(having done neither, I don't know what I'm talking about, but that never stopped me before... )

It seems that the jump from 1/2 IM to IM is the biggest, most potentially disasterous shift in training and racing. Don't get me wrong. Sprint to Oly is big, I expect Oly to 1/2 IM will be enormous to me. But I respect that. Anyway, OK, they tried an IM, didn't train for it, or found out that you can't buy training in the form of equipment, and they had a lousy day. I wonder if triathlon will continue to be in vogue, or if it's a thing of this decade...will be interesting to watch.

I watched Kona for the first time last fall. Blew me away. I cried, laughed, cried. I didn't, for one moment, think, "Hey, I could do that!" When I saw my first Oly distance in '02, I saw people of all shapes and ages doing it, and I thought "I wonder if I could do that?" It was a tiny small voice, barely heard and quickly hidden, but it was insistent. And now, here I am. The power of a life changing event. I wish that people who are drawn to triathlon could spend two years doing sprints and Olys, and if they love it, and want to get an IM under their belt, then go for it! What joy.

PS, Denise, your mention of Pringles in the T2 has me craving them. Haven't given in yet. But I'm still thinking of them! L.