"I entered the Kona lottery this year."

So you DO want to do an ironman. That apparently means there is no one left that doesn't want to do one, you were our last hope.

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I'm beginning to think that we are much more fucked than I thought.

If I were to do an Ironman, the only one I could convince myself to do would be Hawaii. .I just want to do Hawaii. Ever since I saw it on television back in the high school days it has intrigued me. But my odds are like 2% in the lottery. I could train a lot harder, smarter, and longer, so there is still hope.

I don't have a really great burning desire to do an IM but almost feel I "have" to do one. It's a bit of a monkey on my back because my wife wants to do one, so naturally I'll do it with her.

I kind of like my roadie group rides, short 5/10 kms run races, and sprint tris as a nice way to spend a season. Doing an IM will involve a different type of more solo training regime that I will find less enjoyable.

For me, the shorter races always feel like a genuine race. I know in an IM that I won't be racing but will be surviving.

I have no desire to do an IM. Truly. I've done a half (Troika in Spokane -- years ago when it WAS a Kona qualifier, and I missed the spot by one place, not that I would have taken it if I did qualify, but it would have been cool), and that was far enough for me. I'm not built for that kind of distance. I've run one marathon, and gotten injured training for two others.

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Depending on your goals, I don't think you have to suffer a tremendous amount in a Ironman. I did my first IM last year at Lake Placid and had a wonderful day. I trained hard, and paced myself properly so I had no nutrition or hydration issues. I really enjoyed the day. I finished in just over 12 hours. Hawaii is a different beast all together. I went to spectate last year and can see why everyone crumbles there. I have a new found respect for people that do that race. The conditions are brutal.

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"No one ever told me they made black fondant!" - Duff Goldman

You good sir, and I say this with a huge grin on my face, have issues... but it made me giggle, thanks! :-)

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"Yeah, no one likes a smartass, but we all like stars" - Thom Yorke


smartasscoach.tri-oeiras.com

I do have a desire to do one, but i don't want to do an M-dot one. I imagine my first will be Roth--great atmosphere, great crowds, good course (heard the run is a little short, but i'll deal). there was a thread a while ago comparing the M-dot vs. non M-dot IM's. Kona is not something i would turn down, but i know my abilities well enough to say that just won't happen. I just want to go out and show myself that i can do it. the guy at the finish line won't say "you are an ironman," but so what? everyone i know, except those i train with, thinks i'm a crazy bastard anyway.

i can understand your not wanting to do an IM--training for 1/2's and oly's can keep you in great shape and take up plenty of your time. I don't plan on even attempting an IM until i have the time and money to do it. until then, the shorter races are just fine by me.

I like to watch......

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Support Crew
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I too didn't have much of a desire, but.. I went ahead and signed up for IMFL. I think the timing is great. This season, I'm 49 and, while I do good in sprints, there's a lot of younger guys coming into the AG that'll wreak havoc with my ability to place (Emilio DeSoto, comes to mind). So, I'm going to lay low this season and only do a few (finances having a bit to do with it, as well.) Then, in October, I'll turn 50 and 12 days later I do IMFL. If, by some miracle, I get a Kona slot, I'll take it, but I'm sure this'll be the only IM I'll do (It'd take 20 or 30 guys to DNF for me to get the slot, I imagine). The following season, then, should be a blast as the young guy in the AG.

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Proud member of FISHTWITCH: doing a bit more than fish exercise now.

You know when something stirs and inspires you. Conversely, you know when something does nothing to you. I love the sport of triathlon, but for the life of me I too can't get inspired to think about entering an Ironman. I suspect Ironman competition is not healthy for you. There are different body types; some can train and compete better at the shorter distances. I consistenly underperform the longer the distance, as in body shutdown ( have you ever had an alternator go out..like that). It's more than exercise and competition that attracts people to the Ironman. There's a need in many to test themselves in extreme conditions and flirt with adventure. IM satisfies that need. But to you Ironmen and Ironwomen out there - you have my complete and total respect. As a matter of fact, some my best friends are Ironmen......

I have no desire at all. I don't feel I "have" to do one. I do triathlons for myself, not for others, not for recognition, nor for a life resume points, etc.

Anyway, I prefer to do something quite a bit harder: become faster.

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Where would you want to swim ?

Great thread. It is odd that most of the training discussion on this board and others is centered around iron distance racing when most of us do a vast majority of our racing at shorter distances, and some never do iron distance. I've done 1 IM race, and it may be my last. The pros and cons of IM vs. other distances as I see them are:

Cons: Too many training hours required. It's probably unhealthy. You have to plan a whole year around it. The races are few and far between. Mass swim start with 2200 people. You can be well prepared and still have a bad day if nutrition plan fails.

Pros: Mass swim start with 2200 people. The races are few and far between. You get to plan a whole year around it. The anticipation factor. If you have training partners with a common goal, it's a source of great camaraderie. It's a great topic of conversation with non-tri friends. You may travel to a part of the world you wouldn't have otherwise.

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Coach at KonaCoach Multisport

I have the opposite perspective. Initially i had no desire to do a shorter event. My very first triathlon was Ironman Lake Placid. When I signed up I had never swum a mile, never run a marathon, and never rode a century. I just wanted to see if I could, all on one day. I wanted to learn something about myself, and I did. It was simply a big challenge, an adventure. Now I've grown a love for the sport and do all distances but there is still something special about the Ironman. You just don't suffer like that at any other distance. Suffering isn't always a bad thing. It does change your outlook on what you think is possible.

I guess I entered the sport with the bias of many non-endurance athletes. I thought that triathlon was the ironman distance. So that's what I signed up for and that's what I did.

Now, with the benefit of a few years and more experience at shorter races....it's still all about the ironman distance for me. I want my goals to have an epic quality to them. Olys and half IMs are nice, but I consider them just training for the big show.

And I genuinely mean to take nothing away from people that like the other distances. It's all good...

I have an interesting and alternate take on that. I fear sprint and oly races more than I fear my next IM. Sprints and Olys are deeply, wickedly uncomfortable for me. I suffer for every inch of the bike and run. I stumble and throw up at the finish. For every second of those races, I'm thinking, "When is this gonna stop!?!?! Waaaaaah!!!!" It's just way too intense for me.

The first 8-9 hours of an 11-hour Ironman are a leisurely day compared to a sprint race. Of course, the second half of that run is gonna hurt...

I hear ya. Sprint tri's are like holding yourself under water for an hour but.......

there ain't nothing like hitting the bottom of the well in an ironman and you still have 15 miles to go.

50', not one hour :-)

where have you been? haven't see much of you lately...you missed the part where I was saying I was applying for my green card and should be a US citizen soon :-)

Welome aboard , mate. We need more guys like you in this country, even if you are french ;)

50' is a little fast for me. 58 is my best sprint, but that was good enough for a win..

Haven't been surfing as much. My kids ski race and swim and guess who has volounteered to be the swim club manager. it's a lot of work keeping track of 50 kids and getting them into meets and tracking their results ... etc...etc. Any extra time I have is going to training. Got IMLP and Hawaii to get ready for. How about you? Any chance of running into you at those races? I'll buy you a beer.

IMAZ first. we'll see after.

LP would be fun but this year, it's LP for female pros and CDA for male pros...would have preferred the opposite though

No way! That's about 15 extra places for me to move up at LP. Who know's what the possibilities are. Also the ladies are much nicer to look at.

I had done Oly triathlons since the mid 80s and didn't try a 1/2 IMs until the late 90s. After that I knew a full IM was possible (I'm training for my 3rd right now). I'll tell you, there is nothing like finishing a full IM. Sprints and Olys simply won't give you the same experience. However, it is a lot of time and money to invest and more power to you if you don't have the need or desire to do an IM. I will say that I've suffered less at IMs than at some 1/2 IMs and even some century rides.

well...it depends who :-) and obviously Lori won't be there...

funny the comment about the 'french' thing...I was just called 'anti american piece of shit' out of nowhere in the prednisone thread...

oh well...I guess I convinced at least two that not all french are evil ;-)

I'm just kidding, I actually like France and the French. I am amazed evey year how beautiful that country is watching the Tour. Doing a "Tour" tour is on my short list of things to do before I die.

This may sound stupid, especially because I am a newbie, but I look at the Hawaii Iron Man like a climber looks at Everest.

Why do you want to do it? Because it is there.

Again, this might also be stupid, but when I was a kid and I played in various sports I never imagined myself in the office team losers bracket. I dreamed of the World Cup, the NCAA Campionships and the Tour de France. I am driven by the idea that I could do the Hawaii IM. Otherwise it is just a really good work out.

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