A Somewhat Embarrassing Ironman List

What with the Ironman World Championships coming around this weekend and all the tri-energy focused on our sports' premiere event, I figured what better time to talk about me.
Self-centered? You betcha!

As for my relation to the Ironman World Championships? None. I mean, I love the event. I was out there watching it last year and it was pretty incredible. I nearly cry every time I see it on TV, too. For decades I've dreamed of racing Kona, but after four shots at the lottery and 14 years of never even coming close to qualifying, I'm relegated to watching it on NBC and Ironmanlive like the rest of us MOP* schmucks. (*Middle of the pack)

So in honor of absolutely nothing in particular, here is a list of all the Ironman merchandise that I own, broken up between stuff I owned before completing an Ironman and stuff I've purchased since completing an Ironman.

The list of stuff I owned for years before ever racing an Ironman:

+ Ironman credit card*
+ Ironman bumper sticker**
+ Ironman M-Dot visor (white)***
+ Ironman Lake Placid "In Training" t-shirt***1/2
+ Full page ad with picture of Ironman Hawaii finish line and the words "If you have to ask why, you'll never understand" - laminated and placed smack dab in the middle of my refrigerator. Exactly at eye level.

Other Ironman stuff I have purchased since finishing Ironman USA/Lake Placid this past July:

+ Ironman USA long sleeve t-shirt
+ Ironman USA Finisher biking vest
+ Ironman USA socks (2 pair)
+ Ironman M-Dot socks (2 pair)****
+ Ironman USA Finisher fleece (blue)
+ Ironman coaster*****
+ Ironman USA visor (black)
+ Ironman USA Finisher running cap (white, ugly)
+ Ford Ironman carrying bag (black, useless)
+ Ironman M-Dot backpack (black, grey, poorly constructed)
+ Team Ironman visor (white)******
+ Team Ironman tri-shirts (black)
+ Team Ironman tri-jersey (red, black, blue)

and last, but absolutely, positively, definitely not least...
+ Ironman USA Finishers medal

Clearly triathlon is a very expensive sport - and that doesn't even take into account the actual racing gear, entry fees and travel. The merchandise alone will kill ya! However, there's something about the Ironman brand that is so special. There is such a tremendous emotional attachment that accompanies the M-Dot/Ironman name - a quality most brands aspire to but only few successfully achieve. Wearing an M-Dot is about pride and accomplishment, whether you're a finisher or fan (but mostly finisher). And you can bet your sweet ass that when I have a kid, I'll be sporting one of those fresh new Ironman baby joggers. Hell yeeeeaaaaah.


* Ironman Credit Card: Not having completed an Ironman, I was a wee bit embarrassed to use the Ironman credit card when I got it 5 years ago. Of course, that didn't stop me. But just about the time I started training for Ironman USA I made the decision to stop using my M-Dot credit card. I vowed not to touch it again until I actually became an Ironman. The irony is that now that I am, in fact, an Ironman, I still rarely use the card. Truth be told, I get much better air miles from my AAdvantage plastic. And, let's be honest... it's all about the miles.

** I bought the M-Dot bumper sticker about three years ago when I was convinced I would be selected for the Kona lottery. I didn't want to put the bumper sticker on my car until I crossed the finish line. Of course, I wasn't selected for the lottery. The bumper sticker had been on my night table for awhile but during my recent Lake Placid IM training it got moved to my desk. It is still on my desk. Honestly, I never liked putting stickers on my car in the first place.

***The Ironman M-Dot visor is, hands down, the best running visor you will ever find. Period. I was a tad self-conscious using it over the past years but the moment I realized how soft, light and absorbant it is, I really didn't care what people thought anymore. Had Nike made the same quality visor, I would wear that one too.

***1/2 I am still amazed that Catherine found this Ironman Lake Placid In-Training t-shirt. And she found it at some random website based in Canada. I may very well be the only person that owns one.

****Ironman M-Dot socks: It was buy three get one free. I couldn't resist.

*****Ironman coaster: Catherine bought me the coaster somewhere in our post-Ironman merchandise buying frenzy. It's all kind of a blur though I remember having enough sanity to not purchase the Ironman pencils.

******Team Ironman visor (white): Please refer to *** comments above. It's that good.

****************************************************************************

Celebrity Car Sighting Of The Day: Ka-lee-fornia Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's black SUV posse

Location: Mandeville Canyon. A very popular road/hill amongst Los Angeles bicyclists and, coincidentally, the same road were Ah-nold and his family live.

What He Was Doing: I'd imagine he was sitting in the back of one of the four black, tinted window SUV's ripping up the road. Then again, maybe they were just going to pick him up. Either way, it's kinda wierd. Before Arnold became a politician, I'd see him casually walking around town. He'd drop down to Starbucks in his Porsche or Range Rover and he, Maria and the kids would jump in and have a Frappa-something. Or he'd stroll around the block during Halloween, saying hello to all the locals. Arnold used to be a part of the community. Now, it seems, only his security guards are. And they're not so friendly.