YOU DON'T NEED TONS OF MONEY TO BE A TRIATHLETE

Training for your first triathlon/Ironman does not have to be an expensive proposition. For some people it's important to have the very best tri clothing and a top-of-the-line bike, but if it's not within your budget to have the very best don't worry about it. I did Ironman Hawaii in 1984 on a piece of crap bike with none of the tri-specific options like bike computers, titanium, aero-bars, and clipless pedals that are available today and survived the race and became an Ironman. Many others did as well, so don't let it deter you if you are on a tight budget.



In the end, it's not so much the bike the triathlete is on as it is the triathlete on the bike that will go further toward determining how well you perform. For instance, the best bike in the world will do you little good if your intake of food, water, and energy drinks is insufficient and you end up with no energy left to turn the pedals.

The amount you spend on equipment also depends on the goals you set for yourself. There are those who have a dream of reaching the Ironman finish line just once. Perhaps they have family and career commitments that do not afford them the opportunity to train year after year and basically they have one shot at it. On the other hand there are others who eventually begin a triathlon career that will last for many years and it actually becomes a way of life for them.

Some people don't really know which direction their triathlon career will follow until they've given it a try and find out what it's all about.

I will discuss the different types of equipment I feel are very important to have and others that you can do without in more detail as I continue on with my blog, Ironstruck4triathletes.

IRONMAN DREAMING? BELIEVE IN YOURSELF AND MAKE IT REAL

If you are not a very fit person, that need not hold you back from becoming an Ironman. If you can't swim a stroke, that need not hold you back from being an Ironman. Never been on a road bike? Don't worry, you will remember how to ride a bike. It's just that this one will just be lighter and faster and more fun to ride.

Swimming, biking, and running.......Are you good at one of them, two of them, or maybe none of them?



Doesn't matter a bit. Ironstruck still has no doubt you can make it to the Ironman finish line. Soon, I will make you a believer as well. Swimming, biking, and running, are all learned skills. That means that the average person can learn how to do all three regardless of what their ability level is at the moment.

"IF" you are truly Ironstruck and have the desire, then you have the major component in place to begin and be successful in your Ironman Journey.

Soon you will become an unstoppable force. The more control of your life you get, the better you feel and the better you feel, the easier it is to continue on. Soon you will be on your way and will improve not only on a physical level, but will also develop self-esteem that may have been missing for a while and along with that will come a belief in yourself and you are on your way to a new improved you.

It's not rocket-science. People just have no idea of just how powerful they are and what they are truly capable on so many levels. It sometimes just takes a small nudge in the right direction to get them started and for the realization to set in...Hey! I can do this!

THE IRONMAN JOURNEY. ARE YOU READY?

Everyone's Ironman journey has a different starting point. It depends on several things that relate to your current physical conditioning and ability in the swimming, biking and running events that make up the Ironman.



You may also have issues like being overweight, smoking, drinking, drug abuse, or any number of other minor stumbling blocks that life has a way of putting in our path. I truly believe they are put there just to test us. If we resist and seek a better way of life it's not long before what was perceived as a major problem is left in a wake of self-discovery and accomplishment as you begin your journey to a better way of life on many levels.

The key to being successful in the quest to reaching the Ironman finish line is desire. People who are truly Ironstruck will find that it's call is simply overwhelming and makes our other problems not quite so difficult to leave behind. For instance, I had tried to quit smoking many times, but never could. I think it was because I never had a reason that was better than the pleasure of that smoke coursing in and out of my lungs gave me.

However, the day I decided I wanted to run and become a marathoner more than anything was the day I left my smoking habit behind. It was simple. I finally found something that mattered to me more than laying on the couch smoking 40 cigarettes a day and drinking 6 0r 8 bottles of beer and basically, going nowhere with my life.

I knew I could not keep both, so one had to go. The thing that mattered most to me stayed and the cigarettes were gone for good. You are quite capable of making the same decisions once you have become Ironstruck. Whether you are a smoker or 80 pounds over-weight doesn't really make a difference. Your past problems will disappear in a could of dust in your wake if your desire and the call of the Ironman is strong enough.

SIX AMAZING IRONMAN VENUES. WILL ONE OF THESE BE YOUR FIRST?

THIS PICTURE IS OF BEAUTIFUL SKAHA LAKE AT DUSK IN PENTICTON B.C. HOME OF IROMAN CANADA. PART OF THE BIKE AND MOST OF THE MARATHON TAKE PLACE ON THE FAR SHORE.

If you are still sitting on the fence and not quite sure that the Ironman is something you would like to attempt in the next year or two, there is one thing I always suggest to people. I suggest they choose an Ironman race they would like to do as their first one when the big day comes. The first Ironman you compete in is something you will remember for a life-time. When I started out just over 25 years ago, there was only one Ironman to enter because Kona was the only one. Now there are Ironman distance races in cities all over the world. Once you pick that race, I suggest going out the next time the race comes around and being a spectator or volunteering for the race. This serves several purposes. First of all you will better understand just how the Ironman works. You will also be able to familiarize yourself with the host town or city and find out how best to get around. Also, I can almost guarantee you will be swept up in the excitement and the drama of the Ironman and if all you needed was just a small push to convince you to sign up, this would most likely be it.

Best of all, most Ironman races fill up very quickly and if you are at the venue there is a good chance you will be able to sign up for the next year because you are there. Plus most Ironman races are great tourist destinations, and if you are planning a holiday anyway why not pick a city that's hosting an Ironman while you are there on your vacation.








PERHAPS THE BEAUTIFUL BEACHES OF MALAYSIA AND IRONMAN LANKAWI WILL BE YOUR FIRST CHOICE.

What amazing venue will you choose for yourself? What part of the world will you travel to in order to take on the Ironman challenge? There is a world of possibilities. For many reasons, it might be wise to stay close to home. For instance if you are in driving distance you will eliminate the need to worry about booking flights and transporting your bike and wondering if it will arrive in Texas while you are arriving in Idaho. You will also be able to take much of your own food. If you are really on top of things, and if you have visited my Ironstruck website, you will have heeded my advice and will book a fully equipped kitchenette so you can cook your own meals and not change up your diet just before the big race. If you happen to live in Western Canada or in one of the North-West states........










YOU MIGHT CHOOSE IRONMAN COEUR D'ALENE AS THE PERFECT DESTINATION FOR YOUR FIRST IRONMAN.

Being a part of Ironman excitement either as a spectator or a volunteer will certainly charge your batteries and make you even more eager to begin training when you return home. As you watch the Ironman unfold you will begin to realize how amazing the participants really are. You will also notice that many of them do not look like your typical "ripped" athlete. These incredible people are men and women from every walk of life and diverse backgrounds who have traveled from around the world to take part in the race you are witnessing.













MAYBE THE MONTH OF MAY IN FUN-LOVING BRAZIL WILL BE YOUR CHOICE FOR YOUR FIRST IRONMAN.

Yes, when it comes to the Ironman, the world is your stage. Simply decide what destination intrigues you or makes the most sense to you financially or geographically. There might be any number of qualities that attracts you to a specific Ironman. Maybe it happens to be a part of the world you always wanted to visit or perhaps it's in your own home town. Perhaps you live in the United Kingdom and prefer to stay close to home. In that case you might want to take in........











IRONMAN UK THAT TAKES PLACE IN AND AROUND SHERBORNE LAKE AND CASTLE.


The possibilities are endless.

Have you always been intrigued by Africa?




Well here's your chance to visit this incredible country and at the same time swim the warm waters of Mandella Bay when the starting gun sounds for your first Ironman race and just perhaps you will .....

COME HOME WITH ONE OF THESE AROUND YOUR NECK ONE DAY.

Let your imagination run wild and believe in yourself and all things will become possible. You will amaze your family, friends, co-workers, and most of all, yourself when you step through the door of self-discovery that is there for all of us to open if only we find the courage to take the first few steps to a new beginning.

Do you feel it? Are you drawn to the Ironman? Is it calling to you? Is it challenging you? If it is, then I truly believe you are one of the chosen ones because only certain people here the call and have the unstoppable desire to answer it. Your destiny awaits you. Yes.....you are Ironstruck and you have come to the right place. You are home...........

THE IRONMAN TRIATHLON CHALLENGE. WHERE DO I BEGIN?

First of all, if you have gotten to the point where you are pretty well certain you are going to take on the Ironman challenge, then good for you! You are about to find out a lot about yourself and most likely you will change your life for the better forever. The Ironman is much more than an athletic event. From the very beginning when there were only a handful of daring souls willing to tackle the Ironman it has been more than an athletic event.



It's an awakening......It's a happening.......It's about becoming so much more than you ever thought possible on so many levels. You will be tested not only physically, but mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually. On a practical level, you will most likely learn many new skills. Most people who decide to take on the Ironman are usually proficient in one of the three sports. Some are pretty good at two, but few are good at all three. Some have never done much swimming, biking or running. There are some like myself who were runners, but could not swim a single stroke to save their lives. That all changes once you take on the challenge of the Iron Gods. You learn how to swim, buy yourself your first road bike, start running a little at a time, read triathlon books, or get yourself a coach. Whatever you do, you are learning and improving and moving forward. Sure you learn a lot about swimming, biking and running, but you also learn about how to train, when to rest, and when to allow a bit of extra time for you body to recover. You will most likely learn a lot about eating properly and what vitamins might help you. You will learn about energy bars, gels, sports drinks, wet suits, profile bars, and heart monitors. You might learn about visualization, massage therapy, and chiropractors and whether they work for you or not. To put it simply, taking on the Ironman challenge opens up a whole new world to you.

Always look at the big picture...........You can put an incredible amount of mental, physical, and emotional strain on yourself by obsessing about whether or not you are training enough, eating properly or possibly you will have doubts about even daring to have this Ironman dream. You might ask yourself what you are doing. Do you really belong? Are you good enough?

Of course you belong and yes!......you are good enough! It is within your grasp if it' s in your heart. If it takes you three years to get to the swim start of your first Ironman, just think of all that you have learned along the way. One day you will be standing in front of a mirror and see how great you look and how far you have come.......AND THE RACE HASN'T EVEN STARTED YET!!! That's why you look at the big picture. There are so many rewards that will come your way during your Ironman journey.

So maybe you smoke, drink, do drugs, are overweight, or possibly have a self-esteem problem, don't believe in yourself, or perhaps all of the above. It doesn't really matter what stumbling blocks have been put in your path---And that's all they are! They are life's stumbling blocks. If it's in your heart, I truly believe it's possible to open the door to a new life and a new you any day you choose to do it.

I believe people are Ironstruck for a reason. I believe it's because those people are ready for a change in their life. Something is missing and they don't really know what. All they know is that somehow they feel incomplete..........that something is left undone...........that there are things left to do with their life. They watch an Ironman race in person or on T.V. and see for themselves the unadulterated joy of many people when they reach the Ironman finish line. All kinds of people. Housewives, cops, movie stars, pro athletes, senior citizens, millionaires, executives, or whoever....... It doesn't matter. They have all transcended to a place far beyond their station in life. Most of all, they were all equal on the Ironman highway. They all faced their demons, whatever they happened to be, and overcame them............

......and so can you.

That's why I think becoming a member of the Ironman family is so significant and such an accomplishment no matter who you are, what you do, or what country you live in.

So hang on to your dream and visit with me and let ironstruck lead you to the final 50 meter dash to the Ironman finish line. I believe in you and will help you to believe in yourself.

Perhaps you will choose to have the books I created specifically for those who love the sport of triathlon and perhaps have an Ironman dream. Ironstuck...The Ironman Triathlon Journey and Ironstruck? 500 Ironman Triathlon Questions and Answers have been instrumental in helping many aspiring triathletes live their dream.

Many people will spend thousands of dollars on bikes, equipment, traveling, lodging and entry fees and yet investing in these two Ironstruck books might ultimately be what will get you to the finish line.

There is simply no teacher as good as experience, and all the information my books contain is based on the mistakes I made over a 25 year involvement with the Ironman and the 14 times I stood knee-deep at a swim start somewhere in the world getting ready to take on the Ironman challenge. These are the same mistakes that inexperienced Ironmen make at every single Ironman event, but my books will help you avoid them.

Have a look at IRONSTRUCK...THE IRONMAN TRIATHLON JOURNEY

and IRONSTRUCK? 500 IRONMAN TRIATHLON QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.