Electing Ironman

So, you watched the Hawaii Ironman over the weekend and now fancy a go yourself. You’re not alone. Many people set a goal to do an IM but some do so without much knowledge of what is involved. It’s like saying I’m going to be a become mayor and make a difference in this town without realizing an election is involved.

Crossing the finish line at your first Ironman triathlon (or Iron Distance if it’s not a race owned by the WTC) is one of those life events that will never be forgotten. But crossing the finish line is just the end of a journey and you want to make sure you enjoy the journey, right? I was speaking to a friend once who was nearing her Ironman event and I asked her how it was going. She shared with me words so simple yet powerful, so poetic yet clear, that I offer them for consideration to anyone considering this daunting event. She said, “I’m in the best shape of my life, but my life is not in very good shape.”

You will need to make many sacrifices along the way. The training time will be accompanied by ‘thinking time’. When you’re not training you’ll find yourself thinking about training. You talk about the things you think about so, you will be talking a lot about Ironman. Those around you need to be prepared for all of this.

My Ironman story features a journey that I value even more than the finish line. I managed to keep it all in balance but it was a challenge. For Ironman, the life plan comes before the training plan. (This post originally appeared on TritonTriathlon.com)

Teach Your Children Well

Earlier this year one of the most promising young talents in triathlon decided to retire at the age of 22. Hollie Avil was an Olympian and two-time world champion but she was desperately unhappy. Despite being incredibly blessed as an athlete, as a young woman Hollie had been crushed by the pressure to fit the mold of what many around her believed a triathlete should look like. What started with counting calories soon became a full blown eating disorder. While she continued to race after starting to heal herself, Hollie found she must leave the sport of triathlon to truly recover.

The physical is only part of the success equation for a triathlete. The mental strength required to tap into that potential is the real key. Hollie has shown this year that she has greater strength than most any athlete out there for she has walked away. But more impressive than that is the manner in which she has shared her story to help others. (This post originally appeared on TritonTriathlon.com)

Hollie’s original explanation of her retirement from The Observer.

Here’s a recent blog post in which she shares important lessons learned.

Renovating a Triathlete

My friend renovates old homes so his job is just like that of a triathlon coach. He looks at every variable, does a thorough blueprint plan for all the work, and then sets about executing. While a great planner, his greatest skills surface when facing the constant challenges that arise during the job, the surprises laying within the walls. These problems always seem to be unique so he goes about adapting the plan to still reach the desired end result.

Taking a set 16 week triathlon training plan from a book seems sensible enough yet you have no idea what is within your walls; you have no idea day in and day out how your body will react to it. If you charted the results of 100 individuals following a set 16 week plan, you’d have 100 unique charts. A set plan doesn’t change so that next workout is there whether it’s right for you or not. The art of coaching is in the ability to constantly adapt the plan, and that is the most important element that Triton offers. The plan is always changing based on how your body reacted to the previous workouts.

A overall plan is important because you need to know where you’re going. The key to success though, lay in committing to the process and executing the plan intelligently. The intelligence comes in the ability to adapt to make sure you reach success, be that a beautiful new addition to your house or a beautiful new addition to your collection of finisher medals. (This post originally appeared on TritonTriathlon.com)

The Old Guy

I have a triathlon dream. Ok, I have many triathlon dreams, but this may be the one I most relish. I want to be the old guy at the events, the guy everyone knows and of whom people say ‘Wow, he’s amazing! They say he’s been doing these local events for 60 years!’. (Let’s be clear about this: this will be the only way the word ‘amazing’ will every be linked to my triathlon career.) My first race was in 1986 so that means I’d be 81 and still swimming, biking and running. The environment of a triathlon is something special – so positive and celebratory. Who wouldn’t want to make that an ongoing part of one’s long, healthy life? Add to that the fact that once I’m a little older I won’t be as inclined to run so hard I vomit, the whole picture is looking pretty good to me. Easy swim, easy bike, easy run and then I hop back into my flying car and return to home to my space pod (it’s 2046, after all).

Today we salute Sister Madonna Buder. A few weeks ago, at age 82, she became the oldest person to ever complete an Ironman triathlon. What a way to cap off a career. But wait – no, she’s not done yet. She’s preparing to do the Hawaii Ironman on October 13th. That is one cool lady. And, she’s a great writer. Read her race report here: http://ironstruck.com/sister-madonnas-amazing-grace  (This post originally appeared on TritonTriathlon.com)

Lights, Camera, Triathlon

Triathlon is one of the fastest growing sports in North America and it is coming more and more into the public conscience.  Witness the Malibu Triathlon last weekend where Hollywood stars took part in relay teams, stars like Rainn Wilson from The Office.  The entertainment press was there and, hence, our sport made it to the TV's of a whole new audience.  In fact, the story of one of those actors, John Cryer, crashing on the bike course, may have been the most read triathlon story of the year.

Someday, maybe we'll see a triathlon scene in a major motion picture or a television character who trains and participates in the sport.  God knows we triathletes are idiosyncratic and, as characters, could supply plenty of potential humour or drama.

The starting point may be for us to be in commercials.  But here we face an enormous road block.  How do you do a triathlon commercial when you know it will certainly pale by comparison to the trail blazer: Wes Hobson's Clif Bar commercial from early last decade.

Have you seen triathlon appear in a TV show or movie?  Post a comment and we'll track the sports ascension to the upper levels of pop culture! (This post originally appeared on TritonTriathlon.com)

Maintain Speed During Marathon Training

From Competitor.com

The message is clear: from strength comes speed. The ability to run short intervals at a given pace doesn’t mean squat if you don’t have the strength to maintain that speed over the course of your goal race distance. While shorter intervals focused on specific speed certainly have their place in a post-marathon training program, it’s the marathon training itself that allows you to reap the benefits of such sessions.

Training Pain Tolerance

From Competitor.com

While it is seldom talked about, one of the most important objectives of a competitive runner’s training is to increase his or her suffering tolerance. The only way to do that is through familiarization. To resist suffering more successfully, dig deeper into those reserves, and perform better in races, you must first break through limits of suffering tolerance in training. Most runners have only physical rationales behind their toughest workouts. That’s okay, because the best workouts to stimulate physical improvement are more or less the same as the best workouts to teach suffering tolerance.