Always know that I could do it?
Nope.
Always wanted to?
Yup.
I worked my way up through the distances. With each came more confidence.
Tho prior to IM I needed to do a couple marathons to build that confidence for me.
Getting a couple HIM's in is a good step to IM.
You'll be able to do it - if you dedicate yourself and want it.

Half I decided to do to see if I could do it. Just curious. IM, well I lost a few nights sleep for my first, very worried about it. And yes, it's all in the head. Both are easy to finish IF you do the proper training. Anyone can finish with enough motivation.

i did an HIM this year. it was fun and i was confident because i had done the work. i think if you put in the effort over the summer and get those miles under your belt you will KNOW you can do it. its as simple as that.

Find a good training plan and do the half-iron race first. Then take a look at a typical IM training plan and see if it looks feasible. Ironman is almost entirely about the training.

Whether you finish or not can depend on some variables out of your control (like the weather, injury, or a mechanical issue). But if you can do the training and arrive at the start healthy and with a sound mental plan for the race, you can finish. It may take 2 or even 3 attempts, but it's doable for almost anyone who can put in the time.

IM,HIM and Ultra finisher here...It is all in the head....if you can't wrap your head around it your chances of success dwindle...you can be physically ready but if you can't push away the little voices when they start talking to you...you've got a problem.
You can do an IM, but the smart move is to do the HIM first and gain experience and get a handle on the training and what your limiters may be.

Kinda brings us back to the 'reason' we do all this stuff, and ya know it just boils down to "we can". As you progress into these things and one gets fitter and fitter you realize that"hey, I really have it in me to this". And so on and on it goes. You, like many other things, start wanting more and more, realizing that you are getting better and feeling more confident. What I am trying to say is, just stay the course of a goal and see it through, soon enough you will feel more confident in your abilities and one thing will lead to another. Remember we, pretty much, all can, it's just finding the time and having the will power to continue.

I was never worried about finishing. (Not until I saw the killer Lake Geneva, WI, IM course anyway.) Do enough single-discipline events to feel comfortable with each leg. Swim a few 2-5 Mile races, bike a few centuries and run a dozen marathons; truly master each discipline. A lack of confidence suggests you need to focus on more intermediate distance events for a while.

What is it that you're afraid of bbb?

In some sense, I'm always concerned about injury - even if it's a sprint. I am also always afraid I will disappoint myself (time). But I'm never afraid of the distance.

Did you always know that you had it in you?

Nope, but I wanted to find out. My original 3 year goal was to complete a HIM by the time I was 40. I ended up finding out that I did have it in me by completing my first IM at age 39, and before I even attempted a HIM.

Obstacles that you had to overcome either at the beginning or during the training process?

Fear of the unknown. Getting use to being on the bike for 5-6 hours during training. Figuring out my nutrition, which is still a work in progress...

This is a book that helped me get over some of my doubts going into my first IM.

The Triathlete's Guide to Mental Training

Training an doing a race with friends that were in the same boat helped. Eight of use did IM Brazil 2006. Two people had previous IM experience, 6 of us did not. There was one guy that didn't even have triathlon experience, IM Brazil was his first triathlon. He did have marathon experience. I would have never attempted my first IM race on my own, but that's just me.

Like the motto states "Anything is Possible"

Best of luck!

For me it seemed to be about starting. When i got into this, my goal was an IM by 30. Thats now moved back to planning for IMWI '09, a couple weeks after i turn 25. Once the training and racing started, i just seemed to crave longer and longer distances. I'm training to do a HIM next summer, but i know as soon as i walk off the course I'll be thinking, training, eating, sleeping, and dreaming ironman for a year. Wether i want to or not.

On the other hand, I still get nervous as all hell about races. I still lose sleep over sprints, even though I know damn well i can finish one with no worries. Racing just makes me nervous i guess.

-Alan

Haha I was thinking about the same as I clicked to see what was on page 2 here ;) Or it would mean I need to rethink my goals since I was too calm, and thus they must not be a big enough reach. I like them in that maybe/maybe not area, not in the easy area.

I saw the Ironman in Kona on TV years ago and I thought the whole thing was amazing, and someone would have to be almost superhuman to complete the 140.6

I started small with my first 5k.
That gave me confidence to do a 5 miler, than a 10 k.

Then I tried a sprint triathlon, then another. A few races later and I saw someone with an m-dot tattoo. That planted the seed.

I did several marathons and worked my way up from sprint to oly to 1/2 IM.

Then I did IM Florida.

Each progression gave me the confidence to keep moving upward.
Now I know I have it in me mentally to do the race.

However, As BBB stated you need to respect the race. It could be your best day and it could be your worst.

That is what worked for me.

After the Chessieman in a month, I am trying my first ultramarathon with Anton in November.

Anton will also be testing himself to see if he can handle listening to me for 50 miles!! :eek:

I have a totally irrational fear of water too. I want to tell you that you can overcome it enough to do an IM because I did and if I can do it, you can too.

It wasn't easy and I would be (still am to some extent) a basketcase before an open water swim but you just have to wrap your mind around something else besides what you fear. I count strokes, I imagine I'm in "my box", I tell myself that every stroke I take is one stroke closer to land and I concentrate on my technique, none of those has made me any faster, but they give me something else to think about besides my stupid fears.

Here are a couple things I used during open water training swims that have made me feel more comfortable in the water:
-find someone who will stay with you during the swim. It's amazing how much more relaxed you are when someone is swimming with you.
- My husband would kayak near me as I swam. It made me feel safe and comfortable in the water.

You just keep pushing on the swim because it is worth it.

Absolutely!
Well done Waterbug.
The principle you have described is encapsulated thusly:

"Keep your mind on the things you want, and off the things you don't want!"

Consider it a mantra. Repeat at regular intervals.

PoC
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