TIme to lay down a plan for 2016

I'm thinking about doing an Ironman in 2016 - not sure why - guess I miss the lifestyle a bit and want to take advantage of my fitness.

I've been doing a bunch of short to medium course racing, but never getting serious.  I don't think you can even consider an Ironman unless you get serious.  So what has to change?

1. I've got to get plenty of sleep - I often short change myself here and it just wears me out over time.  No more - this is top priority.
2. Strength training - I have got to get into a regular strength training routine.  I need to have a planned progression around strength training and a bunch of 30 minute workouts that I can execute in front of the TV (more time with my wife) or at my home gym in the basement.  
3. Race day execution - I've had several bad races over the past couple of years.  The number 1 reason (I believe) has been dehydration - if I miss a key water stop on the bike, I am baked because I can't consume calories and just want to puke.  I will never miss another water stop. There are other tweaks and tunes I have to moderate on race day, but this is a biggie.
4. Work / Life balance - I've been working too hard.  I've have got to execute when I'm in the office, get out on time and stop working after I leave the office.  
5. Bike Commute into work - I should plan to ride into work Monday and Wednesday every week as the weather warms up.  This will give me time back from the 45 min commute each way and allow me to get over 100 bike miles in before the weekend hits.  How sweet is that?  There is a relatively flat option and a hilly option - I can do hilly on the way in, and flat on the way home, or vice versa.  Both allow for good solid interval training.
6. Take 1/2 day on Wednesdays during the summer and do a long ride (100+ miles) on that day, so I can do quality long runs on Saturday.  So I would ride into work (25 miles), work for 4 hours and eat lunch, then do a 75+ ride.
7. Get organized - let's face it, I haven't used a training plan since I did Ironman 9 years ago.  I've got to create a really good training plan that works for me and builds gradually over time.  
8. Use this blog to keep myself on course - sometimes, just putting stuff on paper helps me think things through.  I might was well put it here and maybe someone else can benefit from it.

So, I've left off the 'get a coach' to-do.  I guess I'm just a stubborn old goat, but I like the self coaching and working things through - this is almost as much fun as training and racing.  It's a journey that I enjoy.