My First Tin Man and Iron Man Next Year

Justin Nothem

Hello,

My name is Justin and I am new to the Triathlon community! This summer I have done 2 sprints so far, I have a duathlon this Saturday (It was supposed to be my first Olympic Distance, but the event was canceled ), and I am doing an Olympic Distance Relay next Sunday. 

ABOUT ME AS IT MIGHT HELP YOU ANSWER THE QUESTIONS

I am 30 years old. In high school, I was very competitive. I was in football, track, cross country, and wrestling. I was in the best shape of my life. 

During college, I packed on the pounds. I  graduated and packed on more pounds. I am 5'11" and went from 170 lbs in high school to 240 lbs 2 years ago. I had an extremely low self esteem. Then, something tragic happened, and I spent a lot of time feeling sorry for myself. Then, one day I said enough is enough. I went for a swim at our local YMCA. As I was swimming laps, I started to visualize myself completing an Ironman. 
I looked up a training plan for an olympic distance tri. I have now completed that plan and a couple Sprints along the way. I absolutely love the tri community and what a perfect sport to improve myself both physically and mentally! I am definitely the kind of guy, that when I set a goal, I commit 100%. I'M HOOKED!  I'm now down to 210 lbs with a goal of hitting 185 by June, 2019.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a chip on my shoulder, but that is a large part of what drives me. Ironman is my way of proving to myself and others that I have something to be proud of! I love setting goals as they keep me moving forward in life. 

NOW FOR MY QUESTIONS:

So, thanks for reading this far. Here are some questions I have.

FIRST QUESTION - AM I OVEREXERTING MYSELF?
I am very ambitious. I understand the need for recovery. That being said, I planned out next year's events. Is it a bad idea to run a sprint triathlon 7 days before a Half-Ironman? 

Here are my planned events for next year. I for sure want to do all of the WI Sprint Tri Series as it is all on a scoring system with the exception of possibly the one before Half Ironman. I'm just not sure if I am overdoing it or over exerting myself.  

09/22/18 Dousman Duathlon (2 mi run/25 mi bike/ 2 mi run)
09/30/18 Whitewater Olympic Tri Relay
12/08/18 Last Chance Milwaukee Half Marathon
04/06/19 Milwaukee Marathon 
06/02/19 WI Tri Series Sprint
06/09/19 HALF IRON MAN WISCONSIN
06/22/19 WI Tri Series Sprint
07/06/19 WI Tri Series Sprint
07/21/19 WI Tri Series Sprint
07/28/19 WI Tri Series Sprint
08/25/19 WI Tri Series Sprint
09/08/19 IRON MAN WISCONSIN (MOST IMPORTANT) 
09/15/19 WI Tri Series Sprint

Thoughts? 

SECOND QUESTION - TRAINING PLANS
I printed out the 12 month Ironman Training Plan from this site. It is actually a 6 month base training and a 6 month Ironman training, which I like. 

First, What is the difference between a Tempo Bike Workout/Tempo Run and an Interval Bike Workout/Interval Run? 

Second, Here is an example of a tempo bike workout
TEMPO BIKE - 40 min - MS (Main Set) = 2 X 8min @ PE (Perceived Exertion) 7-8. What does that workout look like? I count 16 min, not 40 min. Unless it means 2 sets of 8 min at PE 7, and 8 min at PE 8. with a very short warm up and cool down? I don't get that at all. Or is it saying ride normally for 40 min and in that ride you should do 2 sets of 8 min at PE 7-8? But what is the PE between?

ONE MORE INTERVAL EXAMPLE/QUESTION
Interval Run: Total = 45 min - MS = 4 x 2 min @ PE 8-9; 4 x 1 min @ PE 8... I would appreciate some guidance on these workouts. 

THIRD AND FINAL QUESTION - DIET/NUTRITION

What does a triathlon's diet look like? Should I be eating a lot of carbs? Low Carbs? I know OJ has a lot of sugar in it, is that okay? 

Do you drink water on bike rides or some drink with electrolytes? 

Is it okay to eat hard foods during a long bike ride or do you only eat energy gels? 

Thanks for all of your help!