Well, (a deep thought, I know), I made it. I set out 5 years ago to finish an ironman. I began with a sprint triathlon in 2011 and ended with 140.6 miles of swimming, biking, and running in 2015. It has been a wild ride along the way with set backs and launches forward. I wanted outline for anyone who wants to finish an ironman how I did it and how to accomplish it.
First, you have to set your mind right now that you are going to finish. Sure, it may seem daunting or crazy to think about covering 140.6 miles, but you have to start from the beginning with the unwavering resolve that you will finish. Once you have that resolve set, then you will finish.
Second, you have to set realistic yearly goals. I do not agree with an individual jumping into the sport of triathlon and trying to complete an ironman in a year or two. This is a long term process. Sure, if you are already in phenomenal shape from another sport you could certainly complete an ironman. Anton Apollo Ohno the Olympic skater completed an ironman not too long after he started training, but he had the background of skating on an Olympic level with him. You need to set goals of what and of races you will do, what kind of equipment you will buy, and how far your longest distances will be each year. By separating the build-up of your races into yearly sets you will maintain that already determined goal of finishing. For example, I ran a 5k in 2010, then went to my first sprint triathlon in 2011. I moved up each year to do an Olympic distance race, then ultimately took two years to finish 3 half-ironman races before tackling the full ironman. Certainly, I would have liked to have raced more but with lack of time and funds, this was not possible. I feel like the build up of distances over time really helped me in training and in the setup of races.
Third, you need to obtain knowledge about your own body and about racing. In each distance of triathlon there are specific challenges. As I began to progress further into longer distance races, I realized that I needed to narrow in on a nutrition strategy to help me through those long hours of racing. The banana diet before the Sprint race was not enough nutrition. This was a long process of trial and error to get to the point where I felt full nourished all throughout my ironman. You also need to obtain knowledge about racing. You need to know pacing and transitions. All of this knowledge is garnered throughout the years of development and racing.
I think with these three aspects of triathlon you can accomplish your goals. You will establish keep benchmarks in training and be able to tackle the daunting task of the ironman. Remember, the way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. These 5 years have been awesome and I hope to better my times and get faster each year ahead.
Source by Jeff Dowdy
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