To be made of iron

I was talking to a customer who does triathlons, and we got on the subject of the Ironman. For no reason, I said, "Yeah, I'm thinking about maybe signing up for the 2009." I hadn't actually been thinking about signing up, but now that I've said it, I really AM thinking about it. I'd have like 16 months to train for it, which would mean that I'd basically have to start training like NOW.

In case you're unaware, the Ironman is a 2.4mile swim, a 112mile bike, and a 26.2mile run. Basically, it is the marathon distance equivalent for every one of the disciplines. All in a row. The fastest people finish around 8.5 hours, and the cutoff time is usually 17 hours.

This would be the biggest physical commitment of my life up to this point.

I'm afraid to do it.