Road to Ironman Arizona (postlude)

Sorry for not having updated the blog in the past week. I have not trained in the two weeks since IMAZ and the time off has been a welcome and needed respite. I’ve been in a great humor since the race and while I know the principal reason for this is because of the pride I feel having realized this goal, I have also come to realize that much of my peace of mind comes from losing the weight that training had become on my life and emotional well-being. There is no doubt that training had become just another job that I did for 10-16 hours a week. In the final weeks, the joy had left me and training became something I HAD to do and not necessarily wanted to do. I understand this happens occasionally during any training regimen, but it had become commonplace for me in the final weeks. Articles I read blame this in large part to overtraining and perhaps I did. What I know now is that after the past two weeks off, I am now getting back to the point where I long for going on a run or bike ride. That’s a good feeling to have back.

Since I have not been training the past couple of weeks, I thought I would use today’s blog post to list some of the secondary outcomes (the byproducts) of training for 37 weeks for an Ironman race. These are both the obvious physical and emotional changes but also the mental and spiritual changes and moments that come from transforming a mind and body over 9 months. The list may be a little disjointed and random. I’ll try to keep it as connected as possible.

Physical changes:

Lost 22 pounds (185-163 lbs)- some of this weight was lost over the past two years, but my body fat percentage went down most during IMAZ training. Unfortunately, I’ve lost the paperwork that listed my most recent body scan results.

Lost 4 inches in my waist. I’ve been a 32 most of my life and had reached 34 in the past couple of years. I’m now down to a 30 and every belt I have I use on the last one or two notches.

Endurance: The 30 minute runs or hour-long bike rides that at one time seemed difficult and long are not so anymore. Anything under 2 hours for the day was a welcomed break regardless of the intensity. It also meant I didn’t have to wake up as early to finish it. While biking and running long sessions got easier, swimming always seemed long. A 3-5k swim session may have gotten easier from a physical standpoint, but mentally it was always tough. Long sessions in a pool are a mental workout in BORING.

Sleep: I went to bed no later than 9:30 pm (sometimes as early as 8 pm) in order to get the proper amount of rest and recovery before more early morning workouts. I can tell you I had no trouble sleeping over the past 37 weeks.

Mental changes:

Patience: My wife and kids might argue this, but I mean this in a training sense. I learned that you do have to sometimes train SLOW in order to learn to race FAST (both terms relative to the individual). The long, slow aerobic sessions train the body to endure, to burn fat, and to build new capillaries and other body connections that transform the body for hours of racing. There are hard intensity days (anaerobic at times) and less difficult/easy days and they work with each other in transforming the body. Going slow, especially in the beginning when it was REALLY slow, was difficult to do. I trusted the plan and stuck with it. The changes were incredible. This was one of the most important training lessons I learned.

Discipline and Commitment: Waking up at 3:30 am some days in order to get workouts in before work or finish them before my son’s Saturday football games took a lot of discipline. Commitment kept me on my training schedule. Aside from swimming workouts, I missed less than a handful of workouts in 9 months.

Spiritual: I enjoyed a LOT of sunrises over the past 9 months. The flora and fauna kept me company on many a long ride and run. You can’t help but marvel at the morning glory of our world while giving thanks that you have the health and wherewithal to be out there running or biking anywhere from 3-6 hours. Conversations with God, lost loved ones, and myself were commonplace. Some coaches might argue this means I was losing focus. I would argue my focus had to be sharp to enable this kind of thinking, recognition, and appreciation.

Appreciation for family and friends: Endurance sports can be very selfish. You spend hours away from your family. This is a sacrifice for you as the competitor, but there is a greater sacrifice being made by your family while you are absent. We’ve spoken before on this blog about the importance of the family being a team of support for the racer and how we need to recognize their sacrifices and support. I made it a point to schedule my workouts in a way to minimize my time away from family and I tried not to complain from being tired or needing rest when they wanted to go out or do something together.

My friends were a huge support and motivation for me. Sharing with each other through this blog and the many emails, phone calls, text messages, FB updates, and tweets I shared with or received from my friends was critical to my continued commitment. On days when motivation was lacking or I just didn’t think I could wake up for another workout, I thought about those out there who believed in me and were sending me their best wishes on this road. It was ALWAYS enough to keep me going. And when I’d share in their accomplishments, it only fueled my desire to accomplish my own goals. I may have trained alone but I was NEVER alone.

Having my brother as my mentor and guide in this whole process was primary in keeping me focused on the goal. Knowing we would realize this goal together was my main motivator. I wanted to make him proud and thank him for leading me down this road by having a good race. I turned 40 this year and am in the best shape of my life. I have him to thank for leading me to triathlon and this whole new way of life. All those years that I felt a need to “protect” my “little” brother and he ends up changing and in turn protecting my life. I and my family thank you!

ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET: I have always worn my bike helmet and my kids don’t ride or skate even in the driveway without having to wear their helmet. I’ve visited with brain injury victims in my development work and I’ve seen how head trauma can change a person’s and their family’s lives. Seeing what my bike wreck did to my helmet and knowing that could have been my skull was a sobering moment for me. I was out for an easy long ride. One second I’m riding along at a nice easy pace and the next I’m landing head first into the ground. It’s been nearly two months and my neck is still sore. Doctors say it’s something that could cause me trouble for the rest of my life. Yet, I am thankful. I was wearing my helmet. The outcome could have been so much worse.

Have FUN and if it’s not FUN, change something: I knew I’d lost some of my joy in those last few weeks. I know it can’t always be fun. Just like life, if you are committed to the cause you understand there are sacrifices to make. Sometimes that means not being able to eat what you want, or stay up late for that movie, or attend that all-night party. That said, you have to find the best ways to keep the joy in the training and the racing. Perhaps you need to join some groups for rides or long runs, perhaps you need to change the schedule to an ‘every-other-day’ rather than every day, perhaps you need to find a new location to swim, bike, or run. Whatever it is…do it. Keep it fun. Have that piece of chocolate cake. Skip that workout and take the kids to the zoo. Change your run to Saturday evening and take your wife out on Friday night. Take some time off work to get a long workout in during the week in order to give you a rest day on the weekend. Be creative. Be flexible. Keep it fun!

There are so many positive outcomes that come from committing to any worthwhile goal. My short list is only the tip of the iceberg. These are the most obvious and most important to me for this particular endeavor. I’m sure there are others I have not remembered to list or have not even realized yet. What I do know is that I am a better person in every aspect of my life for having committed to this and realizing the ultimate goal.

Kia Kaha!