The Ironman

On May 24th, I am doing my first organized Sprint Triathlon race in 23 years. This will be the start of my journey toward the Ironman. Not because I have to but because I want to.

My plan is a sprint triathlon (750m swim, 20km bike, 5 km run) now and in October. An Olympic distance (1.5km swim, 40 km bike, 10 km run) in December and March 2009. A half Ironman (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 milerun) October 2009. and an Ironman sometime in 2010 or 2011.

I've done sprint and olympic distances as training sessions on Saturdays when I wanted to challenge myself and see if it was possible. It is... There's something about an organized event though. There's something about getting together with others in a group quest.

Why the Ironman? Distance and challenge. The accomplishment from hours on the bike or an extra long run just feels different than anything else. To feel the challenge, to choose to push through, to decide to pick up the pace... there's a point where I shed all the other junk and it's just me and the challenge.

This morning's running temperature was 41.5 degrees (106.7 F) and it was brutal. There wasn't much else going on besides the heat and the run. Cindy and I decided that our runs would now start at 5:30 am. That should bring our run temp during hot season to 25 degrees (77 F) or so.

Speaking of pushing through and feeling the challenge, I read an amazing race report from the Arizona Ironman today. It's long and worth every bit of the read. Here it is! That got me thinking it was time to share the plan. An Ironman may be out on a far horizon, but every once in a while I catch a small glimpse of what it will be like.