Do the race! I found myself in a similar situation last year for IM-Moo. Very little preperation, pride at stake, etc. I took it easy and had a great race from the perspective of pure enjoyment. Actually in many ways it was my best race, not according to finishing time, but from a return on investment.

Stop along the way, thank volunteers, high five kids, just look at the attention the race gets. If you need that competitive fix, shoot for something such as negative run split!

Tom

p.s. see you there!

Option #1, that's is what has happend to me.

Race - have fun - you'll do well based on your past performances anyway

I say do the race with no expectations, don't take urself serious, and have a lot of fun.

I'm sorta in the same boat. I jumped into this IM distant purely for the journey and the experience (either good or bad). I can handle the training np but fitting it into a normal life is ugly. I've really backed off any expectations for the race. I plan on being a complete Fred amongst all the hardcore IM'ers. I plan on riding my commuter bike, wearing a creative outfit, etc. I also plan on saving some in my tank (for a mtb race a month after), which means walking a lot during the run.

I also think 3) is a good option if you don't want to endure the recovery time. If it turns into a duo, it's a 112 mile TT for me. No shame in DNF. I've come to the conclusion that the IM is not that big of a deal. I guess in tri's its the big but from the perspective of what the human body can endure...it's just half a day of work.

anyway, good luck with ur goals!

There really are two options:

1. Just Do It and go in with low or completely open expectation. I find that people often under estimate how much real base fitness they have built up over the years. If you have done 5 IM, I suspect you have way more base fitness than you think. Once you have built that up, it's actually remarkable how little you need to do to keep it going. Unless, you have been completely inactive for a month or more, you may surprise yourself.

2. Big "early season" races always present a bit of a problem, particularly if you live in an area that gets a real winter. There can be tremedous pressure to push the training envelope very early in the season. This can often lead to injury, and burn-out later on. I never scheduled big races early in the season. My preference was to not fight the weather, but work with it and schedule the big races in Aug, Sept and Oct. That way I would have 6 - 8 months of sustained training to get ready through the best weather of the year. So option to is to cancel and focus on other goals down the road.

Fleck

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

IM AZ was to be my first Ironman and I found out Monday that I have a stress fracture and a neuroma in my R foot. I was so close to being there. I was setting training PRs with my running & cycling and my swimming was coming along nicely and all was looking good. Now I would give anything to be in your situation. I know that with some focus you'll be fine and just remember to enjoy the day & take what comes.

Please do the race.

It's ironic that you posted this. I have a similar situation with work and have the same worries. I can not remember the last time that I had a day off from work. I work in a highly seasonal location and we are very busy which has been compounded by some "staffing issues".

Sounds like with your past races and your project being over you actually stand a chance of putting it together and having a good race. If I were you I would not throw the towell in just yet.

Do the race. Go like normal. See how much/little training you really need.

AND, you might get out there and find that the swim in canceled due to problems in TTL, and the bike may well be a three loop flat course.

And you don't have to say you blew it.

And you can have your picture taken with Francois.

Guys, guys, guys... if you don't race IMAZ, you don't get to meet the smartasscoach! :-)))

(OK, is that a good or a bad thing?...)

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


smartasscoach.tri-oeiras.com

WHOA!!!! SAC will be there? Will you have a photo session? A meet and greet for the fans?

What state do you live in?

State of Confusion and Denial mostly.... other than that - The City of Austin in the Lone Star State.

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"I do my best to slay" - Matt Pike

K.O. ???

Yikes! who is this!?!

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"I do my best to slay" - Matt Pike

Send me a P.M.

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"I do my best to slay" - Matt Pike

Correct?

yes, yes

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"I do my best to slay" - Matt Pike

You won't be able to miss me, I'm too loud not to be noticed :-p

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


smartasscoach.tri-oeiras.com

I'll chime in. I have the same dilemma -- am way behind b/c of family commitments, work, etc. I don't have 5 IM under my belt (only 1), nor have I gone sub 11. At this point I am still planning to go, but with my longest bike thus far at 3.5 hours, I feel that my excpectation set is to finish vs. improving on my time. I hope we both make it there and make it through.
Good luck.
Question -- if the swim is my strength and they cancel that, is it worth going? Is it considered an Ironman if they don't have a swim leg?

I also think you should go. Another reason:

Very few people can be in a race that they aren't taking that seriously. For example, an IM'er might want to fool around with different hydration strategies or energy repletion on the bike; but if every race they go to is an A race, they don't hav the luxury of taking risks in the name of personal discovery.

Maybe you can race for fun, race for the environment, race to see how little training you need, BUT also race to see how your body reacts to risks that you might not otherwise take. Then you can be that much more ready for Canada.