Pre-requisite for IM - discuss

As for the nutrition pics above - both Lothar and wife Nicole are sponsored  as is also Faris Al-Sultan by  Erdinger Alcohol-free Weizenbier,  which is dished out at many race finishes here as the drink of choice. There's a crate of it downstairs in our cellar. Lothar's a good bloke and his book is actually pretty good.

The nicest bloke in the world can still make stupid comments!!

I do it all the time

ta-daa

"Team Hurtmore 2" illustrated my generalisation very well!

yes, yes, i know, he's obviously a bit thick, but it's a good illustration none the less!

nice report, and good luck in the pennine duathlon smithy

Well, sometimes

i love it when you pull your vinegar stroke face like that, big boy

Well I have actually pulled out. I was reading an old Benny Vansteelant book the other day and realised that as I can only just get under 20 hours on foot for a 100 miler I have no chance of completing the Pennile.

Anyone want to buy a Halfords mountain bike?

buckeroo!  load it with energy bars and a silly hat, and see who makes it kick!

Tried the new Red Bull cola yet? I wonder if that has 'kick' or 'wings'

I can't bring myself to drink red bull, the only thing I know that is red and has wings is a used sanitory towel

How much caffine is in a bloody Mary?

AS - there was not attempt at psyching anyone. That was a genuine comment! My final comments were a bit tongue in check as I would have preferred to have had a genuine debate, which IMHO we did not have. Rather we got sidetracked onto the underlying issues as you call them which always seem to follow IM threads of this type.

I am in no way degrading what you refer to as completers. I have nothing but admiration for anyone who takes on the IM challenge, whatever their time or motives. During a recent mid distance, I was thinking thank goodness that I am 'only' doing a half. How do those IM or IW keep the interest up to do this 2x??? My backside did not enjoy 21/2 hours on a bike let alone 5-6!! (Don't worry Candy I wasn't talking out of it at the time!) I am also perfectly happy and confident in the challenges that I have set myself this year and next. And as for the score/times accusations, my own motives for doing the three ultras this year were not driven by such targets at all. Simply to complete.

Thanks for the best wishes for the L100 - for me this is also about completing as I have no previous experience of this challenge but see it as a precursor to the UTMB. I am sure serious ultra runners will question my motives when they see my likely time, if I finish at all.

Thanks also for the clarification UW about Leder's comments and his character. My German is not good enough to understand the website but I thought that the picture was amusing especially if you ignored the alkohol frei bit!

Didn't mean to Pi$$ anyone off, seriously. But I am still genuinely intrigued about the point at which an IM/ultra marathons become an unrealistic goal for most of us and at what point does finishing for finishing's sake become irrelevant whatever the challenge. This was not a generalisation issue Candy but a relevant personal issue for the L100. At the same time, I understand that the answer will always be a personal one. For me, if you are forced to walk the bulk of the run IM and if this is seriously painful/not fun then it is relevant to ask this question. But I agree that no-one should condemn/judge anyone else's motives etc.

Best wishes to anyone competing in the forthcoming IM. I will indeed return to the "blue-side".

Ultra Ironwolf

Your comments on the first page and the translation above do not really tie up....3-4 hours  and the 5-6 hours is not really doable................The direct translation makes more sense than the original post.

That said if he thinks that is hardly doaable without a quick marathon and a competitive cycling background.............then he must appreciate how satisfying it will be for all those pirates  when they finish the IM and who do not come under that catergory.

Well, I am screwed.

I DNF'ed at Bala, have been ill for ages and haven't run in a while and haven't even attempted a marathon yet.  The most cycling experience I have was when I was 3 and had a tricycle.  

Shall I pull out of Lanzarote now then? 

Or should I follow the advise of the many who have actually completed an IM??

OR should I stumbled back into the clubhouse and continue talking about anything that doesn't require self belief, motivation or the desire to challenge myself physically, mentally and emotionally?

PO - the number of Pirates who have gone from zero to completing an IM must be in 3 figures now. Don't worry, you'll make it.

Thanks UI...

I will stumble back to the clubhouse anyway. 

You may not of intended to PI$$ people off - but you have me

I feel you have belittled my achievement with your statement - i am very proud of my 13:33, almost 90mins faster than i thought i could do -

some of the statements remind me of the attitude when i went to school the reason i ended up hating sport and not doing any and ending up at 19st+ plus. now

My fastest marathon is over 4hrs but ill let you know something for nowt - i race all my races to the best of my ability - i only 'just take part' in social event

i always drink to the best of my ability.  i think i could be faster with a bit of focus and experience.

I think it's ironic how he is saying all this stuff, but has never actually done an IM 

Be proud Will - that's about 3 hours faster than I am expecting at Lanza!  

Team Hurtmore wrote (see)

 I have nothing but admiration for anyone who takes on the IM challenge, whatever their time or motives.

??

Blimey WW and PO - read what I said in the original post and the highlight from Dr Nic above (assuming no irony in the ?? here). If you do, you will see that I have not derided your achievements in any way.

WW - Of course, you should be extremely proud of your own achievement and I have not questioned your success or your own individual goals. And Plodding On, I am not sure what 'stuff' exactly you are referring to. But I do genuinly hope that you get your own plans back on track and good luck with your IM - I truly respect you for that.

As for the 'but has never actually done an IM' quote - I will ignore the negative tone here and the double standards. I chose to concentrate on HIM distance rather than IM this year for the simple reason that I felt that the training requirements that would allow me to balance my personal goals with my work and family commitments fitted the shorter format better. I made this choice after reading advice from Tom Rodgers in his book, 'The Perfect Distance.'  His advice hit a chord with my thoughts.  But this was simply a personal choice  - no better/no worse than yours. So just as I am not knocking you for choosing to go long, please don't knock me for taking the decision to go shorter. We should congratulate each other. My complete rather compete goals comes in a different format - ultra mountain marathons. For this my training is woefully inadequate, but that is not the point!

However, I was able to make my choice on the basis of Rodgers well-researched advice. My interest in this thread came from the fact that a serious IM (Leder) had addresses the same question, but from a different angle. FWIW, I didn't agree with his comments for exactly the same reasons as many of you have pointed out.

But that doesn't stop me wondering whether there are certain parameters that can help make the choice between what kind of event is most suitable for each individual. Maybe, the issue of mara time is irrelevant? Maybe he has a point but the cut off is not 4 hours but 6,7,8.9...who knows? I am just interested in other peoples' experiences. Most of us have questioned which format of triahtlon is most suitable for us as individuals. Look back at BB's reply to my orginal comment. But are there any yardsticks that help us to make those decisions?

Leder presents one yardstick that most people disagree with, myself include. But it is still interesting to understand where he is coming from rather than simply dismissing it a bllx.

Personally, I think that Rodger's perspective is a better one. That is the debate that would have been good to have.

JD. wrote (see)

i always drink to the best of my ability.  i think i could be faster with a bit of focus and experience.

Isn't focus a problem after a few drinks?!