IM FL as first Ironman..opinions?

Tons of race reports available

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/directory/link-detail.asp?linkid=4442

Only one RR?  Not sure where you're looking, but there should be TONS.  At least one BTer has done it the last 5 years or so and always writes a RR.  And I know most who did it in 2010 and wrote RR.  So, they are out there!

That being said...the IM you should do for your first IM is the one that works out the best for you based on a NUMBER of factors...is the terrain and course typical of terrain you train on regularly?  Are you comfortable enough for an ocean swim if the race has an ocean swim?  Which is easiest for you to travel to?

Seriously...it's all about what you train in.  A person who lives in CO and spends most of their time climbing would probably HATE IMFL because you spent 112 miles on the bike in aero.  A person who lives in FL probably wouldn't like IM Tahoe too much because they wouldn't be used to climbing.

You live in TX (or so says your username).  Much of which is fairly flat.  And TX is twice as windy as FL.  So you would probably be very well-trained for the IMFL bike and run courses.  But are you OK in the ocean?

Another factor for FL is how late in the season it is.  A lot of people are burned out by then.  You have to either shift your season or be ready to feel a bit burned by November.

FWIW, the water temps at AZ are not that cold.

The water temps in Tempe Town lake aren't cold at all. It is a bit of an "artificial" lake that, prior to this last year, was actually dry for a while.

Florida is a good choice with the ocean swim and the flat terrain. It is often a fast course.

I have done IMFL.  It was my 2nd IM, but first finish.  I would highly recommend!  I have a race report, but it is not very detailed.

A couple of thoughts from my experience:

The Ocean swim was tough, but very enjoyable.  Contact is less than other IM's because you seem to have more room to spread out.  Make sure to use glide (lot's of it) on the back of your neck, the added buoyancy causes A LOT more chaffing back there!  And, yes (if you read my RR), I did see a shark ~ but I did not feel threatened by it.

The bike is flat, but not as pancake flat as everyone makes it out to be.  There are some rollers toward the end.  Absolutely nothing to worry about, but they are there.  The out and back section is ROUGH, really rough.....I can still feel myself bounce around when I think about it!  The wind can be a factor on this course.  Not a great spectator course, you won't see many people out there past the city.

The run is fun, lot's of things going on.  People everywhere.  The park gets dark and a bit boring, but otherwise I liked it.  It gets dark early there in November, so unless you are super fast, be prepared to be in the dark for many hours (I actually enjoyed this part).

The transition area is compact and run very well.  The changing area is inside (I think it is like a garage area or something).  The finish is fun and volunteers are awesome (as always)!

I would, and do, plan to race there again.

Good luck to you

If she really is from TX that out and back will feel like butter.

And it isn't that rough if you hug the white line.  It's just a bunch of compression cracks, not really constant bumps or vibrations.  It reminded me of riding on a concrete bike path....tha-thump, tha-thump, tha-thump....

Wow ~ you all must have some BAD roads in Texas....LOL.  That was some of the worst I have ridden; maybe it's because I ride an aluminum bike with terrible shock absorption.......either way, remind me NOT to do IMTX

My 2010 IMFL race report is in this list, and linked below.  Happy reading!

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=233938