Why Ironman Germany Makes Sense
Posted by Admin on February 1, 2011 in Training
I’ve been reviewing all of the content that my coaches have been sending out including technique advice, equipment recommendations, training tips and schedules, etc., and the overwhelming feeling I get from all of this is that the Ironman isn’t nearly as crazy as people think it is. I’ve completed two Ironman distance events so far and like anything else, once you’ve eliminated the fear of the unknown, it’s a different ballgame altogether.
In 2005 as I trained for Ironman Lake Placid, I was wrought with fear and emotion. Just 15 minutes before the starting gun went off, I called one of my best friends in the world, Fernando, and cried. I did so because of the fear of not knowing if I had it in me to complete the event. I had trained well and done the long rides and runs, but through training, I found that my lofty expectations of a sub 12 hour finish time were way off, and that I was in fact bad at judging my abilities. As I extrapolated those training experiences to what I’d potentially face on race day, I truly was in a no-man’s land of uncertainty. To have put in all of that training and to have made all those sacrifices and to not finish the event… well, it was such a heavy emotional piece of baggage that I couldn’t control myself despite Fernando’s efforts to calm me down.
For Ironman Brazil in 2008, I felt as if I had it in me to complete the event, but I knew that my preparations hadn’t been adequate. I had knee surgery in January, didn’t start running till March, and raced in May. Two months of marathon training wasn’t enough, so I knew I’d have a hard day. Thing was though that I had no pressure. I was already an Ironman. I really didn’t even have to compete at this event, but I had already paid my fees, booked my trip, invited and paid for my girlfriend to accompany me, and written about it to friends and family ad nauseam. I was locked in, injury and all.
Fast forward to 2011 and Ironman Germany, and I feel as if a great day is ahead of me. Put aside the physical conditioning that I seem to already have so early into the season, but the emotional sanity I think will be my greatest asset. Again, I have no pressure on me; I’m a two-time Ironman and I’m in an exclusive club because of it. I have faced my demons and I know what to expect in both training and on race day. Sure, there are a variety of elements and variables that could derail things, but that’s true of most parts of life. You control what you can control, and you acknowledge that nothing is certain. The difference between the events in 2005 and 2008 and this 2011 event is the experience.
In 2003, after completing a half-Ironman distance event, I vowed that I’d never do it again. It was by far the hardest thing I had ever done. The following year, I did that event again. I then said that I’d never do an Ironman distance event, mostly because my marriage at the time made that kind of impossible. Once I got separated, I decided to give it a go. I figured it would one-and-done. It was the hardest thing I had ever done, and I had no delusions of doing it ever again. I then started hearing about other friends who had done the Ironman and began to feel self-conscious over how slow my finish time was. Rationality would dictate that I shouldn’t have been embarrassed; I had become an Ironman for God’s sake! But, hotter heads prevailed and I found myself searching for another Ironman. Mom, Dad, friends, and others asked me what happened to my one-and-done mentality, so I freely admitted that I felt as if I needed to avenge my “slow” time in 2005. Sure, in 2008 my time was faster, but I was coming off an injury and still felt as if I had it in me to be faster.
So, now with the 2011 event, I am predicting a much, much, much faster finish time than the other two. I have great coaching, a great attitude, good conditioning, etc., but of greatest significance is how comfortable I feel about it. I have no fear, no real point to prove to anyone, and eleven years of triathlon experience to rely upon. July 24, 2011 will be a long day of activity, but it won’t be the biggest day of my triathlon career. That was in 2005 when I first became an Ironman. Rather, this will be just another Ironman and maybe, just maybe, I’ll get to the point in my life where the experience of long-course racing will make me feel the way I do about short-distance events. It’s a good lesson for life; the more you do something, the easier it gets. With this knowledge, it makes starting new things a lot easier.
Subscribe
Follow comments by subscribing to the Why Ironman Germany Makes Sense Comments RSS feed.