Your preaching to the choir girl, preaching to the choir!!

I wrote an email to the guys at Ironmantalk to get their take on it. Hopefully they talk about it in a future podcast.

I guess it's like everything, once it gains popularity it gets watered down.
Thats another reason why the water noodle thing at the danskin races bugs me so much. I'm all for encouraging people to get into the sport. I tend to think of myself as an ambasador. BUT you need to go about it right and do the neccesary training before you even think about plunking down your $$ for a race. Be ready to race. It's a TRIATHLON- a SWIM, BIKE, and RUN.. Done back to back... You need to have those athletic skills to be able to do one.

When I decided I wanted to get into triathlon the first thing I did was sign up for swim lessons at the Y. It wasn't until I could swim 30 laps that I decided I was ready to sign on the dotted line. Am I saying that you need to be perfectly trained and ready to take your AG?? NO. I'm saying you should be able to complete the distances in training, with no real problems, before you toe the line.
And there is NO reason to start with an IM. I know plenty who do. Some actually do pretty good coming out of the gate like that. But I think it's a lot to ask of your body.
I must say that my husband is doing IM next year with very few races under his belt. I wasn't happy about that. But I also know his riding and running base is where it needs to be. So I'm working on the swim componet with him.
I do give him a hard time, and give him the crossways look all the time. I've told him over and over that I don't think he respects the distance. I think sometimes that he thinks "well if Denise can do it. I can".... But Denise has her butt out there training like a mad woman 6 days a week. They forget about that. Oh- and yeah I hear from the sidelines ALL THE TIME "look at her honey. If she can do it. So can you. She's not skinny."
I just want to clock the people that I hear say that. BUT yes, most people CAN do what I do. They just have to put the time and effort into it. I don't have any special talents that only *I* posses. No I have the drive. And that's all you need.