Passion, Belief, Strategy

My mantra for the last few weeks of IMFL training: Passion, Belief, Strategy

Passion - Nobody sings a song just to get to the end of the song.  The singing of the song itself is what is enjoyable.  A person has to approach Ironman training with the same attitude.  Ironman takes training.  Lots, and lots, and lots of training.  For the person who is just looking for the tattoo or just to be able to tell others that they've done Ironman, the training and the long race day are going to be miserable.  Those things are part of why some might do Ironman, but you also have to have a passion for the training.  I love what Ironman does to me.  I get a focus that I don't seem to be able to achieve at any other time in my life like I can while I'm training for Ironman.  I'm able to control my nutrition, sleep, weight, and time management with an intensity that is just lacking at any other time.  I love the fact that my fitness level builds to the point of being able to ride 6 hours one day, and come back the next day and have a strong 3 hour run.  And while the passion is usually not bubbling up in the 5th hour of a 6 hour ride, or swimming 4000 yards while the family is off doing something fun, it's what keeps me heading back out the door and on the road each day to get the work done.

Belief - Race day is tough.  Ironman hurts.  It hurts hour after hour.  That's normal, and something we get conditioned to through hundreds of hours of training.  We come up with mental tricks to ignore the pain as well as just developing a higher tolerance for the pain.  But it's Ironman, and anything can happen that day, from sea-sickness on the swim, to locals throwing oil and nails on the bike course, to GI issues on the run.  And so you get the perfect storm of fatigue, pain, the 17 hour time crunch, and whatever issue you're facing that begins to fuel the mind with doubt.  But keep the belief alive.  Unexpected trials are part of Ironman.  While a race report that reads, "I hit all my targets and goals and everything went just as I had visualized it" would make a nice summary of your day, it's not likely to be what's going to actually happen.  You've dealt with issues during training, you got through them, and you will again on race day.  Keep moving forward and just expect the pain/cramp/upset stomach to pass.  Control what you can, and don't dwell on what you can't control.  Push any anger and doubt from your mind, you don't have time or energy to waste on those emotions on race day.  You did all the stinking bricks, long rides, and two-a-day workouts, now is the time to trust the training and believe in your strength, endurance, and mental toughness.

Strategy

1. Pre-race - The last few weeks of training is a time when the body is getting especially worn down, from lost sleep due to early morning workouts, months and months of long training hours, and the longer bike and run workouts leading up to the race.  Have a nutrition strategy that helps keep you healthy and avoid illness.  I like drinking 12 ounces of V8 juice a day and having a fruit smoothie daily to help get fruit and vegetable servings and get all the vitamins and minerals I need.  We also need and eating strategy for the taper week and the last couple of days of training.  Here's some info if you need help planning.
2. Race Day - We'll all have different strategies planned for race day.  What are you going to eat for breakfast?  Where are you planning to line up for the swim start.  Are you going to walk from the swim exit of the first loop to the start of the 2nd, or jog?  What's you heart rate/power goal for the bike?  What's you planned walk/run ratio going to be on the run.  Have your strategy, practice it the last few weeks of training, and stick to it, until you can't stick to it anymore.  Then be ready to adapt, and accept that it's okay to change it throughout the day as the need arises.  

Another life reinvented

You can change anything about your life that you want to.  Make the decision, and be determined.  I've recently had the honor of meeting another gentleman who has reinvented himself.  He was kind enough to allow me to share his story with you.

Here is Anthony's story.  Enjoy.

"It all started about a year ago a friend convinced me to do Tough Mudder -- a 10 mile obstacle/mud run course. I signed up for this on July 27th; on August 1st I started my training. I had made up my mind that I signed up for this therefore I must complete this! When I stepped on the scale on July 31st I weighed in at 281 lbs. I also smoked 1-2 packs of cigarettes a day and drank at least a six pack of BudLight a day. My lifestyle was not what you call healthy by any means. I started with P90X and cut down on the beer and cigarettes; by Day 35 it started getting old and I fell off the workout wagon.

I started up quickly within a week but this time I started going to the track on the cardio days. This started with 3 miles walk/jog -- more walking at first -- till I could run 3 miles, then I started to increase my mileage. I quit drinking on October 3, 2010 and really started to see a dramatic change in my body. On December 23, 2010 I quit smoking because it was hindering my running. In January I hired a personal trainer to get me through Tough Mudder and work on explosiveness for the obstacles. A group of friends and I completed the course in 2 hours and 45 minutes which is about average.

So between August 1st and January 29th I had lost a total of 53lbs, quit smoking and drinking. Then I was wondering what I was going to do next. I started a weight lifting program and continued running. I wanted to do something else so I decided to give triathlons a tri. I signed up for COMBAT and had no clue what to expect, but I had been hearing about this group of crazy workout fanatics called BAM! It was a match made in heaven -- this is a group of amazing people from all walks of life who enjoy busting their butts in the gym, pounding pavement, rolling down the road and spending time in the water. We encourage each other and cheer each other on and if you need a training partner you don't have to look very far. I have only been a part of the BAMily for a few short months but have felt welcome and accepted. My stats to date I am at 230lbs and in size 34 jeans down from 281 and 44 jeans, and from 3x scrub tops down to large. I have done two sprint triathlons and am training for Clear Lake International Olympic distance.

My goal for this year: I would like to do a half sometime next year and start training for a full along the way I would like to get down to about 200lbs.

My advice to beginners: Be accountable, start a program, any program and stick with it and write down workouts/progress. I also used MyFitnessPal phone app which I think is a great tool to track diet and workouts. And of course join BAM! Also don't forget to have FUN!!!"






- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Reach your biggest goals

Just getting back from a successful pool workout and thinking about setting goals that look like mountains when we set them.  4 months ago I set a goal to complete a 70.3 Ironman event for my 40th birthday.  A half Ironman includes a 1.2 mile swim as the first event.  When I set the goal, I could just barely swim two laps in a pool for a total of 50 yards.  That is just 2% of the swim distance I would need to be able to do.  Since then I've taken swim lessons, been to triathlon swim clinics, started open water swimming, bought some Speedos(at least I look like I know what I'm doing), learned about googles, pull buoys, kick boards, swim technique drills, bought a wet suit, and I've been swimming 3-4 days a week.

And today I just swam 48 laps non-stop, or about .68 miles.  It was slow and my technique may not have been Michael Phelps-esque at the end(or at the beginning for that matter) but non the less, I can now say I can swim over 1/2 mile.

Less than two weeks away from my first sprint triathlon that starts with a 400 meter swim, and I'm finally feeling like I just might not need to be pulled in by a kayak and have my stomach pumped.

I share this with the hope of being an encouragement to you in reaching your goals.  Hopefully, you have some mountainous goals of your own.  Need to lose 100 pounds?  Want to get off the couch and run a 5K, 10K, or maybe even a marathon?  Want to go back to school and finish your college degree, or maybe you dropped out of high school and want to get a GED?

Get started.  It doesn't matter how fast you move towards your goal at the start, its important to just get moving.  I like the marathon t-shirts that say, "The miracle is not that I finished, but that I had the courage to start."  Get a book, subscribe to a magazine, join a club, research on the internet, whatever you need to do to start learning about what you want to accomplish.  Get away from the people who have given up on their goals, and get around the people who have attained what you want.

And please don't use the excuse that you don't have time.  I'm sure there are a few of you more busy than I am, but only a few.  It's not uncommon for me to work 28 days out of a 30 day month, and most of those 12 hour shifts.  I teach two karate classes a week if I'm not working.  I swim, bike, or run 7 hours a week.  I cut my own grass, tend to a vegetable garden, do the banking, help cook meals, help with dishes, sometimes laundry, and house chores.  I'm still and involved dad and husband.  I'm not a superman, I'm just like you.  But I make time for what is important to me.  Want to accomplish big things?  The number one thing you can do is turn off the tv.  It's amazing how many books you can read, how much time you can spend jumping on a trampoline with your kids, and how many miles you can run if you will just eliminate that one thing from your life.  I've decided that the tv just doesn't add any value to my life and decided to give it up.  If I could just do the same thing with Jelly Bellys….

Let me leave you now with this.  I hope it inspires you like it does me.  Turn up the sound and watch it in full screen.