“I don’t know if I would say I’m preparing for another career, but I’m definitely preparing for a triathlon,” Armstrong told an adoring throng Wednesday during an appearance at the Lake Shore Blvd. E., Canadian Tire outlet to promote a line of fitness equipment.

While he wouldn’t commit to competing in next October’s Hawaii Ironman event, he dropped some pretty broad hints that the seven-time Tour de France champion will be there.

“It’s interesting, it’s appealing,” he said. “How possible is it to do well? I don’t know. That’s what I’m exploring.”

Armstrong pointed to his Twitter account’s chronicling of his increased running mileage in the past month.

“It does not take a rocket scientist to say this guy’s training for something,” he said.

After an unsuccessful comeback on the Tour de France in 2010, Armstrong competed in his first triathlon in 22 years last fall in Utah, finishing fifth. Shortly after that, he placed 23rd at the World XTERRA Championships in Maui.

“I did okay, but it was a lot harder than I remember,” he said.

Asked if he could redo any part of his life, Armstrong talked of his return to the Tour de France.

“There are times when I look at my comeback and ask if that was the right decision, on a lot of levels,” he said. “Professionally, was it the right decision? From a performance standpoint, was it the best decision I could have made after winning seven and been away for a few years?

“People viewed it as a solid result. But does that change the record? Time will tell.”