“rarely hitting 8” probably means a training period average of 6, nevermind annual average. Even those not deliberately trying to exaggerate their 20 hours tend to be over-optimistic, and forget those missed days/weeks.
Eg. I’m averaging 6.5hrs for SBR in 2021. Bit of a reality check, I’d have guessed 8ish.
Which one of you is Barry Bobbins? 
That’s the problem with stirring things on the Internet, you don’t know if anyone is being serious at all. Until they have a melt down I suppose.
I think he’s serious…unless it’s @Jorgan
asked me to post my Bolton loops as if he didn’t believe I’d done them 
So I’m doing training centuries at 30-33kmh, post my Bolton loops at 25-27kmh and he’s like
“You’re not as quick as you make out”
I’m like; I FUCKING KNOW!!!
This is what I’ve been saying; the course is easily 15% slower than your best training paces.
If you’re doing 100km ride in 5 hours, there is NO WAY YOU WILL HIT THE CUT OFF 
Oh, unless you drink Tailwind, lick a salt stick and harness the power of the crowd 
Not guilty; not going anywhere near IMJ.
You’re forgetting all the ‘Tap for Power’ signs the kids have, that will get you through.
I don’t think many of you believe that all they have do to do is believe anything is possible (except a DNF) 
A 3 hour training century is a very good pace.
It’s faster than the competition record, so it sure is!
In the @gingerbongo land!
I’ve done about half dozen 100km rides this year (27-33kmh)
I’m on three imperial centuries now (27kmh, 30kmh and 33kmh) first two were on road bike.
I’ve just ventured onto that IMJ UK Facebook page. Wow. What a toxic atmosphere. Normally I cheer for the have a go hero’s hour folks. Now I’m hoping for a really windy day to watch the carnage unfold and the triumph of reality over hope. It’s the statements that faster folks aren’t “real people” that particularly fecks me off.
My first IM was 13:51…
1hr 49min swim
6hrs bike
5hrs 50mins run, walk, hobble
Second year I went back and did 11hrs.
Swim down to 1:13.
Third year did a different race, down to 10:20, swam under an hour.
It’s not like I’m, or any one else who is reasonable, is particularly “blessed”
It’s just work and consistency.
The work isn’t even that hard for IM, you just zone out into Z2 and plough on for hours on end
The problem for the ‘Pelogram’ demographic, is that they think they’re entitled to something because they merely desire it.
They don’t want the physical or mental demands of training for an Ironman. They don’t want to have to save-up to get an iphone or a GLA Class Merc.
and came 4th overall 
Don’t remind me!!!
That Nathan Blake came thundering past me in the final mile - downhill to Sandy Balls.
We had some good head-to-heads over the years, but I still remember “losing” third place
Yep, i definitely agree on that one. They wouldn’t want to see/believe the stories that, for example, we could provide as a collective on this site. Lots of very experienced athletes ranging from KQers, AG winners etc to MoP and BoP. But the one thing they all have in common? Thousands and thousands of kms over the last 10 years+ in the pool, on the bike and running.
Boring though innit. Trying and working and all that.
Amazing how this mindset is everywhere. A woman I run with has invested time and money into running in the last year and has absolutely nailed her times - improved by 20 mins in the half marathon. And all the comments on the club page are “what’s the secret?”. Everyone wanting to hear that there’s a magic fairy dust or super shoe that they can buy and be brilliant.
No folks, it’s months of bloody hard work (relatively speaking of course) and sacrifice! And staying focussed on a goal.
@gingerbongo alluded to this previously…
Comments like “oh, it’s alright for you, you’re fast”
I’m not Lady Gaga! I wasn’t “Born this Way!”
Neither am I Bruce Springsteen. I wasn’t “Born to Run!”
I’ve been waking up at 5am to do mile repeats around some god forsaken industrial park before I start work at 7am 
I’ve put in the hard work and am reaping the benefits of that! But it’s still bloody hard!
the time i was running well (for me) I knocked about 25 minutes off my first half marathon time over a 2 year period. Went from 2:08 ish to sub 2 to 1:54 to 1:49 to 1:45. and that winter before i did my best time I lost a good 10kg, ran 100-120k months ( a lot for me) and was doing regular XC racing. but yes its because I used salt sticks, or tailwind or £250 shoes or something 
Addlington’s coach , I’ve probably mentioned this before, once was told in interview, she is so naturally talented in the water, he said yes it took 4 years of hard work to become that naturally talented
Yes, it is hard, and I’m happy to take another year off Ironman, and actually triathlon too by the looks of it. But there are other ways to ‘test’ myself 
Like moving out of your comfort zone and giving out some more likes for the needy trafleets on this website?!
I hate that expression so much. i think I wrote about it further up this thread. Along with ‘you’re a machine’. err no I’m not, robots don’t feel pain, I bloody do!