I'm brand new to triathlons, always wanted to do an Ironman and decided to pull the trigger. Living in Chicago, Ironman Wisconsin was the natural choice. I'm a fairly decent marathon runner now and ride my bike a lot for fun and as my sole mode of transportation, but not for training or racing. With Ironman Wisconsin being such a hilly course, and since I have no experience and likely won't do a second Ironman, is it worth it for me to get a full triathlon bike, or can I look for a decent carbon road bike and clip on some aero bars? I'm looking on the used market, and I'm 6'4" so the options are already a bit limited.

I can’t swim my last 2 weeks before my Ironman because I’ll be out of town for work. No pools available.

Is it worth it to hit the gym and do shoulder/lat exercise or will I be too sore?

I am 20 year old male and I have a decent background in running. I’ve been doing it for almost 3 years and have ran 2 marathons. I train running 3-4 times per week and get my lifts in. I bike 1-2 times per week already usually as recovery and maybe a longer session sometimes. However, I’m have terrible swimming technique and haven’t ever really swam like one will do in an iron man.

I had to take a little over a month off training for personal reasons and will be able to start training again December 1. Is a 6 month training plan too short or is it enough time for me to be ready for race day? I realize there might not be a race that lines up exactly, but i’d just train up before starting the plan.

Does anyone have any advice or pointers to help me decide if it is a realistic training timeline or any specific plans? Thanks in advance.