Iron News Man - November 25, 2009
Iron News Man
Luck favors the prepared. It’s an old saying, but when it comes to completing an Ironman (especially with a specific time in mind), it’s true. When I decided to challenge myself with Ironman Arizona, I prepared myself to overcome physical, emotional and even financial obstacles.
I want to begin today’s blog with the cost (or obstacle) of implementing the dream of finishing an Ironman. When I decided to enter the sport of triathlon, I knew I needed the right equipment. What I didn’t know is how pricey some of it can be. Of course you can always save a bunch of money by purchasing pre-owned equipment like the wetsuit or the bike. However, I knew from the beginning that with a goal of Ironman, I’d need a decent set-up.
My wetsuit is a Zoot Synergy which I bought at Tri Zombies in Santa Monica, California. I shelled out $450 for it along with another $60 dollars for a pair of tri shorts and a jersey. Cha-Ching! Right away the cost of my passion became apparent. I also visited Bicycle John’s in Burbank for my triathlon bike (some people start with a road bike, but again, I knew Ironman was my goal). That first Kuota K-Factor (their lowest level triathlon bike) set me back another $2,400. Throw in the $1,200 Flash Point aero wheels and you can see where this is going! With all the other gear my triathlon set-up geared toward Ironman Arizona was easily $5,000.
The financial obstacle is serious to say the least. I prefer to look at it as a commitment. I knew what I wanted to achieve and what it would take to get there. Would I like to have taken a nice long vacation somewhere exotic with that money? Sure. My goal, the thing that dominated my thoughts, was Ironman Arizona. It was my priority and my spending proved it. If you tackle the sport of triathlon be prepared for initial spending spree. Again, you can do it cheaper, but as you get more involved you may not want to. You get what you pay for.
The physical obstacles were substantial for me too. One of the first things I noticed when I started tri training was my run times started to drop. I was stressing my muscles with new exercises and my runs were suffering for it. My running coach Craig Moss had warned me about this cause and effect.
I was never the best at stretching, but the taxing nature of triathlon and Ironman training required that I stretch more frequently and more seriously. During the LA Marathon back in May, I pulled my left hamstring. I healed from that injury relatively quickly. Hamstrings would not be a problem again until the actual DAY OF IRONMAN ARIZONA! During the run portion of Ironman, both hamstrings pulled! Luckily, they didn’t tear and I could work through the pain as the muscles loosened up to a point.
By far, the toughest physical challenge was my bike crash in late July the week after I did my first Half Ironman, the Vineman 70.3 up in Sonoma, California. I’ll spare you the details (which can be read in previous blog entries). The short version is I crashed on my tri bike and separated my right shoulder, a third-degree separation. The emergency room docs said forget Ironman. With time on my side, I was swimming again within a month and a half. That escalated into full-on Ironman swim training leading up to the race itself. During the race last Sunday, not once did my shoulder feel weak or cause me pain or problem. Honestly, as severe as my bike crash was (and trust me it was painful for weeks, plus I had a hard time sleeping because of the pain), I feel like my physical challenges could have been much worse.
People always talk about the emotional obstacles associated with completing an Ironman. From the beginning I knew that if I put in the time and training I could do it. It was that training that gave me the biggest emotional challenge. My first training rides of 40 or 60 miles seemed like forever at the time. Now they sound like an easy day. My training philosophy was a 10 percent increase in training volume weekly. Basically I never had to make a huge leap in mileage that overtaxed my body and messed with my head. It allowed me to know I could complete the task at hand. Trust you training. It works.
Some people are just built differently than others, mentally and physically. While my achievement may seem astonishing to some, to an experienced age-grouper or especially a pro, it’s underwhelming. Their Ironman times are up to 50 percent faster than mine. They have unlocked the greatest potential for their bodies! I have no illusion about my ability to compete at the highest level of triathlon. However, having now completed an Ironman, my next task is to take it to the next level and finish faster. The obstacles that all triathletes face remain, but my ability to overcome those obstacles gets better!
-Chris
PS-Check out today’s Wakeup Workout! It’s about Tabata Training. Imagine cramming 40-minutes of workout into 4-minutes! Click on the video to learn more.
