The Four Goals of Ironman July 13, 2008
Posted by anton in : Ironman , 1 comment so farJust in from a long ride on the C & O canal…92 miles in 6 hours. It’s HARD pushing that mountain bike up the dirt towpath! A great workout none the less.
Heading up to Lake Placid this coming week to volunteer and Probably sign up for Next year. It will be a whole new gig…I’ll have moved up to 55-59 age group and it may well be my last for awhile, being involved in trying to get into Nursing School.
Ironman is about goal setting. There are the day to day goals that get you to the pool or out on the road. There was the goal you set for yourself to sign up in the first place and the goal of trying to do something positive in your life.
To get that medal though, to hear those words:”…you are an Ironman!” There are four goals you have to meet and surpass.
Goal One: Get to the starting line healthy, fit and with the right attitude.
All the training and work and everything else you do means nothing if you have to cancel the trip two weeks out because your knee is the size of a basketball and you’ve been told to lay off for six weeks. Standing on the shore of the swim in one piece is the hardest part of becoming an Ironman. Six months or more of training mean nothing when you have to stand there and watch the start instead of be in the start.
To that end: Be realistic about your Ironman. Be careful of “goal inflation.” Get a good training plan and work the plan…don’t let the plan work you. Ironman race day is a long lonely day at times. Make sure plenty of your workouts are done alone. Group workouts are fine but they can lead down paths that your training plan does not follow. Most “Iron Hopefuls” who fail to get there can usually pinpoint a day when it all went bad. A crash on a group ride, an out of control lifting session in the gym with the local muscleheads or a long run done WAY too fast with folks that aren’t training for an IM. One that I hear often…”WE were just shooting hoops!” Ball sports can wreck and Iron Hopeful. Be careful.
Practice your mental game. Keep a positive attitude and always be helpful and kind to the other athletes that cross your path…Good Karma works wonders. While you may have hopes for a certain finish place or time…the start is a good time to let go of that and face the day with no expectations. It WILL be a long day and too much can happen that can derail your plans. Face all race day problems head on..then move on.
Goal Two: It’s race day and you’re in the water. This goal is to finish the swim with your heart still in your chest and a gleam in your eye. You want to get out of the water saying “Yeah! What’s next?” If this is your first IM…hang back a little. I sometimes wait on the shore for thirty seconds and still turn in a good mid-pack time. Don’t get in the “Rugby game in a washing machine.” I’ve done it and had my worst swims there.
Once under way…swim your swim. Keep to your pace and your breathing. relish in the feeling of moving smoothly through the water. If you trained well you will see those folks who fought and kicked and punched through the swim start later in the day.
Goal three: Make it through the bike with gas to spare: So many first time IMers and even experienced ones will make mistakes on the bike that will cost them a good marathon or maybe even the race. Again…you’ve trained for this. Ride your bike ride, not the ride of the guy on the seven thousand dollar Tri bike who just whipped past you. Drink early and often. Stick to your nutrition schedule. Don’t eat something new on race day.
Drink early and often. Pay attention to how you FEEL ,not what you heart rate monitor says or how the others around you seem to be. We rely too often on technology and if your technology fails on race day, you have to know how it feels to be where you are now. Drink early and often. In training you practiced bike handling skills. On race day you may have to use them. While you need to be in the moment and connected to yourself to gauge proper nutrition..don’t “zone out.” A moments inattention can be dangerous on the bike, especially in the aid stations or on a course with big descents. Drink early and often. A Pee stop is time better spent than all the time you’ll waste trying to get your hydration level back up.
Goal Four: Finish. Many IM hopefuls say their goal is to finish. I do. If however, you ignore the first three goals…you might very well fail.
For many IMers the run often becomes a “walk-a-thon.” Those folks who screamed past you on the bike or clawed their way through the swim will be “running backwards” by now. As you’ve done all day, keep to your schedule and your pace and your nutrition. Be Happy! Avoid those who are not. The gloomy runner can pull you down. Pat them on the back, tell them “Good Job!” and move on. Perhaps your kind words will be the salve they needed. Drink early and often and thank the volunteers. Finish! Revel in your accomplishment and hug those who helped you get there.