Its been a few years since my last IM but finally work and family commitments have alined to allowed me to look forward to what will be Ironman number 7 and I'm excited, cant wait.
Must admit I did register and travelled to IM Tahoe in 2013 but didn't even toe the start line, lets just say having a baby and my wife in an ankle boot after a fall for 3 months changed my life and priorities more than I though it would and I was not in any shape to tackle and IM let alone one like Tahoe. Watching Tahoe was awesome and very inspirational definitely wanted to be out there suffering with the masses but also a little bit happy to be watching, loved the surrounding area and the drive up from LA through the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Ok long story short very tempted to sign up for IM Tahoe but also conscious that I've already spent a week in the area and given the travel from Aus I'm always keen to see something new and experience something different. Oh and why the US, Mother in Law lives in Florida so we return pretty regularly, I'm not complaining lovely travelling around the US great people and heaps to see.
Right so the key things I'm looking for in a race are as follows in order of priority, realistically this is my last IM for another few years so I'm looking for something epic, race will be 2016 so all events are options at the moment:
- Challenging, having completed 6 IM's I'm keen to have a crack at a race that makes me smile when I remember crossing that finish line, tough arsed course, nothing flat love the hills and the harder the run the better.
- Beautiful setting, likely base the family at the race venue for a week so somewhere we can enjoy the sights, nature is great national parks, don't need access to a city and happy to drive.
- Weather, don't really mind but prob prefer July-Sept to be travelling. Do I need to be mindful of holidays? Don't really like the idea of battling masses in the middle of peak holiday season.
- Location, loved getting up to Tahoe on the last visit so very keen to see more of the North maybe cross over into Canada, so races I have been considering are: Tahoe, Coeur d'Alene, Whistler, Wisconsin, Muskoka, Lake Placid and Mont-Temblant.
- Hawaii qualifier, last and least would take a spot if I'm quick enough, last IM was 2mins away from a spot but that was years ago and a lot of lost fitness ago, if I have the time and dedication I might have chance.
Another consideration is probably how quickly the race fills, given the long lead time conscious that plans move so a race that takes a couple of months to fill might be a positive.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and getting back to IM shape!!
Must admit I did register and travelled to IM Tahoe in 2013 but didn't even toe the start line, lets just say having a baby and my wife in an ankle boot after a fall for 3 months changed my life and priorities more than I though it would and I was not in any shape to tackle and IM let alone one like Tahoe. Watching Tahoe was awesome and very inspirational definitely wanted to be out there suffering with the masses but also a little bit happy to be watching, loved the surrounding area and the drive up from LA through the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Ok long story short very tempted to sign up for IM Tahoe but also conscious that I've already spent a week in the area and given the travel from Aus I'm always keen to see something new and experience something different. Oh and why the US, Mother in Law lives in Florida so we return pretty regularly, I'm not complaining lovely travelling around the US great people and heaps to see.
Right so the key things I'm looking for in a race are as follows in order of priority, realistically this is my last IM for another few years so I'm looking for something epic, race will be 2016 so all events are options at the moment:
- Challenging, having completed 6 IM's I'm keen to have a crack at a race that makes me smile when I remember crossing that finish line, tough arsed course, nothing flat love the hills and the harder the run the better.
- Beautiful setting, likely base the family at the race venue for a week so somewhere we can enjoy the sights, nature is great national parks, don't need access to a city and happy to drive.
- Weather, don't really mind but prob prefer July-Sept to be travelling. Do I need to be mindful of holidays? Don't really like the idea of battling masses in the middle of peak holiday season.
- Location, loved getting up to Tahoe on the last visit so very keen to see more of the North maybe cross over into Canada, so races I have been considering are: Tahoe, Coeur d'Alene, Whistler, Wisconsin, Muskoka, Lake Placid and Mont-Temblant.
- Hawaii qualifier, last and least would take a spot if I'm quick enough, last IM was 2mins away from a spot but that was years ago and a lot of lost fitness ago, if I have the time and dedication I might have chance.
Another consideration is probably how quickly the race fills, given the long lead time conscious that plans move so a race that takes a couple of months to fill might be a positive.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and getting back to IM shape!!