Ironman ready in 3 months?

Well I'm really considering going back to New Zealand if there are still entries available in late December, a few friends are talking me into it a few more are talking me out of it... it's a constant tug of war. I wasn't able to enter IM Arizona through genral entry and Bjoern's knee is shot so he didn't enter. The more I look at how much it would cost me to do an American Ironman the more New Zealand is looking appealing and "do-able" My pal Gary from HEAT wrote, " Rob, you'll have your entire life to do races like Kentucky and Arizona but New Zealand is on everyone's top 3 list and you have the shot to do it twice." My trigger finger is itching just to enter and be done with then I could justify long training hours, and get my self out of my personal ninth circle of doubt and fear and I can start looking forward.

Another reality has also hit, I haven't trained the way I did last year. At this time last year I had all my cold weather gear, stocked up on toe warmers and was riding 100 miles a week, this year..eh not so much. I have swam a little more and ran a little more but it was not to the same extent as last year. So I sit here in late November debating on if I can be Ironman ready in 3 months, would NZ be a folly, should I just do Kentucky which would give me almost 9 months to train. Should I do both? What about Kona implications? My self assuredness took a hit, this year, yet I was riding at minimum 60 miles a week. The weather ( with the exception of last week ) has been somewhat mild and part of me is wondering if it's a sign to do Ironman New Zealand , if I don't do it will I be kicking myself in 20 years. 3 months to build bike mileage and get my swim back into it's normal fast as hell shape, 3 months to get myself marathon ready again, 3 months, a quarter of a year, I've done it before I'll do it again. Even if I'm not bound for the land of the kiwis I'd sure as hell like to train like I am.

R.D.