What about focusing on a single sport for this one season? Maybe try and run a PR marathon or half marathon. Do a marathon someplace cool to make it more exciting, no where near as expensive as travelling to an IM would be.

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Portside Athletics Blog

"What about focusing on a single sport for this one season?"

Outstanding idea. If a triathlete has reached a bit of a plateau and is REALLY serious about improving, this is almost always time well spent.

Fleck

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

 "What about focusing on a single sport for this one season?"

Outstanding idea. If a triathlete has reached a bit of a plateau and is REALLY serious about improving, this is almost always time well spent.
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I agree, however, last year was spent focusing on running due to budget constraints. Would like to do more multisport racing this year. Although living on the bike this year would be doable.

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Jim

**Note above poster works for a retailer selling bikes and related gear*

Great Floridian can be done fairly economically depending on your plane fare.

 Great Floridian can be done fairly economically depending on your plane fare.
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That is drivable too, as far as I am concerned.

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Jim

**Note above poster works for a retailer selling bikes and related gear*

What about entering one or two halfs instead? That's what I'm doing this year to keep the budget in check and as a build up for another IM in '07. There's got to be enough "local" halfs to keep costs down.

Then set some cycling goals:

- Sign up with your local road-racing club and do some road racing

- Try and set an absolute life-time best time for the 40K ITT

- Set some bike mileage goals and just ride, and ride and ride . .

If you ultimately have some goals for IM distance racing, a big cycling focus is NEVER a waste of time.

Fleck

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

If you really want to do IM Japan, don't give up the dream due to your income, or lack thereof. There are less expensive means of transportation, lodging, etc. All you need is desire and time to train. I know people who've slept in their vans in order to race ironman.

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"You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there......but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement." - Steve Prefontaine.

http://triathlonworldusa.com
(NOTE: This poster owns a retail triathlon store.)

Have you thought about focusing on Steelhead 70.3? That has evolved into a major event, and one with the same level of race production quality as Ironman Hawaii. It is absolutely top notch.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Jim,

Congrats on your new job. Less money or not, your working and thats a big plus....I know alot of people who are not and are having trouble finding something in their field.....IM Japan is the least of your worries....Congrats again

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"I have no fear of losing my life - if I have to save a koala or a crocodile or a kangaroo or a snake, mate, I will save it. "
Steve Irwin

I am troubled by this.. Here's why:

When this type of 'goal setting' becomes paramount over monetary well-being (i.e., a triathlon more important than say, a job), this to me becomes something of a discipline. In The Fifth Discipline (Senge, 1994), it is described as "spending too much time coping ... that we forget why we are on the path in the first place." (141). Senge goes on to write, "the result is [one of] a dim, or even innaccurate, view of what's really important to us." (141)

Would not the goal of a better-paying job, be of much more importance than say, looking for a triathlon?

- kd

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kestrel driver


DonorsChoose.org (!!!)
bogolight.com (!!!)

"What one does for work determines what he has, what one does outside of work determines who he is." - George Eastman (founder of Eastman Kodiak)

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"You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there......but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement." - Steve Prefontaine.

http://triathlonworldusa.com
(NOTE: This poster owns a retail triathlon store.)

Jim,

If you arelooking for a big bike week, try GOBA here in Ohio. It can be done on the cheap, and still tons of fun.

http://www.goba.com/

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Striving to have sex more than 66 times per year

How about US HalfMax? I've been giving it some serious thought, myself. Especially now that it's been designated the USAT Long Course Championship for 2006. In 2005, the championship field was pretty competitive with nearly 1/3 or the ~150 competitors breaking 5 hours.

keep the focus on it and see how things develop.

in the meantime, we have a ton of great events including several 1/2's within an easy drive. if you extend the drive out to a full day, you have any distance event you would like to hit.

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Train hard...race well.
www.jimmishler.com
"Jim, I happen to agree with you" DougStern

did you get the job you and i talked about? the one you interviewed for several times???

If you are in Michigan, the Canadian Iron Distance Event in Ottawa is a cheap and economical option. Throw your bike into the car, drive up on Thu (or even Fri), race Sat, return Sunday.

www.somersault.ca

Jim,

How about doing the Michigan Multisport series put on by 3 Disciplines. Its pretty cheap considering the amount of races that u get to race. It includes some duathlons in the early months, tris and also a Half IM all for about $500 (i think)


Paul

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Paul..

What job did you end up with, Jim?

If you are looking for somehint crazy/epic in the midwest, I say check out the DeSoto Triple-T in southern Ohio. Full IM distance over 4 weekend races (prologue on Friday, 2xOly on Sat, 1/2IM on Sunday). I haven't done it, but from what I've heard it's first-class all the way, and will certainly be cheaper than making it to japan with your stuff. Plus, it's a race that not many have done, so it certainly has that "cool" image.

http://www.hfpracing.com/calendar.php
-C

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Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.

Thanks guys, for those of you wondering, I have secured an entry level position with a company I have interviewed with several times. I did not get the jobs I was interviewing for the went to "qualified applicants from inside the corp." I am continuing my job search but taking this as a foot in the door sort of thing. At least it has benefits and no weekends.

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Jim

**Note above poster works for a retailer selling bikes and related gear*

Jim, I realize your comments are probably tongue in cheek, but remember by doing any event you are more fortunate than 99.9% of the world. Your life dosent suck.