On the road to Ironman... — Running Ranger

2016 was a big year for me. I ran over 1000 km in races alone, in 6 different countries. That includes Mongolia for the first ever Ice Marathon, Morocco for the Marathon des Sables and Holland for the #500kin5days challenge. After such a mentally and physically challenging year I wanted to try something new. I am always asked by friends and family, "how can you top this one now?" and "what's next?" Rather than "topping off the last", I like to choose my next challenge by thinking of it as a new experience, where I know I will have something, or even a lot to learn. Ironman has always been on my list of challenges to do and having reached a somewhat peak in ultra running after #500kin5days, I thought then would be a good time to try something completely new.

At the point of deciding on Ironman as my next challenge, I had never completed a triathlon, nor swam since I was at school, or ever cycled on a road bike. I have swam since a young age so knew this was a skill I could pick up again relatively easily with enough training. The cycle on the other hand really was new territory, so this was something I knew I needed to focus on, whilst maintaining my marathon fitness for the run.

The race is in Nice, on 23rd July, so conditions on the day are likely to be hot! The original plan was to race with my boss for my first Ironman experience but he has unfortunately come down with too many injuries so will be supporting instead. It is down to him that I have discovered my passion for endurance challenges so it will mean a lot to have him there on the day.

The full ironman consists of a 3.8km sea swim, a 180km cycle up into the mountains with 1900m of climbing and a final 42.2km run along the promenade.

So without a clue about how to go about preparing myself for an Ironman, I decided the first thing I would do is get a coach. With so much to learn and no experience in triathlons, I knew I couldn't do this alone and it has hands down been the best decision I have made in my Ironman preparations. He has been invaluable in my progress to date (see his website here).

A typical week in my training plan would look something like the following:

Mon: Rest
Tues: Intensity swim AM, recovery turbo PM
Wed: Strength and conditioning AM, intensity run PM
Thurs: Endurance swim AM, intensity turbo PM
Fri: Strength and conditioning AM, gentle run PM
Sat: Swim and long endurance cycle
Sun: Long endurance run

I have never worked so hard for a race and committed so much time to training. It has consumed my life for the last six months so I will have a lot to look back on during the race to keep me going when times get tough. A lot of Ironman athletes I have spoken to tell me how much they love the races but not the training because of the time involved. I have to disagree, in fact I would go as far as saying I am actually going to miss all the training. The variety of three disciples has kept it varied and I feel much more like an all-rounded athlete. This could be a testament to my coach too for always keeping it interesting and keeping me motivated. I have also never felt so good in myself. I feel strong, motivated, fit, and above all, happy.

I have officially started my taper now. Tapering isn't much fun... but I know how crucial it is to get it right. I have put too much into this race to blow it all a couple of weeks out! I'll be focusing on getting my recovery, hydration and nutrition right and making sure my race plan, including travel logistics are ready. I should have more time to relax too!

I have mixed emotions for the race. I feel confident in my training and preparations, yet nervous for the unknown. I can't wait to soak up the atmosphere with thousands of other participants and spectators on the day. Most of all, I'm excited to put everything together on race day and leave nothing out there on the course.

I haven't booked any challenges or races post Ironman yet. There are a few races i'm eyeing up but I'd like to focus on getting past Ironman first and see where my head is at after... Whether that be back in ultras or still in triathlons, I'm not sure yet!