Pre-training for Ironman training

Just curious, what level is that?  Fast marathoner (sub 3)?  Sub 1:00 for a 40k time?  How much are you currently training?

If you do not already have a solid base a year is a decent time to gain that.  But you are probably not going to drop 30 - 45 minutes in each discipline in that time unless you can train buckets and stay healthy.

As a reference, if you did an "average" 1:15 swim, had a 21+ mph ride for a sub 5:15 and could then run a 3:45 marathon that will still only get you just under 10:30 including transtitions and a little fudge factor.  If you are a strong cyclist and a strong marathoner than you can have an average "easy" swim and do it.  But just putting out a time without a conept of what is actually involved can set you up for failure.

I only say that because I was more than trained to break 5 in my HIM last year and because I didn't respect the distance and the swim kicked my azz my time was MUCH higher than that.

Question:  It will be your first Ironman or your first tri?

Also, the closer I get to IM distances in each discipline in training the further away I realize I am from being able to race them.

Well, you cannot physically train for 15 - 18 months to peak.  The longest sessions out there are around 24 weeks or so, and those are very specific.  The thing to do between now and then would be heavy heavy base mileage.

And you didn't answer the question.  What is your actual level now?  We have no logs, race results, etc. to view so we're flying blind.

The real answer to your question is simple.  You have two options if the plans out there don't suit your dreams:

1. Make one yourself.

2. Get a coach.

I wish you all the luck in the world, and don't know your AG or where you want to qualify, but a quick check of last year's results in various races shows a 10:30 won't get you to Kona for most younger male age groups.

IMO racing is WAY different than just training.  Things come up in races that just DON'T when you are training. 

If you want to do an IM in 2008 that's a great goal, but if you really want to hit 10:30 and actually race, the suggestion of doing a couple of half IM's this year would be CRITICAL I think.  Racing at those will be a really good tool to dial in what you're going to need to do at a full IM.

However well you've trained, however much mileage you've put in - throw a race day in there and it could all go south.  I wouldn't want to train for a year and half only to have it all go south cause I wasn't prepared for race day craziness. 

I'd also think the best bet for you would be to get a coach who could help you with your plan, but if that's not going to work, a good starting point might be one of the HIM plans on this site (at least to see how you do at that kind of volume before ramping it up for IM.)  If you want the strength training, just add some in there - the plans at Silver/Gold level pretty inclusive of everything you need as well as discussing some weekly strategy and what you should be focusing on.  A good way to start, and will give you background if you then decide to create your own plan.

Good luck!

"Ride lots."

Good cycling legs (and lungs) will make or break you. 

*I* would break down the time I’ll have between the day I want to kick off my IM training and my IM race. Then I would determine my training zones/paces and power through field test as a way to measure where my current fitness level is and how far away I am from my future goal. I would also determine my limiter(s) and focus on that for a big chunk of time (4-6 week cycles). I would make sure to add at least a couple of HIM in between; 1^st to have a short term goal to look forward for, 2nd to incorporate long recovery periods (2-4 week of unstructured training) to avoid getting mentally burnt up and 3^rd to gauge how close or not I am from my IM goal time. Finally I would work exclusively on building a solid aerobic base and use summer short distance races (Oly/sprints, 20/40K TT, 10K half marathon, OWS races, etc) as my intensity workouts and take my time building up to a considerable volume rotating my focus every month (i.e. one month swim, next bike, next run, etc) Of course you could get all this and just focus on training if you get a coach ;) 

We all have goals which drive us; but without a solid plan and objective benchmarks it will be a lot harder to accomplish it… Good luck!