If you knew that you would not finish a race, would you go ahead and start it anyway or simply become a spectator? That’s the question I had to ask myself regarding the Ochsner Ironman 70.3 New Orleans next month. I signed up for it (and paid the entry fee) last Fall. After failing to finish the Boise Ironman 70.3 last June, I buckled down, started training harder and then signed up for this inaugural race in the Big Easy.
What I did not expect was to become so sick after a triathlon in September that I could barely sit and work at the keyboard all day, let alone run, bike, or swim. After four weeks, I went to the doctor and he said it was bronchitis. It felt more like walking pneumonia to me. Anyway, I missed six weeks of training and when I started back, coughed like a maniac at the end of each run or bike ride (swimming wasn’t even an option yet). Then, after my first marathon 3 months later, I sprained my ankle and spent another two weeks on the mend.
After all of this, I decided not to race in the Ironman New Orleans 70.3. Even though it was paid for and all of the plans made, etc., I decided to just become a spectator.
I imagine that if it was a NASCAR race and I knew that I could at least get some points, then I might have made a different choice, but this is a physically grueling race that requires preparation.
There’s always next year or the next Ironman 70.3, but for now I’m going to take the DNS.
