Focus

I want to do Ironman well. I want to beat my body into submission. My goal is not just to finish. Nothing against people whose goal is just to finish...as I understand the race there's nothing "just" about finishing an Ironman. But that's not me. I want to push my body to the limit. I want to leave it all out there on the road in Louisville. I want to cross the line, hear them say, "You are an Ironman," and know that I couldn't have swam better, pedaled faster, or ran harder.

And to do this I will need to follow an intense and focused training program. Ironman specific. The past couple years my training has been a bit sporadic. I love running and I love cycling. So I pretty much just ride and run a lot. I don't necessarily follow a specific plan. Sometimes, if I'm training for a road race, I might sort of change what I do a couple weeks prior. If I'm training for a marathon, I'll start running bigger miles on the weekend.

However, it's a constant balance. If I want to be competitive in my bike races, my running suffers. If I want to run well in a marathon, my cycling will suffer. So it's a constant back and forth.

So with Ironman training, one thing I'm really looking forward to is having a singular focus. If I run a marathon the focus will be how does this fit into Ironman training and preparation for race day. And the same will apply to cycling.

The unfortunate reality with Ironman is the 2.4 mile swim. I'm really going to need to start swimming. It's by far my weakest event.

I think training specifically for Ironman will help me be fitter in general. Following specific training plans. Following specific rest days. Knowing when to intesify. Knowing when to go long and easy.

I won't have to worry about how this ride or that run will affect this or that race...it will all be part of the plan and will prepare me, hopefully, and Lord willing, to get to Louisville ready to lay it all on the line.

I'm running Columbus Marathon on October 19th (my dad's birthday and a day after my sister's birthday!). Oct. 19th will mark the unofficial start of Ironman training. I will begin swimming and cycling mostly through the fall and winter. I will begin training for Boston marathon in the winter. And 6 months out, in March, I will get training plans from Bob Duncan at Wheelie-Fun and begin the official Ironman training regime.

I would love to complete the race in under 10 hours. it's a bold goal, and I'm likely to fail...but what fun is it to set a goal that is easy to accomplish?

it will be a long, hard, difficult road to Irontucky...but it's one I'm eager to take.