Why Not?

Why would anyone in their right mind pay nearly $700 for the opportunity to traverse 140.6 miles within 17 hours? We are not here to explain the logic behind this endeavor. In truth, there is no logic, but I say "why not?!". Most people would say the Ironman events are opportunities to push yourself to the limit or for the glory of hearing Mike Reilly say "You are an IRONMAN!". However, we view Ironmans in a slightly different light. If you watch IM Kona (the IM World Championship) on TV, you will see what some amazing people have overcome in order to complete those 140.6 miles. When cancer survivors, amputees, and organ transplant survivors are able to complete this race, it is humbling to us average folks. As relatively healthy, fit, and young individuals, we (B and J) really don't have any excuse NOT to do an Ironman. I'm not saying this to discount the accomplishments of the many Ironman finishers out there. It is still a great distance and I don't doubt that in those (less than) 17 hours, everyone has to deal with some kind of hardship - be it bad weather, an elbow to the eye during the swim, or a bad knee on the run. My comment to those who have already completed an Ironman or anyone who is thinking about participating in one of these events, is to keep it in perspective. Though, at the same time, I know I will certainly have an ear-to-ear grin on my face as I cross the finish in Arizona.

Here is a little background about us:

J - He completed Ironman Arizona in 2008 and completed 117/140.6th of Ironman Arizona in 2009 (a future post will explain the fraction), along with over two dozen other endurance events since 2004.

B - This will be my first Ironman event. I've completed about half a dozen triathlons in the past couple years but have been on hiatus for more months than I'd like to count.

B+J - We met over 3 years ago while training for triathlons and raising money for a charitable organization (The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training).


Why blog? We hope to impart some of the "insider" knowledge we have gained over the years of completing a wide variety of triathlons and other endurance events. With the help of some amazing coaches, teammates, first-hand experience, and a long-term obsession with bikes (cough*J*cough), we have picked up a lot of tips and tricks regarding the intricacies of the world of triathlons. We will not be giving training suggestions, injury advice, or anything else that we are not qualified to give but simply writing about the little things that triathlon books (and even some coaches) forget to tell you. We hope that you find our posts helpful and instructive but they will be less about telling you what to do and more about telling you what has worked for us.