Johnny Hall's Travels and Travails

I think I'm slightly mentally deranged. I get an idea into my head and it takes hold and doesn't let go. Until another idea takes hold. The original idea will come back and re-assert its grip at some point. But usually there's only one idea with a really tight grip at any one time. Right now, the idea is Ironman. A month or two ago, it was marathoning. Luckily for my sanity, and the sanity of those around me, both of these are compatible. Indeed, you can't be an Ironman without being a marathoner. Having drawn up my training schedule for next year (which is all I'm good for, since I can't write and I can't work at a keyboard for any length of time), I stuck all my eggs into the half ironman and L'Etape basket for 2007. The plan is was to do a full distance Ironman in 2008. Now I'm thinking, that if I have spent the effort to get fit enough to do L'Etape in July, I'll be fit enough to do an Ironman in August, so it would be a waste to not use that hard won conditioning. So, I've added an Ironman in August to the schedule. Which, on the face of it, is insane. However, to my eyes, all of the events before August (spring marathon, 70.3, L'Etape) can be considered training for the big event. There are 2 IM events in the schedule for August this year - the UK (which is 30 miles from Weymouth, where Becky's parents have a house) and Canada (which is in BC, which we love) a week later. Assuming that these take the same spots in the 2007 schedule, then either will do. I'd definitely love to do the Canada event but it'll be a lot more expensive (take a family holiday?) and entries are difficult to get hold of (apparently, I can email them for an application form after the 2006 race), so it's not definite that I'll even get in. The only real doubt in my mind is my swimming - can I get my technique good enough to swim for a mile and a half? Let's assume I can, with the aid of Total Immersion. So, the next year is starting to look very busy. But you're only young (ish) once. Next year might be one of the last few years where I can do things like this before family commitments become too much (that sounds bad, but it's not the intention). Becky thinks I'm daft but the intention isn't to race these events, it's simply to complete, which is a whole lot easier to achieve. Again, we'll see. I'd love to have a year in my life where I run a marathon, cycle L'Etape and complete an Ironman. That'd be something, I think. No harm in ambition, is there?