Hubris meets reality
I wrote most of this post back in October of 2007. It never made the light of flat screen for some reason or another. However after the PF Chang weekend its pretty topical/funny/sad. The original post will be in orange and my current updates left in black.
I was talking to a peer when a trainer walked by talking about Triathlon. I had never met her, so I asked, "Are you a triathlete?"
"I'm doing Ironman Arizona next year to qualify for Kona.I researched and saw that I only need a 9:30 to get a slot."
"That is awesome. What Ironmans have you done already."
"I haven't."
(I think- Okay then she must have done something)....."So what triathlons have you done. Are you doing Soma?"
"No. I have never done an triathlon before."
(I think-then she must be a runner)..."Have you done a marathon yet?"
"I haven't finished one. I am doing PF Chang in January and that will be my last long run before Ironman in April."
(I think-then she must be crazy cyclist)..."So what bike to you ride?"
"I don't know."
(I think- if you don't know the make/model of bike you ride then you did not invest any money into it or rode it very much)..."How much did you spend on it?"
"I just bought my friends bike. He says it was a couple thousand new. I am going to start riding next month and do my last long ride in mid February."
(I think- WOW. This person has no clue. But stay positive and encouraging)..."How do you swim?"
"Swimming's my strongest part."
"Well that's great! Where do you swim?"
"I haven't swum in a while, but the pool will be fixed next month and I will start swimming then."
(I think-Stay positive)..."Do yo have a team to train with?"
"My friend is in a Tri-Club in Phoenix and I've been to one meeting already."
All I could do was be encouraging and in no way did I start sharpshooting her plan. We talked a little bit about my training for triathlons, locations, etc. As she walked away, my peer looked at me and said, "She has no clue does she?" "No clue," I respond. " Sometimes you have to let people fail in order to understand. No amount of incite or education can separate them from often times delusions of grandeur.
Apparently she ran a 5:49 at PF Changs this weekend. She tried to call in sick Monday as her body is a wreck, anyone whose run a bad mary can feel her pain myself included, but her manager told her to come in and service her clients; she 'knew' what she was getting herself into. And I agree. She walked around limping, stiff legged and sore backed, trying to reschedule her clients. Stiff armed too as I was told by Mistress who witnessed the display.
There is no good way to end this post without being mean or bitter and that is not my intent. I like this person. Maybe its just a PSA. I feel she is severely deluded as to the effort and process of attempting an ironman.
'Swimming' is not just doing a couple hundred yards in the pool grabbing the wall a couple times. Its swimming a couple thousand yards. Twice.
'Biking' is not a leisurely hour riding down a hardpack trail. Its a butt numbing, leg aching, sweat in your eyes, tired as hell, get me off this thing before I shoot it, riding as fast as you can for six to eight hours event.
'Running' is not just not doing what it takes to make it to the finish line. Sometimes its not even running or jogging or even walking. Sometimes its just moving because all you want to do is sit. All your mind wants to do is shut down. Make you stop. Give up. You have six or seven hours to not just run, but live in your own head, permutate the outcomes, play the angles. Maybe the worst place to be on the course at anytime is staggering on your feet and talking in your head.
Ironmans are no joke. Those that do them, finish or not, spend hundreds if not over a thousand hours practicing for months or years ahead of time. It a supreme investment of your life. I don't begrudge anyone who race shorter distances. Not at all.
I was talking to a peer when a trainer walked by talking about Triathlon. I had never met her, so I asked, "Are you a triathlete?"
"I'm doing Ironman Arizona next year to qualify for Kona.I researched and saw that I only need a 9:30 to get a slot."
"That is awesome. What Ironmans have you done already."
"I haven't."
(I think- Okay then she must have done something)....."So what triathlons have you done. Are you doing Soma?"
"No. I have never done an triathlon before."
(I think-then she must be a runner)..."Have you done a marathon yet?"
"I haven't finished one. I am doing PF Chang in January and that will be my last long run before Ironman in April."
(I think-then she must be crazy cyclist)..."So what bike to you ride?"
"I don't know."
(I think- if you don't know the make/model of bike you ride then you did not invest any money into it or rode it very much)..."How much did you spend on it?"
"I just bought my friends bike. He says it was a couple thousand new. I am going to start riding next month and do my last long ride in mid February."
(I think- WOW. This person has no clue. But stay positive and encouraging)..."How do you swim?"
"Swimming's my strongest part."
"Well that's great! Where do you swim?"
"I haven't swum in a while, but the pool will be fixed next month and I will start swimming then."
(I think-Stay positive)..."Do yo have a team to train with?"
"My friend is in a Tri-Club in Phoenix and I've been to one meeting already."
All I could do was be encouraging and in no way did I start sharpshooting her plan. We talked a little bit about my training for triathlons, locations, etc. As she walked away, my peer looked at me and said, "She has no clue does she?" "No clue," I respond. " Sometimes you have to let people fail in order to understand. No amount of incite or education can separate them from often times delusions of grandeur.
Apparently she ran a 5:49 at PF Changs this weekend. She tried to call in sick Monday as her body is a wreck, anyone whose run a bad mary can feel her pain myself included, but her manager told her to come in and service her clients; she 'knew' what she was getting herself into. And I agree. She walked around limping, stiff legged and sore backed, trying to reschedule her clients. Stiff armed too as I was told by Mistress who witnessed the display.
There is no good way to end this post without being mean or bitter and that is not my intent. I like this person. Maybe its just a PSA. I feel she is severely deluded as to the effort and process of attempting an ironman.
'Swimming' is not just doing a couple hundred yards in the pool grabbing the wall a couple times. Its swimming a couple thousand yards. Twice.
'Biking' is not a leisurely hour riding down a hardpack trail. Its a butt numbing, leg aching, sweat in your eyes, tired as hell, get me off this thing before I shoot it, riding as fast as you can for six to eight hours event.
'Running' is not just not doing what it takes to make it to the finish line. Sometimes its not even running or jogging or even walking. Sometimes its just moving because all you want to do is sit. All your mind wants to do is shut down. Make you stop. Give up. You have six or seven hours to not just run, but live in your own head, permutate the outcomes, play the angles. Maybe the worst place to be on the course at anytime is staggering on your feet and talking in your head.
Ironmans are no joke. Those that do them, finish or not, spend hundreds if not over a thousand hours practicing for months or years ahead of time. It a supreme investment of your life. I don't begrudge anyone who race shorter distances. Not at all.
posted by Comm's @ 6:11 PM
7 comments
7 Comments:
You know Comms, I had all the requisite experiences before my first Ironman and was still able to delude myself as to a predicted finish time. I didn’t think I’d qualify for Kona or anything but I misjudged by a good two hours. The distance is a mystery to me. I know some people who practically nail it on their first attempt and then come back and suffer. Myself, the first go around was most successful and I have been trying to make a comeback during my last 3 attempts. A mystery I tell you…one of these day.
I do see the point you are trying to make and I don't think you are being mean at all. Respecting the distance - any distance, marathon, ocean swim, first tri or ironman - doesn't mean being daunted and not trying, it means being realistic, and dedicated enough to do what it takes to make your dream come true.
Where in the world would someone get the idea she could whip out a 9.5 hr IM first time out? Kind of boggles the mind.
I hope she can leverage her dose of humility at PF Change in to some very serious training for the next couple of months and then resolve to finish in under 17 hours. Hopefully she has figured out that that would be good - no... great.
maybe we should talk Tri-Dummy into allowing your colleague to borrow his name for a little while...lol
foolish delusional woman...lol
thanks for the chuckle Comm!!
I've been thinking about this story, and it baffles me that anyone could be this confident in their abilities. But maybe that's me, in my underconfident self, looking at them.
Still - how could anyone not be totally awed by the distance? Unless of course, they haven't trained anything close to it...
Comm's - this was a really good post, and relayed very carefully. It's a tricky topic, but the idea of "respecting the distance" is a very important subject in my opinion.
There's a certain beauty in "anything is possible" but Ironman events are not, in my opinion, anything to take lightly in the approach (let alone Kona qualifying).
Great post with very valid points! I have only done one sprint to date and while I do have dreams of going iron I know that I have 2-3 years of work and weight loss before that can ever happen.
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