Filles de Fer

I’m watching the 2007 Ford Ironman Louisville on tv right now (it’s on the Versus channel). The following things are going through my mind:

• If all goes well, people will be watching me (or at least a tiny speck in the giant age-grouper swimming shots) in the 2009 event!
• On second thought….maybe that event will not be Louisville. I grew up in Ohio, and the Ohio River really creeps me out for a swim course. Madison, perhaps?
• It’s really interesting to see the variety of apparel/gear the participants use - the different tri suits, helmets, bikes, shoes, etc.
• I’m putting a wetsuit/tri suit on this year’s Christmas list, but I’m not sure which style I want. A friend recommended a full wetsuit (sleeves and all), but after watching the Louisville event and seeing many of the athletes wearing sleeveless/two-piece tri suits, I’m curious about the pros/cons of each.
  • A full wetsuit would definitely allow me to start training in Lake Michigan a bit earlier in the year, but my target event (SORT) is in late July, so sleeveless might be the way to go.
  • Suggestions are welcome! I’ll probably ask the nice people at Running Away what they think when I go in to get my next pair of running shoes.
• Ashley Whitney (whom the broadcast is spotlighting after she rocked the swim) totally high-fived some spectators on her way out of the water. Note to self: transition times are not as important as showing some love to the people who come out to watch this thing
• Some of the athletes were doing things I wouldn’t have expected - like filling their water bottles with orange juice (or something that looks like orange juice). This is something I’ll have to investigate.
• A lot of the athletes had little gel pouches affixed to their bikes. I wonder if I’m coordinated enough to ride a bike while downing a Gu?
• The top women’s finisher, Heather Gollnick, did this beast in 9:23:22. Oh my.

Or Iron Chick, whatever. 

I want to do a full Ironman triathlon by my 25th birthday (summer of 2009). That’s going to take some serious work. The plan is to work up to a 1/2 Ironman by next summer, and build from there. I’ll be using this blahg to record my runs, swims, bikes, and other workouts, as well as assorted nutrition tips, workout playlists, and other random things. I’m going to invite my little cousin to the blog, too. She’s my running buddy and she keeps my pace up! We’ll probably do our fair share of taunting, but it’s all in good fun.

Let the training commence.