Welcome to a triathlon journey that will hopefully end behind a finish line
Finishing a full distance ironman is a big challenge for a wannabe sport guy. Doing it again sounds just stupid. So what got me to the point of taking my credit card and transferring an astronomically high amount of USD to the Ironman Group in order to take part in a long and painful day?
There are many reasons for people to take on the challenge of finishing a full distance Ironman. For most, in general, it offer the physical and metal challenge that they are looking for. But there can be way more to it. It can inspire you, give you confidence, teach you lessons about patience, perseverance, persistence and resilience. All aspects that you can benefit from in your private and professional life as well.
Well, all those aspects might be true and in some way I think I learned something through my first Ironman. But in the end, what really made up my mind about giving it a second chance are pretty much three reasons:
#1 UNFINISHED BUSINESS
After finishing my first full distance Ironman in Copenhagen 2019, the only thing I could think of was: "Can someone please get a wheelchair and bring me home.” Well, the next day I already received the question from a couple of people, if I would ever do it again. Honestly, being a the airport, not able to carry my own luggage (thanks K-Girl), I was thinking twice about my answer. Surprisingly for many, it turned out to be a solid “YES!” Not sure when and where, but I wanted to do it again.
If you know about my race, I had a flat tire and and longer chat with an official about my wild-peeing behaviour (check the full story). Therefore, I knew my time could have been way better. Now, people tend to ask you about your finishing time. If it feels unpleasant to tell the real time and you typically round it down, it is a clear sign of unfinished business.
#2 Progress and Learn
Crossing the Finish Line is an awesome experience that you cannot explain to other people. But in the longterm, I’ve realise that the way to that finish line, that started about 6 months before, was a way bigger and more fulfilling experience. I’ve learned so much in how to structure a training plan, how to swim, run and bike properly and how I have to fuel my body in order to have enough energy. All this while working in a busy job and having the occasional hangover on weekends. So this time I can build on the knowledge and go even deeper into the learning process.
#3 A FRIEND ASKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT
We all have this friend that you love to have on parties, hang out with and chat about anything in life. At the same time, he smokes like crazy, drinks too much and doesn’t do any sports. Now imagine this guy telling you he wants to finish an Ironman. Wouldn’t you be all over it in supporting him on the way?
Meet Hotte, my buddy and the guy that introduced me to the world of women (a couple of years ago, though). He asked me to join him and sign up for the same event, so he doesn’t have to go through everything on his own. "You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours!" So I did!
Now, I am signed up for the Ironman in Florida in November 2022. I will do all the planning myself again, taking the knowledge from 2019 and try to improve on it - make it more structured. Also, I decided that I will write down all my learnings and share it here. This is 100% not a scientifically proven training advice, more a small collection of ideas and knowledge, easy to digest without too much fanciness.
The three aspects I will focus on are:
WORKOUT
How and what do I train.
NUTRITION
How do I fuel my body, plant-based.
MIND + SOUL
How do I prepare my mind for the struggle.
Let’s start the journey to that finish line again! Follow my progress..