It has been almost 18 weeks since my first (attempted) ironman race. After that DNF I said I wanted to get fitter, faster and stronger. So how did that go?
Motivation
I remember feeling super motivated immediately after Switzerland. Then I deliberately took about 3 weeks off training, with a conference in Florida in the middle. In hindsight, this was too long a break without some kind of routine training. I’d love to say the motivation carried on to the next race plan, but it just didn’t. I mean I wanted to, but my body took some persuasion. It felt slightly bizarre to start up again, to look at the training schedule that had seemed perfectly normal a month earlier but now… well, it’s a lot! To get out of bed at 5:30 and fit in 3hrs of training most week days, and a full day’s work, and well, the rest of life! Really, the last few months have felt like a struggle. With old and new difficult ‘stuff’ to deal with on a personal level, I’ve been feeling quite drained. Being physically tired is so much easier to work through, or recover from. Being emotionally tired is a whole other challenge.
Swim for 3.8km, bike for 180km then run a marathon: that’s an Ironman, or long distance, triathlon. When you tell a non-triathlete that you’re embarking on such a challenge, the usual response is “you’re mental!”. What would possess someone to do such a thing?
The decision to ‘go long’ and train for Ironman for me was motivated by personal reasons. Last summer, after almost 14 years together, my husband decided to leave me. No warning, no rational discussion, no recourse. It felt like something that happened to me, not something I was able to affect.
Dealing with this was distressing, to say the least. There were difficult financial repercussions. There was obviously emotional turmoil dealing with the betrayal, anger and grief. But there were real and present physical effects to deal with: anxiety symptoms like difficulty breathing & chest pains were a regular occurrence for months, but I also had weeks with a level of pain where it felt like even my actual bones hurt.
Apart from the main talks and brilliant keynotes, here’s my thoughts on what else makes for a good RailsConf:
- The Internet will still be there when you get home; the people won’t.
If you’re checking Facebook when you could be engaging with old or new friends in person, you’re missing out. Practice the language of small talk. You might not be able, or want, to switch off from email altogether, but at least letting your clients/colleagues know you’re at a conference so your responses might be delayed gives you some breathing space. I’ve learnt my lesson and now I put an auto-responder on; unless there’s a crisis, I don’t want to miss out on the talks, conversations and fun to be had.
Bala Middle Distance, 13th June 2010
Swim: 2KM
Bike: 82.5KM
Run: 20KM
My preparation for this middle distance triathlon wasn’t exactly textbook…
The week prior was spent travelling to the U.S. for a conference. With all the hard socializing work that entails, I got about 3 or 4 hours sleep (ideal would be now 8+) a night and consumed WAY more alcohol than a recommended NONE. The journey home involved flight delays, missed connections and airline food so bad I chose to go hungry. (Note to self: if at all possible, bring your own meals. If trying to buy a remotely healthy meal in Newark airport you’re shit out of luck.)
So I arrived back in the UK in the wrong city (thanks to the only standby option available), and 4 hours later than planned. A quick call to Ele, my race and travelling buddy, to assure her I’d be home and ready to go as quickly as possible, then bus, train, taxi home to Glasgow. So so tired I was seeing stars at this point!
Vitruvian race report (or how NOT to prepare for a half-ironman)
The Vitruvian
Organiser: Pacesetter Events
Venue: Rutland Water, Leicestershire
Distance: 1900m swim – 85k bike – 21k run
I entered the Vitruvian at the very start of January. Inspired by Jo E’s race report of last year, I too wanted to do a half-ironman, and I wanted it to be this race. It sounded awesome.
I was meant to have other plans for this year but I had caught the triathlon bug. I just wanted to train hard and to see what my body was capable of doing… Careful what you wish for!