I Signed Up for Ironman Arizona, Oh No.

I generally like to point fingers when things don't go as planned. In this case I was sold on the idea of doing an Ironman. The sales person was Kari Duane, coach for El Dorado Hills Triathlon Club. Before being solicited I was just planning on doing Olympic and Sprint triathlons just to stay in shape. This to me sounded reasonable for a family man. A little play time with the kids in the back yard and the ability of running a few miles without dropping dead sounded reasonable. And then I met Kari. A women with six kids, capable of eating a box of chinese food from Nugget and then running ten miles.

Alright, well I'm not a genetic over achiever. I have two kids. But I was sold on the Ironman image. Six pack abs, spandex, and getting a cool tatoo on my calf of the Ironman.  Plus I could sport the Ironman sticker on my car all while inhaling a box of chowmein. Sweet.

Now I have to justify this decision with some real rational. Part of me feels like triathlons are just something yuppies do now, similar to running marathons in the 1980s with perms and velcro tennis shoes. Now in 2010 we have raised the bar to get that water cooler pride. Marathon runners are a dime a dozen now. Everyone and their mother wants or has qualified for Boston. Now the yuppy bar is set at swimming 2.4 miles, cycling 112 miles and then running 26.2 miles in one day. Furthermore, in the 1980s you could get by with a good pair of sneakers. Now you have a triathlon bike that cost more than your first car.

Back to reasoing, it could be I'm a macho man. I like doing things that no one in my family has ever done. Lets see, get a degree in mathematics from the most prestigous math department in the world, check. Work for a leading actuarial consulting firm, check. Speak three different languages fluently, check. Hmm... swim in the San Francisco Bay with Sea Lion feces, check.