Well, after a few marathons, a few years ago I set a goal of competing in triathlons, eventually working my way toward becoming an IronMan. I've always been a biker, and a fairly good one -- and with a few marathons under my belt, my confidence in my running ability has increased significantly. All that was left was the swimming!
Now, I'd never been much of a swimmer. In fact, I'd never swum a lap. Not one. Pools were for Marco Polo and relaxation. I literally hadn't been in a pool in over 20 years -- I could probably dog-paddle to the deep end if I had to, and if shipwrecked I could probably make my way to the nearest lifeboat...but that's about it. So, I was literally starting from scratch here. I read a few books, watched a few Total Immersion videos, and started making thrice-weekly trips to the local pool with my training partner. Six months of hard work, and I still sank like a rock. What to do? Hire a coach, of course! Fortunately, I knew a guy who wasn't just a swimmer, he was a two-time All-American and Division I coach who still holds several records at the University of Florida. Perfect! So, back to the pool...three times per week...but once with the coach, and twice with my training partner. And...
After six months with the coach, my 1500m time had miraculously dropped below 30 minutes to about 26 minutes -- a major success, right? Well, many of you probably know that a 26-minute 1500m is almost, but not quite, fast enough to make most junior high school swim teams. So, after a year of swimming and six months of work with a top-notch coach, I was just fast enough to get lapped by most decent 14-year-olds. Humbling? Yes, to say the least.
I'm not much of a quitter, and a quick browse of my blog will reveal a fair amount of determination and drive. But, apparently, I'm also not much of a swimmer. I'm also enough of a realist to know when it's time to move on. It's in this spirit that I ask you...is it time? Focus on marathons, duathlons, perhaps ultras? Is it time to give up my Iron dreams?
9 comments:
30minute 1500's puts you well under the cutoff time at Ironman.
26 minutes,,,,oh,,,,I thought you said 26 hrs. Well I guess I couldn't qualify either then. :)
Don't give it up. Just cause you can't finish first doesn't mean you can't finish.
Would you like to lap me in the pool? My 1500 time would be around 32...and I'm still dreaming of IRON;)
And I love what Joe said in the previous comment--it is so true.
the cutoff is 2:20 generally, so if you're at 30min/1500 and you only have to do about 38xx, you're WAY under the cutoff time. honestly, that's a very respectable swim time.
donald's crazy, huh? :-)
Wow, I think that's an amazing 1500 time! I think I'm in the 30-35 minute range. Keep up the training and I think you'll get more confidence... because that is what you are lacking, not speed! Ok, my new goal is 26 minutes because that sounded impressive to me when I read it. :) Hehe, thanks for the motivation!
(btw, I joined a Master's class, maybe you should check that out? Might offer a different challenge then coaching alone?)
NEVER give up on your dreams, just keep the faith! Just because you may think you're slow doesn't mean you can't/shouldn't do something. You didn't give up when the cancer came back, you didn't give up in those marathons where you ran a slower pace than you wanted, why give up now? :) Keep going, you can do it!!!
Michael,
26 min in 1,500m is very good. Heh, I did an IM swimming 2:00/100m. That's 20 min per 1,000 m. :).
With your base (a few marathons), you are very ready for IM. If you are concern about swimming, don't worry about it. I tore my shoulder 3 weeks before IM. Despite that i still able to make it through the swim cut off :)
Like others said, that 1500 time is very solid for a tri-dude. I always find it hard to compare pool times to open water, though.
I don't see any reason why you can't so an IM, as long as you build to it gradually. Don't try to do it all at once.
And having done an IM last year, I can say that the training for an IM vs Western States is about equally crazy.
Thanks for the link!
Doood, I'm going to forget you even asked this question. Forget the dream? Right, so this never happened. Go get back in the pool and get after it! :)
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