Great Read

This was on slowtwitch and is a great story. This is worth the long read.

http://www.10-hours.com./blog-Ironman_New_Zealand_2009_Race_Report-161.html

For those that do not know slowtwitch it can be a brutal forum and anyone posting a report such as this is a brave soul. This guy got some flack for the investment he put in to get a sub 10 hour IM. Someone put up a great response which I included below.

"I don't really like these "what are your values vs his values threads". Sometimes, I am dad, sometimes high tech professional, sometimes triathlete, sometimes community volunteer. The time spent on each can vary wildly from day to day, month to month, year to year. Usually I can gauge when the pendulum has swung too far on any front for whatever I am emphasizing to offer a healthy balance that keeps me and those around me sane. It is a fine balance and each person will have different priorities. Let me ask you this....is the person that spend 40-50-60-80 hours a week a better or worse dad than the next guy? The reason why I ask is that no one questions the guy spending 80 hours a week at the office about how good a dad he is. Most give him credit for being a good dad cause he is bringing back bread for his family....I see lots of inefficient people in the corporate world wasting time and question that person's values just as much as those weeks when I train 20 hours per week. Both are me me me me. I think the balance tips to me me me me, the moment you cross the line past 7 hours of training per week (1 hour per day is plenty for general health and fitness)...but whether you spend that time playing 4 rounds of golf per week or triathlon or softball, or at a tailgate party at the Giant's stadium, there is an element of me me me me going on. I really do think it is possible to go sub 10 without a huge impact if you train smart and ride your bike to work instead of spending time sitting in a car commuting. Is the guys who does 10 hours training+10 hours driving spending any more time with his family than the guy who trains 20 hours and never steps in a car....just asking cause the raw numbers really don't tell the tale about how well the guy is managing time. One 20 hours week guy can steal time from his kids, another guy might steal it from TV time after his kids are asleep, another might get it done when kid is asleep early in the morning and another guy might get most of it by not stepping in a car and riding or running everywhere. The next guy might do things at work 2x faster than the 60 hour per week guy and gets work done somewhere between 30-40 hours while unproductive guys around him make like they are actually working 60 hours.....the rest of the time the guy is training...or maybe he trains half the delta (takes time for himself) and gives the other half to his family :-) We really don't know how the 325 lbs guy created the time nor money, to train for the sub 10, but since we have no clue I think it is unfair to even suggest he is sacrificing being a good parent. I think this is a case like the envy of rich guys....everyone wants the money but don't want to do the work and then judge the rich guy who happens to have drive and work ethic. Same with amazing guys like this.....325 lbs fat guy to 9:50 stud.....yes, everyone wishes they could pull that off, but few want to put the work and lack the drive and then judge the guy that actually pulled it off. Since we all have different values, I suggest that we don't evaluate someone who achieved success with our own value set. His values and those of his family may be different and rather than judge, I celebrate his success. He did the work with support from his family. Yours or mine or the next guy's family may not support the same path, but that is fine for us. CONGRATS "