IMCdA

[Running Mommy]

Trigirl.. I would LOVE to do IMLP, but looking at that bike profile makes the hairs on my neck stick up in fear! I am NO hill climber!!
But it just seems like such a classic race.
Spencer was asking me why I haven't done any other ones. I told him that CDA was the only other one I would consider..
IMFL- Jelly fish (my friend Gail was stung in the mouth once and that did it for me)
IMLP- Like I said- HILLS!! nough said
IMMO (WI)- NO desire to go there. Hear it can be hot and humid. I do hot, not humid. I know last year it was bone chilling rain. Just can't see myself going to WI for anything...
IMKY- A new race that sounds about as appealing as IMMOO...

So that leaves IMCDA and IMAZ. I wish they would do one in TX. I would go to TX...
Anyhoo, I can't wait to hear from Ms. Melisa the STUD!!

[colby]

This signup decision is killing me. I haven't even done a HIM, but I will by the end of this year, and I will have ran another marathon, along with several other shorter tris. My husband keeps making suggestions like "I think you should do a HIM first" and my response is "by then, I will have" (or, "you should run another marathon first" -- "by then, I will have"). It's really hard to decide where you want to be a year from now. The timing for IMCdA training will start perfectly after I finish my marathon, and I will have enough cross-training opportunities to finish out the ski season before serous IM training.

I would honestly love it if there was another IM-distance race nearby that I could try first and NOT have to sign up for a year in advance, but IMCdA is physically the closest race to me other than a sprint tri in 2 weeks that I'll be able to walk to from my doorstep. The next closest IM-distance is probably 100 miles away. I need to move to San Diego or something.

Maybe it is too soon for me... but a year is a lifetime. One more hour of internal battle... (negative one hours if you consider I could have physically signed myself up an hour ago)

[Tri Girl]

I didn't sign up. After careful consideration, I'll wait until '09 to do the next IM. I'm starting a new job in the fall, and I think it just might be too stressful doing a new job and training for an IM. Instead, I think I'll try to sign up for IMFL after the race (and for sure try to get in to CDA or LP next summer). I aint scared of no stinkin' jellyfish (ok- maybe a little...).
Did you do it, Colby??

And let us know when you hear from Melisa, Denise!

[colby]

I didn't sign up. After careful consideration, I'll wait until '09 to do the next IM. I'm starting a new job in the fall, and I think it just might be too stressful doing a new job and training for an IM. Instead, I think I'll try to sign up for IMFL after the race (and for sure try to get in to CDA or LP next summer). I aint scared of no stinkin' jellyfish (ok- maybe a little...).
Did you do it, Colby??

Signups aren't until 11 online... it's only 10:15. Still 45 minutes of torture.

I thought about the job aspect, too. I have a demanding job, but I can train in the mornings and weekends. My job does involve some travel, but it's sporadic and planned well in advance (or is very short). The family commitment is another avenue, but they seem supportive. My dad offered to let me tow his kayak swimming, and tow him in a trailer on my bike.

[Tri Girl]

Signups aren't until 11 online... it's only 10:15. Still 45 minutes of torture.

It's STILL not time? I thought you were only one hour behind us. I went to the site and it let me enter all my information (I stopped right before entering the credit card info). I would like to do it, but just don't think this year is the year. I need to get far stronger on my bike before I tackle the next IM. I'd love to do a 6.5 hour bike- and that means dropping 1.5 hours off my last bike time. 2 years will give me plenty of time to do that.

My dad offered to let me tow his kayak swimming, and tow him in a trailer on my bike.

Wow- how nice of him. He just wants to do the IM without putting forth the effort. The only free rides on race day are for the bugs in my teeth/hair. Tell him you'll drag him in the kayak and in the bike trailer if he'll carry you piggyback on the run.

[colby]

It's STILL not time? I thought you were only one hour behind us. I went to the site and it let me enter all my information (I stopped right before entering the credit card info). I would like to do it, but just don't think this year is the year. I need to get far stronger on my bike before I tackle the next IM. I'd love to do a 6.5 hour bike- and that means dropping 1.5 hours off my last bike time. 2 years will give me plenty of time to do that.

We're 2 hours from Central, they released it early! I totally missed that. Earlier the active.com page said you have to wait until 11:00, but it's not 11:00 (well, now it's 11:00, but when I started this it wasn't) and I see they put up the price and you can get to the actual entry page now. Man.

I wish it was about the money. It'd be easy to say no if $475 meant I couldn't do any other races.

[colby]

I wish it was about the money. It'd be easy to say no if $475 meant I couldn't do any other races.

Since I can refund up to May sometime and get $150 of my money back, I signed up and will make my final decision later. Now, knowing my personality, I probably will do it anyway, but this gives me until the end of the season to fully decide just how crazy I actually am.

PS: Pressing submit on the entry form is where your mental training starts...

[Tri Girl]

I signed up and will make my final decision later.

YIPEE!!!! You know you're gonna do it! Nothing like dropping $500 big ones to make you commit to something a year away!

[KSH]

Congratulations Colby!

Now... you simply MUST do it... so we have another IronWOMAN to cheer on from TE!

[Wahine]

I knew you'd end up signing up sooner rather than later. Well good on ya!!

We'll be here to cheer you on the whole way towards actualizing your Iron Dream.

[colby]

Thanks ladies, how can I let you all down now?

[tprevost]

Trigirl.. I would LOVE to do IMLP, but looking at that bike profile makes the hairs on my neck stick up in fear! I am NO hill climber!!
But it just seems like such a classic race.
Spencer was asking me why I haven't done any other ones. I told him that CDA was the only other one I would consider..
IMFL- Jelly fish (my friend Gail was stung in the mouth once and that did it for me)
IMLP- Like I said- HILLS!! nough said
IMMO (WI)- NO desire to go there. Hear it can be hot and humid. I do hot, not humid. I know last year it was bone chilling rain. Just can't see myself going to WI for anything...
IMKY- A new race that sounds about as appealing as IMMOO...

So that leaves IMCDA and IMAZ. I wish they would do one in TX. I would go to TX...
Anyhoo, I can't wait to hear from Ms. Melisa the STUD!!

you can do hills, you just have to practice them.... (coming from someone who crawls up them at 3mph )... but still, everyone else will be doing the same hills!!!!

I wanna come watch you race again!!!!

[tprevost]

Congratulations Colby!

Now... you simply MUST do it... so we have another IronWOMAN to cheer on from TE!

+1 YEAH!!!!!! She's committed!

[mommelisa]

First of all - thank you so much for watching out for me yesterday. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. Tracy sent me a message so I knew you were there with me in spirit and truly - everyone's good wishes helped me to have a wonderful race.

Oh.my.God what a BEAUTIFUL place for an Ironman. I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful the location is, how great the people are here and how amazing the volunteers are!

I will write a longer race report soon, but I wanted to give you the recap real quick. It was crazy at first. The water was so choppy the race director gave us the option of doing a duathlon instead of the IM. Hmmmm, NOPE, I figured I'd swum in that chopfest in Florida, I could do this. Well, it was crazy. The only thing that made it better than FL was that it was fresh water and when you got a mouthful of it, it tasted ok. :-)

Onto the bike and those hills - WOW. Just when you think there couldn't possibly be another hill, there was! And it was big. I tried to ride conservatively the first loop, and by the second loop I was feeling good and I could see a lot of people who'd gone all out on the first loop started to fade. I passed lots of people! I think I averaged just over 17 for the course and I'm SO happy with that. The best thing about the course was that there were people everywhere - truly - everyone came out from there houses, but not just for a few minutes - for hours! I saw the same people on the second loop of the bike as I did on the first!

The run was good. I pretty much ran the first loop (its an out an back like FL along the same course, so you see people a lot) and walked the aid stations. By the second loop, a friend of mine had realized his hernia had popped out and so I walked a bit with him. Then, the girl that I have done all my long runs/long rides with this time was about a mile behind me (she left transition 6 minutes before me and I caught and passed her on the first loop), so I dawdled a bit. We had talked about finishing together if we were ever close enough to do that, so I let her catch me and we ran/walked the last 6 miles together. We got to cross together - I let her go just before me so that my kids could run in with me. It was really great.

My hubby said, you slowed up a bit on the run. And I told him, for me, its all about the experience and making it fun, and running in with Krista made it a once-in-a-lifetime for me.

If you're thinking about signing up for an IM, DO CDA. Really. It is a fantastically managed, setup, held and run race. I can't say enough about good about.

RM - regarding the hills. I trained out in Fountain Hills. NOTHING was harder than that, I promise. They were unrelenting and the wind was pretty bad on the bike, but nothing that you couldn't do. Do it, you will LOVE it, I just know it!!

[btchance]

Great job mommelisa!! Can't wait to hear more about it. And Colby - good luck next year! I'm sure you'll do it. No backing out now