Clueless

I can't believe just over 2 years ago I was so clueless about triathlons ... I came across a post I wrote on a Mommy Message Board that I frequented when my boys were itty bitty. I have always wanted to do an Ironman, even before I knew much about them (obviously!).

Without further ado, this was me 2 years ago (posted 3/27/07):

"I have noticed in some recent threads (including my socks thread) that there are several triathletes on these boards and I would love to pick your brains.

I have done both sprint and olympic distance triathlons in the past, but it is one of my life dreams to do an Ironman. I have no desire to finish at the beginning of the pack - just to finish.

I have completed several marathons and century type bike rides. I am a horrible swimmer, so I know that I am going to have to take lessons for that.

Ok, so on to my questions. If you or a spouse completed either of these events - where did you do it? Close to home or did you travel? How competitive were you? Like I said, my goal is just to finish! For those that were at the back of the pack, how was the support? What was your training regimine? How long did you train?

I have an 8 year old Gary Fisher mountain bike that I have always used with hybrid tires for my long bike rides and the triathlons that I have done. Is investing in a road bike almost a necessity if I decide to do the Ironman?

How did you qualify, if necessary, for the event?

Is there a particular event that you recommend?

There is not a lot close to me, so I will probably have to travel to the race and always prefer to make a vacation out of these type of trips. For example, I did the Maui marathon in 2003. We arrived on Saturday mid-day and the race was Sunday. The rest of the trip was vacation.

I think that is it for now. Thanks for sharing! "

I followed that up with this reply:

"Thanks so much for the replies. Right now I am leaning towards researching the races, the equipment, etc. in 2007, signing up in 2008 and doing the race in 2009. I have a 6 week old that I plan on nursing for at least a year, so I think trying to do a race in 2008 would be difficult.

I am so happy to hear that the party really starts at the finish line for those that are finishing between 13 - 17 hours! I am going to use all the info that you all have given me, including the private messages I have received, to start my research. Thank you!"

What is so cool about this is that I ended up following through on this plan, even though shortly after I posted this I went back to work full time and put the dream (and research) on hold for about a year. I have learned a lot in 2 short years but I know that I still have a lot to learn!