there are a number of posts up at the moment talking about ironman training and the times people do.
I don’t see the fascination! I only presently compete up to olympic distance however looking at those posts I do more hours per week than 99% of people who replied. 11 hour weeks are my rest weeks yet I see people using that as their main training week for ironman.
I am impressed that you would attempt an ironman on 11 hours/week training. Why? What’s the buzz? I’m not bagging anybody I just don’t see why you would want to shuffle/walk through a marathon when you could be quite a competent shorter course triathlete on the same training.
People have said that the bug would bite me one day, but it hasn’t. Personally I would rather be going low 2 hours in olympic than sub 12hr in ironman.
Shep, I’ll tell you- I’ve been writing about Ironman since 1984. I did my first one in 1986 in Hawaii.
I’m addicted. During Ironman you have a set of experiences that run the spectrum from good to bad to such a degree that is sensory overload. It is not even the same sport as the rest of triathlon. It is something else entirely.
It is a year of living crammed into 11 hours (or whatever). All the good, all the bad. In one day. For some people it may be a decade packed into a day- or even a life.
There are as many reasons to do Ironman as there are people who do it. And it is maddeningly difficult to describe the experience. But it is unique. And it is valuable.
You must try it. Then you will either understand or not. but until then- itis impossible.
Shep, As Tom said everyone will have their own reasons for doing Ironman. I often ask my ironman hubby why he does it. For him it is personal satisfaction and sense of achievement in an event he accidently discovered he is reasonably good at ( as an age grouper). Mind you he is extremely obsessive and goal oriented. He has done shorter distance tris which he enjoyed then decided to set himself a series of goals commencing with a 3 hr marathon , 4hr 15 half ironman, 9hr30 Ironman and of course Worlds at Kona. Now after qualifying and competing at Kona for three years he is aiming for a 9hr 15 ironman before retiring from long course and on to the next set of goals ( which I hope does not include altitude, snow and oxygen masks or some kind of ultra distance event!). He has the ironman “bug” simple as that and does it because he discovered “he can” and he enjoys it. I am not sure I have articulated it well but at the end of the day it is probably the same reasons why you love competing at oly distance. Good luck with your races.
you missed my point, in that from my perspective I couldn’t imagine being ready for an ironman on 11 hours per week as I train more than that for shorter races.
i gathered that Tom when they describe how they burst into tears as they run down the finishing chute.
most guys I know who do IM are constantly tired, hungry, sore or grumpy but they all say that one day is worth it.
I am planning a few 1/2 ironman next summer mainly because there are a shortage of races around, but still no desire to move up. The 1/2 was suggested by my coach as more of a training thing than anything else.
as you say, it is something to be experienced. I’ll trust you on that for the moment.
your hubby sounds exactly like the person Slowman was talking about in an article a while back which I think was "the lifecycle of a triathlete’ or something like that.
Your hubby has specific goals re times, races etc and once that is satisfied he moves on to the next challenge. Life is never dull eh?
I would love to trek to everest, base camp at least. Tell him to email me when he is up to that one.
I’ve been doing tri since '87 and finally took on my first ironman this year. Like you, I didn’t think it would be worth doing if I couldn’t train enough to hit my best possible race. I eventually decided that the time when I have 20+ hours to give to the sport was never going to come, so I made due with 12hrs/week training for 5 months, and “shuffled through in 12hrs” finish time. It was a totally worthwhile experience, and I can’t wait to go again. It is a different type of challenge. I think your are subconsciously trying to talk yourself into it Lower your definition of “ready” until it intersects with what you can hit.
In my case I’ll do an m-dot next year. I’m only doing it once (I prefer ‘balls out high octane racing’) but to me I won’t consider my triathlon experience complete until I have one IM on my resume’. Whereas I’m very serious over the oly distance IM is one of those things I’m looking at as a journey and days experience. It’ll be one of those rare occasions where my aim would be to complete NOT compete.
That said, I’ve met a lot of tri guys whose whole philosophy on the sport has changed having done one…
It’s very simple; because Ironman Triathlon is the greatest sport in the world and by whatever definition you use, gets you as close as you can to being “The Ultimate Athlete”.
That said, IMHO an event that would determine once and for all the greatest athlete in the world would be three events;
Ironman Triathlon
‘Ultimate Fighting’ Competition
“Worlds Strongest Man” Competition
Best results of all three events determines once and for all the Greatest athlete in the world. Girls, please don’t flame me for not being gender neutral, of course we would have a female division (watching a couple chicks beat the sh** out of each other after and Ironman would be cool) Did I miss anything?
If I wasn’t doing this sport, I would be involved in the next coolest sport; Nytro Harley drag racing.
Maybe I should start a; ‘Help Mojo get a Nytro Harley’ website…But first I need to help Mr. Tibbs get his Cervelo
Shep, There really is nothing we can say here that would convince the average person that IM is all its cracked up to be. Even the average triathlete, you, cannot comprehend the reasons for attempting what seems, on its face, to be sheer insanity. It comes down to one thing. . .crossing the finish line. There really are few experiences in life that come anywhere near the experience of crossing an IM finish line. Folks start their IM journeys for all sorts of reasons. Those that finish, though, nearly all point to the moment of finishing their IM as the thing that defines their journey. Now, there are some special people who find that IM is actually something they really like doing; something they want to devote a large part of their life pursuing. And I’ll submit that you never know if you are one of those people until sometime in the months following your first IM. For most, however, it is one experience, a defining moment in their lifetime. I’d even say that many folks ought to leave it at that and go back to “normal” existence. But there is something about IM that, once attempted, it becomes a nagging addiction. For me, I haven’t raced IM since 1997. I have completed three of them. The more years between that last IM race and today, the less I feel pulled back. But last year I had time in my personal and work schedules to attempt to pursue yet another IM. I was derailed along the way by a wayward black pickup truck. But I still feel the siren song of the distance. I, like you, find immense enjoyment in the shorter races. Heck, I’m racing mostly duathlon this year due mostly to my loathing of 5:30 AM swim sessions. Ultimately, I dream of Hawaii and crossing the Kona finish line. In my mind, I imagine crossing that finish line being the pinnacle of triathlon experiences. I am not complete or incomplete as a multisport athlete based on whether I ever accomplish that. But I know it is a singular, defining moment in any IMH finisher’s life. I like to tell folks who ask about the Ironman (or Marathon for non-multisporters) that I recommend everyone complete ONE in their life; not because of who you become to those around you; but because of who you discover yourself to be. For most people IM shouldn’t be about finish times. . .but rather about finishing. 8:02 or 16:59, neither diminishes the fact that you are an Ironman.
I don’t know why peolple go skydiving, but I don’t question their motivation. What I don’t understand is why people feel the need to question peolple’s goals, aspirations, and reasons for doing the things they do; unless it’s just a simple curiosity. Ironman in 9 hrs or Ironman in 15, who cares if it’s someone’s goal.
I’m with you, Shep. I’ve been doing tris for 5 years now and have yet to go beyond the Oly distance, and I’ve trained over 20 hours/week for extended periods of time just for sprints! I like the speed, man, and to me, these events are “races”, and if I can’t race the distance, I won’t do it. In the same vein, I’ve never done a marathon though I have done long runs approaching the distance. Again, never felt like I could “race” the event, so I’ll wait until I’m ready.
I have a hard time maintaining focus for 2 hours, let alone the 12 hours it would take me to do an Ironman.
I do feel like lesser of a triathlete for not having done one, though.
of course we would have a female division (watching a couple chicks beat the sh** out of each other after and Ironman would be cool) …or perhaps replacing the Ultimate Fighting with woman’s Jello wrestling for your sensory overload?
What? Are you saying you are not up to challenging yourself? I hardly believe that is the case. Seems to me you just outlined a good PERSONAL reason for you to attempt IM. And as far as being “ready” to attempt IM. . .no one is ever fully prepared for what they get themselves into attempting IM. Just do it. . .you’ll see. . .
"That said, IMHO an event that would determine once and for all the greatest athlete in the world would be three events;
Ironman Triathlon
‘Ultimate Fighting’ Competition
“Worlds Strongest Man” Competition"
Speaking as a professional martial arts instructor, I would drop the “Ultimate Fighting” from the above list. Any couple of idiots can get in the ring and just beat the snot out of one another till one gives up. Check out some of the people involved in this Extreme Martial Arts competitions that are starting to spring up. That’s being an athlete. http://www.xmarevolution.com/
Jim
I asked the same type of question at TNO and got a variety of answers. Actually mine was more like “Why do people feel they have to complete an IM race in year 2?” or something like that. People seem to rush to an IM distance race as fast as they can. I wanted to know if it was by their choice, or if they felt pressured to. As I said, a variety of answers. There really is no pigeonhole that everyone can be placed in.
It is funny you should ask this question. I have always wondered why people do sprints and Oly’s. My first triathlon was a 1/2 IM and that is the shortest race I would consider. It is like being a mountain climber who only climbs little mountians or the kayaker who does not progress beyond class 2 rapids. Go long or go home.
Another thing that IM has versus Oly that fascinates me is the logistic. You have to figure out what you need to (and can) eat, what to wear, what to bring. When I did may first half IM to test my nutrition plan I almost hit the wall. My strategy didn’t work and I had to change it. A Oly is more forgiving, IM is definately not. Eat or wear the wrong thing and you’ll have a really bad day.
In a Oly, I feel that I mainly have to manage the pain. In an IM, you have to keep your concentration for a longer time, manage your ups and down and stay really disciplined about your pace, nutrition, etc. And naturally you have to deal with the pain. By the way, I dont want to take anything away from Oly, I think it has it’s things too, like a sharper pain, the feeling of speed, etc.
That’s just a small part of what I like in IM. The rest was well describe by the others.
By the way, for the person who said he’ll be doing one IM than retire…I said that last year and am now going to IM Austria
There’s “Triathletes” and there’s “Ironmen”! when you tell someone you do triathlons or are a triathlete what is their first response? yep, you got it, they ask “Have you done the Ironman?” they don’t ask if you’ve doen a half Ironman or any Oly. distance.
Let’s face it Shep, Ironman is what all true triathletes are measured by. Any schmoo off the street can do an Oly. distance tri or even several a year.
Lower your definition of “ready” until it intersects with what you can hit.
