entirely with one race. PoC, more props to you for sticking with the sport where many others would stop after completing their initial goal. There will be a lot more glory in finishing in 10 hours in 3 years than walking in in 16 this summer and never doing it again. I know some college guys with big egos who wanted to show off and did a half iron man. They didn't really train, finished in over 9 hours, and haven't done another tri since (and now they think I'm totally off my rocker, but its mutual because I couldn't care less how much I (or anybody else for that matter) can bench)...

POC you ROCK!!!:)

Anton, Levels, Brit, Cat, thanks very much for the nod.
I meant only to show by example that it can be done by next summer, and I'm no Ironstar by any means.
But I want also to say what a great thrill it is to finish an IM,
so why deny yourself that pleasure for even another year?
They always say that doing well at Ironman is a matter of accumulating a lot of experience, so does it make sense to put off your first attempt?
Get out there and do it.
You learn more by doing it than by studying books, listening to coaches and even listening to finishers.

I was in Kona as a journalist in 1993 and followed Mark Allen and Pauli Kiuru around all day in a press truck - out to Hawi and back, out to the energy lab and back, and I sat by the finish line until 1am (!) until the last competitor had finished. The inspiration was phenomenal, but it took ten years for me to get all the pieces together: the training time, the budget, the physical soundness, until I couldn't put it off another year and I signed up in August 2002. As I said I quit smoking December 24th and started training the next day, but know this:

I wish I had not delayed the ten friggin' years in between!

VAT - DO IT NOW!

I wish I had.

PoC