A lot of people seem to associate triathlon with the Ironman. The so called Ironman-triathlon is a long distance event consisting of a 3.86 km (2.4 mile) swim, a 180.2 km (112 mile) bike ride topped off by a marathon (42.195 km/ 26.2 miles). It was first held in Hawaii in 1978 and was still called the Iron Man back then. By now Ironman is a trademark and only races licensed by the World Triathlon Corporation are officially called Ironman. All other races covering the same distance are not "Ironman" races but long distance triathlons. To be able to participate in the Ironman World Series in Hawaii one has to qualify by placing high enough in their age group in one of the other Ironman-events that take place worldwide. Many more athletes try to get into the prestigious race in Hawaii each year than will actually be able to start there. The German triathlete Andreas Raelert holds the world record over the long distance with 07:41:33. However, he established that record in a race (Challenge Roth, Germany, 2011) not licensed by the World Triathlon Corporation and subsequently did not qualify for Kona (triathlon-slang for the Hawaii Ironman) that way. I am sure he's not too worried about it since the professional athletes plan their seasons according to the races they want to do and if he plans to do Hawaii this year (October 8, 2011) he probably has his act together and knows what he's doing.
Coming back to my opening sentence, I will take you through a typical conversation I've had with co-workers, acquaintances, friends etc. since I started telling them I was attempting to do a triathlon next year:
Me: "I've been pretty active lately and hope to be doing my first triathlon next year!"
Other person looking me up and down checking out my waistline and overall physique: "Really?! That's insane! I am really impressed. But don't you have to train like A LOT for that?"
Me: "Yeah, but I think I can do it. I mean I need to see how I like it but I want to start off doing a sprint distance first..."
Other person somewhat confused: "Wait, you mean there's other races than the Ironman?"
Me: "Of course! There's all kinds of distances and I want to get my first experience doing a..."
Usually by that point I notice a very, very sharp decline in interest in the conversation. It seems that a lot of folks seem to think that any other than Ironman-distance triathlon is somewhat boring and for sure not the real deal. Sometimes it seems like a "why do you even bother to tell us" type of deal. Of course I am exaggerating a bit here, but you would be surprised to see how many people give me that reaction. I am not trying to talk about people not knowing the technical details of triathlon race distances. What I find funny is that my attempt of getting off the couch and doing something seems not worth mentioning to some. In fact it would be sensational news if I trained for the 140.6-mile race (and subsequently probably killed myself), but a mere sprint or Olympic distance tri is really nothing to brag about.
What I realized in pondering about this reaction I have received is that exercising is a very egocentric thing to do. You take time just for yourself. Household chores, errands, social gatherings may all come short because you decide to invest time to reach your personal fitness goals. It's about you, your body, your mind. Do you feel like getting out now? Is it too warm or cold for you? Have you eaten enough before? Should you wait and digest a little longer before you go? Do you go for an hour or two? How do your legs feel? Does your shoulder ache? In this microcosmos everything revolves around the person exercising and that's the perspective one has to take a step back from when talking to others. Nobody else is so wrapped up in the training and goals to be reached. That's why a short race like a sprint triathlon might not seem as interesting to the athlete's social environment. (That could be a reason for an "athlete" to write a blog.)
So, I guess I just thought it was funny that I triggered the initial thought in many people that I want to do an Ironman in just a few months from now. Imagining the thought process evoked in peoples' minds during the split second after I mentioned my goals makes me smile. Other people with a stronger will to reach the unthinkable might set their goals as high. But for now I am sticking with my plan and am happy to be getting off the couch everyday!
