Preparing for Ironman

While suffering from "man flu", and everyone understands how serious that can be,  I was reflecting on my journey over the last 3 years and how this has impacted on how I think and my expectations.
I didn't start out to complete an Ironman, it just seemed to be a natural progression for me.  Fortunately I met people who knew what they were doing and they guided me along the right path.  It's like putting your body (and mind) through a scientific experiment - you are constantly monitoring the effects of your training and nutrition.
Having completed one I am now preparing for the toughest Ironman "where normal limits don't apply" - Lanzarote in May 2012.  I have more knowledge and experience so the next 235 days leading up to the event are going to be interesting as I prepare mind and body.  You see I am not ready for the event now.  If it was tomorrow I wouldn't finish it within the cut off time and would probably end up getting medical attention if not hospitalised.  This type of endurance event requires you to build up your body and continually convincing your mind that you can do it. I understand this process now so when people ask me how can you complete such a long event the answer is simple - you built up to it.  But most importantly it's about believing you can do it even if at this moment in time you couldn't. Now for some more lemsip!