Remember your first triathlon? It was probably a sprint distance, and on finishing you probably felt a mix of elation, exhaustion, satisfaction, and relief. And before the congratulations were even finished, someone had asked you, "So when are you going to do an Ironman?"
Huh?
It happened to me, and it planted a seed in my brain. Even though I had never run further than four miles at once. And even though I had no idea why I wanted to do an Ironman, it seemed like a great idea.
It's undeniable that many triathletes see iron-distance races (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run) as the pinnacle of the triathlon world. They see it as a badge of honour that separates ironman finishers from the rest of world. And if you hang out with other triathletes, you'll experience that peer pressure to "join the club."
Why the Focus on Longer Distances?
The "glory" of iron-distance races likely comes from the early days of the Hawaii Ironman in the late 1970s through 1980s. It was a race that seemed to defy the possible and that left the world wondering who these crazed and tough-as-nails men and women were.
Now that tens of thousands of ordinary mortals have completed an iron-distance race, and now that sprint-distance races are the largest growing segment of the sport, the "tough guy" image of triathlon is starting to fade. But still, if you ask non-triathletes about the sport, they're likely to think of Kona.
But All the Best Athletes Race Long Distances, Don't They?
It's funny, this notion that long distance is inherently correlated to better fitness and greater toughness. No one thinks that an Olympic track & field sprinter is less an athlete than a world class marathoner. And did you even know there's a 10k Olympic event in swimming? If so, do you think less of Michael Phelps because he excels at 100 meters? Of course, our most famous cyclist, Lance Armstrong, reinforces the connection between long-distance and greatness. But he most certainly wouldn't do very well racing a mile in the velodrome.
For age-group triathletes, you'll find a wide range of abilities and fitness levels at races of all distances. You'll see people who do very well at sprint distances but suffer on a 100-mile ride, and you'll find Ironman finishers who will be the last back to the car on a brisk 6-mile run.
Figuring Out What's Right for You
By no means am I trying to dissuade anyone from attempting a half-iron or full-iron distance. But I strongly encourage you to set goals based on your own personal ambitions. Setting goals is a huge topic, but here are a couple of almost-universal considerations:
- How much time do you have to train? To comfortably finish even a 70.3 distance, most people need at least 10 hours of training per week, and many will do 13 to 18. And that's just the time actually swimming, biking and running. Add in the stretching, driving to the pool, driving to the track, driving to the start of a group ride...and you're easily looking at 20 hours per week.
- What will you give up in your life? Most of us don't have vaccuums in our lives. They're filled with family, friends, work, school, sleep, meal times, and down time. If you need to train more hours to do a longer race, in which of those areas are you willing to spend less time?
- How tired do you want to be? A common theme of training for a first half or full Ironman is the constant feeling of fatigue. It can affect everything--your concentration at work, your energy for your family, and your ability to go to the 9:00 movie with friends...
- What type of training do you like to do? For longer races, you're efforts will focus on longer rides, longer runs, longer swims, and longer bike/run bricks. Obvious, right? And if you love those 80 mile rides, that may be for you. But if you prefer speed intervals? Maybe not. Advanced athletes can do long distances and still have a quality interval session the next day. But when I trained for my first 70.3, I was so tired from the long workouts that I had little energy for intervals. Which, for me, was a bummer. But now that I'm training for Olympic distance races I'm almost always fresh for intervals--which I really enjoy.
- Do you like to do a lot of races, or just one or two big ones? Racing a half or full distance Ironman takes a lot out of you. You'll taper leading up to it, and then need several weeks to several months of recovery afterward. You very well might injure yourself during the race and be hobbled for longer. Even during the main training for longer distance, you probably won't do many shorter races because doing a sprint-distance race on Saturday would completely interfere with your planned 80-mile ride. But if you like to race sprint or Olympic distances? You can easily race 8-10 in a year if that's what excites you!
- Are you competitive against other racers? If so, you can do exceedingly well in sprint distance with training 10 hours (or less) a week. But you probably won't finish high in the standings at a 70.3 with that level of training. But if all you care about is finishing? You can do an Ironman with 10 hours per week if you accept that you'll be walking most of the marathon and finishing near the back of the field. Neither style is better than the other--it's simply a matter of your personal goals.
- How many years do you want to race? I'm pretty convinced that most of us have a limited number of miles in our legs for running. The pounding takes its toll over a lifetime, and, for many, injuries set in. If you think you'll still want to be racing in 20, 30, or 50 years, you may want to consider the cumulative impacts of 20-25 mile weeks versus 40-50 mile weeks.
- Why do you race? This is an intensely personal question, and hugely important. But one that is very overlooked. Racing triathlon--at any distance--can bring a lot of great things to your life. But it can become unhealthy. I believe those who train longer hours and race longer distances have a harder time keeping their lives in balance. I highly recommend the book The Triathlete's Guide to Mental Training. In particular, read the section about "the dark side" of triathlon.
Afterword
Remember that seed in my brain that told me I should do an Ironman? It's still there, but it's no longer growing. As you might have guessed from the above passages, it's not for me at this point in my life. Even though I'm in the midst of a year off for work, and in theory "have all the time in the world," it's not something I want to devote my life to. For me, keeping triathlon in balance with the rest of my life is important. And I don't think I could do that and still train for an Ironman.
Not to mention, I really love intervals. And while I dig 3 1/2 hour bricks...the 5-6 hour ones? Not so much...
Besides, I also have a notion that if I wait until I'm 65, there's a better chance I'll qualify for Kona.
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