As I left Ironman Chattanooga, four thoughts clanked in my brain:
1. “Rock City” was a great host and I loved the vibe.
2. The run course was legit and had great spectator support.
3. The bike times seemed out of whack.
4. The swim was disappointing.
Number four was a big one. It wasn’t as much the times as the effort (or lack of) the swim seemed to induce.
Triathlon is about the delicate balance of training for three sports, not two. The swim should have an impact on your bike and run. And when someone can literally float the course and make the cut off time, I’m not sure what to think.
Then, I thought, who the hell am I to criticize a 2.4 mile swim for being too easy? Some days it’s all I can do to walk my dog around the block.
It’s one race, on one day, and shouldn’t be compared to others.
I was 90% sure I wouldn’t race Chattanooga next year. But, as I drove to Nashville I couldn’t let go of how much I love Chattanooga, how great the crowds were, and how sweet it is to have an Ironman in your backyard.
So, after a night of pondering and numerous text discussions I decided to take the plunge. There will be no sitting around in a Badger hat . . . I will be racing Ironman Chattanooga.
Maybe they will make the swim a zig zag so you have to corner a few buoys or something. And, knowing my luck, it will be about 15 degrees hotter with no cloud cover, so the challenge will arise later in the day.
Either way, I am pumped to be racing an Ironman so close to home and hope my friends and family see the value in a Rock City vacation.
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I LOVED this race. It was my first IM (finished in 13:37) and I loved everything about it. The hills are hard, but it is all so pretty. I give them an A+ for a first year race. Good luck!
Good to hear, Lindsey! Thanks for dropping in and praising IMCHAT! I’m pretty excited, too… well, not yet… Did you write a race report?