LIFE events pushing me to Iron distance
I have two young sons (3 and 1) and my wife is newly pregnant (unexpectedly). I have only raced 70.3 distance to date (5x) and was waiting until 2014 to race a full Ironman (kids needed to be older and sleeping so I could add the training volume). Now, it looks like my Iron dreams will be pushed off another year.
The other option is to change courses this year and do a later season IM. My current A race of the year is Eagleman in June.
I'd appreciate any advice from the team on switching gears at this point in the year, and tackling my first Ironman. Any suggested races that still have slots? What about mental adjustment?
P.S. My SAU account is ok, but not overly full...
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Comments
Step away from the ledge,for now.
Admittedly, I dont have kids but I can imagine the juggling and SAUs required to train for HIMs/IMs so obviously that's a big factor for you. Honestly, the volume diff. between EN HIM and IM training isn't huge except for the weekend WKOs and the Thurs. long run. (This was one thing I def. checked before making the decision) I would reco that you take a peak at the IM training plans and see for yourself what you are getting into. With a June HIM, I think a late IM is doable from a timing perspective but the coaches or more experiened folks can weigh in. There is probably info in the forums about best HIM to IM timing..
One of your obstacles will also be finding a race that meets your geographical and other needs that isn't sold out. Looking forward to seeing what path you go down!
John - Echoing what Al said....now is probably not the time to go for the IM. You need to have a SERIOUS discussion with your wife about this, as the 12week lead-in to the IM is a very 'selfish' time. One kid in diapers, neither one self-sufficient, and a pregnant wife....that is a HUGE burden you could be putting on her.
Things to consider in your discussion:
There were some discussions late-winter/early-spring about working training into family (one that comes to mind was from Jonathan Brown....). I would suggest you look through the Forums and see how some of those discussions went.
Bottom line: Is it doable? Yes, definitely. Is it wise? Ayyyy, there's the rub. Only you and she can answer that question.......
Physically, if you pick a late season race, you should have no problem getting the training in given you can find a race still open (HITS, B2B or Great Floridain jump to mind).
From a family perspective, I would advise sitting down with the wife at the kitchen table and having a very frank, open discussion. If she's hesitant at all, I would say bag it and wait til the kids get older. If not, think alarm set for a 3 am long run, at least one weekend ride on the trainer either very early or very late, having a very open mind to last minute workout adjustments, a significant investment in a sitter for stress relief for the wife/spa time, anything you can do to relieve her workload and provide some sanity. Without knowing your or your family, in general, this year seems less than ideal. But again, everyone's calculus is a bit different. Really, only you and your wife can answer this one.
Good luck and again, congratulations.
So while I agree with Al, it's tough to ask someone to wait a couple decades to fulfill a dream. If that is going to eat at you, then I would suggest you follow Roy's advice for a family meeting, see if you can get the support to knock one out late this year, then put the long course hobby aside until your kids are teens or older.
I think you need to: A) Make sure your wife "gets it" and is on board; and
I have a feeling my perspective is slightly skewed as I'm an IM athlete, but as the WIFE of an IM athlete, I will admit that it's occasionally frustrating. Roy is right... There's a high probability that you'll be out of bed with a 3 on the clock if you want to make family a priority. When John was training for IMFL, he NEVER missed our son's soccer games b/c he was willing to get up and get his workout done at some crazy hour. I give him a lot of credit for that effort, and I'm sure your wife will, too. If you can honestly see yourself making those sacrifices, and really take the time to *listen* to your wife AND take action when the combination of two young children and pregnancy are getting to her (this may mean skipping a workout or two... which you should NOT stress over), then I think you can make it work.
Kim already did a great job of noting the differences between the HIM and IM plans... but as far as races with slots... not sure. HITS Hunter Mountain might fit your time frame (Sept 21) and be a little more low-key than a WTC race. If you really want to do a WTC race, Endurance Sports Travel might have something.
Either way, CONGRATS on the new little one and best wishes regardless what decision you make!
I wrote my comments at the end of my 24 hour shift in the hospital as an obstetrician, so I guess I had pregnant women on my mind
With my OB hat on, I know that, quite literally, anything can happen, and then there's the 4-6 months AFTER, when things get even worse. So I was thinking about delaying until the pregnancy year is over, not for multiple years or decades. We've got a lot of moms on this team, maybe a perspective from one of them about how tough it might be during pregnancy to have a husband off training for 20 hours a week (counting admin stuff) or more, and the logistics of trying to wrangle the family during the race week.
That said, I'm sure plenty of families can make it work. I just don't think its worth the potential strain and risks unless the need to do an IM is *really* high, especially if the need for athletic fulfillment can be met in a more flexible manner.