Toughest IM?

One of my colleagues and fellow IM triathlete forwarded me a very interesting website link:

http://www.runtri.com/2010/07/runtri-benchmarks-easiest-ironman.html

A couple interesting charts from their site:

I knew IM St. George was a tough course (both bike and run), but I didn't realize it was so much more difficult than other IMs. It will be interesting to observe this analysis overtime and see if IMSG times come down a bit (only one year of data above). Likewise, it will be interesting to see where IM Texas falls on this chart next year. It is quite comforting to know that my first IM was among the toughest out there. I'm hoping I can significantly improve my time in Texas.

I also thought the following chart was interesting to see the average training time (8.5 hours/week) of a multi-triathlete and Kona qualifier (Raymond Britt) versus my own average last year (7.0 hours). Very do-able! The training that is, not qualifying for Kona.

I have been biking a few times a week over the past few weeks (short 20-30 mile rides) along with doing P90X a couple times a week to help strengthen my core. I'll gradually ramp up my training and then go full steam ahead come mid November (six months out). Stay tuned.