Thursday, August 8, 2013

The "Why" of a Second Ironman


The second Ironman, and training for it, is a funny thing. The first time, simply covering the distance is a major accomplishment. You spend months chasing the chance to hear yourself christened an Ironman. But once you’ve already done that, what’s left? Many people are confused about the fact that I am “doing another Ironman” – haven’t I already done that? Why do this again? 

One colleague who asked the question even followed up with, “Are you just doing it because it is there?”

As if that isn’t a good enough reason…

A major part of my motivation was that I loved training for IMKY last year. Maybe not every minute of it, but there was something about setting aside 5-8 hours every Saturday to bike and run that was just amazing. Every morning, I started out unable to wrap my head around how I was going to bike 80 miles/run 7 miles or whatnot, and every time, I got it done.

And then promptly showered and changed back into my pajamas for the day.


NOW you see why this Ironman training thing is so appealing.

And aside from my ongoing frustrations with my bike that I don’t really care to talk about today, I enjoyed training again this time around. But is that enough to go and do the race? Couldn’t I have just biked 5 hours and run 2 hours every weekend just for fun, and saved myself the registration fee and travel hassle?

Sure. But there’s something else I really want, and that’s to actually run the Ironman marathon. In a way, I felt like I missed out at IMKY because it was hot, I overbiked a little, and I wound up walking about 30-40% of the marathon. Hobbling through the streets of Louisville as the sunset on that scorching 96F day was not exactly exhilarating, to say the least, and I finished the day feeling a little defeated despite covering 140.6 miles in just over 14 hours.

I told my coach the next day that I wanted to do another one, but that there was no way I was ever “running” for almost 6 hours again, unless it was part of a 50 mile race, and that I NEEDED to improve my run speed. She said it was a deal, and we launched the effort to improve my standalone run PRs over the winter, which wrapped up with a 47 minute marathon PR in February. That wound up translating to some speedy run times off the bike, including a nearly 30 minute improvement on my half ironman run split in April, and I started to believe that I could actually, really, truly execute the Ironman run the way I wanted to last year.

I still feel a little dread every time I run off the bike, both in racing and in training. Will this be the day that I struggle along at 12 minutes per mile? Will I run out of steam after 45 minutes? And while I’m sure that dread will be sitting with me at mile 110 of the bike next Sunday, I’ve only had one difficult run off the bike this season (after the Garrett County Gran Fondo, when I was horribly underhydrated and had nowhere to run except around the parking lot.) All of the others have been (relatively) fast, effortless, and enjoyable.

And during many of those runs, including the 2 hours I ran after biking almost 50 miles last Saturday, I start to think about how much fun it will be to actually RUN toward the finish line. Sometimes, I even catch myself smiling like crazy – probably scaring some people on Massachusetts Avenue and the Capital Crescent Trail in the process.

I hope that’s how next Sunday ends up. Because I realized that it’s what I’ve been chasing for almost 50 weeks now.


19 comments:

  1. I think the reason we want to do another Ironman and another after that is that there is always something. It may be that horrible swim, or too hard of a bike or that 30%-40% walk during the marathon. Either way it is always something.

    I know for me that putting together that complete race is still out there. I love the training but if you don't have a race at the end of that training then you are just working out right? Anybody can work out but it takes a special kind of asshole to want to go and swim/bike/run for 140.6 miles and well.....we are that special kind of asshole.

    I read on Facebook yesterday about a friend doing IMWI that I had no clue about and the juices started flowing and the idea of which IM to do in 2014 started bubbling to the surface.

    And now next week while tracking you all over Montreal (via Texas) I will get that feeling again.

    Run off the bike my friend and run like you've never run before!

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  2. Great post! I can't speak from experience, but I have a feeling that after I complete my first Ironman (in about ten years, ha!) I'll want to do it again. It's tough for me to wrap my head around the "one and done-rs," even though there's nothing wrong with that mentality. I think doing more than one triathlon, whether it's a sprint or an Ironman, represents the underlying theme of the sport: improvement and personal progress. Anyway, I'm so excited for you!

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  3. Why do we do any of these crazy races, much less more than once? "Because it is there" was good enough for George Mallory when he made that phrase famous among all mountaineers looking for an answer to why they climb difficult and dangerous peaks; it's good enough for me, too. (A cool backpack and parka don't hurt my motivation, either).

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  4. Great post! My favorite ironman experiences have always been the second time I've done a course, but I think just doing a second ironman holds true. One thing I learned at IMLP was walk breaks through aid stations are not failures, and made a huge overall improvement on my race. Something to consider :)

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    1. Definitely agree about walking through aid stations! I've been practicing walking 30-45 seconds every 3 miles, which gives me enough time to get in extra fluid, a saltstick, and a gu. I like it better than 2 minutes every mile like I planned last year because I get more time to keep my rhythm running, and I don't make walking a habit. The hardest part was always starting back up.

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  5. Do what makes you happy. Every single moment of any training cannot be sunshine and butterflies but if you enjoy the process as a whole then there shouldn't be a reason holding you back from doing 10,000 ironmans...I know I've said 10,000 times but I cannot wait to see how this weekend plays out.

    I love the excuse of well I worked out hard today so now I'm not leaving the house and going lay around in pjs.

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    1. Well, I guess one reason might be that it would cost 7,000,000, just in entry fees. BUT let me go find a few million and that won't be an issue. You're right, though - if it's fun to do one, doing MORE than one is even MORE fun.

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  6. Wow I can't believe the race is coming up so soon! It sounds like you've made big improvements in your run and I know this one will be easier. Not saying it'll be easy....but not as hard! The Ironman marathon was by far the hardest thing I've ever done in my entire life and I definitely understand what an accomplishment it would be to successfully execute. I'll be cheering you on!

    And I totally get why you'd do the race again ...training for nothing isn't fun! Even though I don't plan to do another, I get hwy people do. I also enjoy the feeling of accomplishment after a long bike, brick or run session.

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  7. I can absolutely understand why you'd want to do multiple Ironmans (I want to say Ironmen for the purposes of grammar...). It's the same as marathons, just on a whole other level of endurance - some people do one and say 'never again,' but quite a few stick around for more and more. If I wasn't such an average swimmer with poor technique and a crappy 10-11mph cyclist, I'd love to attempt an Ironman. It'll never happen though.

    I can't wait to see how the race goes for you - I'm sure you'll smash your previous time.

    xxx

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    1. Jess, you could definitely do one! If you got a good road bike and were out on rural roads, you'd be a MUCH faster cyclist, and I'm sure your swimming technique is better than you think. But you enjoy marathons and ultras so much, there is no reason to abandon those.

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  8. You are going to smash your old time!

    I absolutely understand wanting to do more. No matter how good (or bad) of a race you have, there's always that voice saying "I could do better." And it's human nature (or just our OCD nature) that makes us want to try again. Sometimes I think that I really like sleeping in and watching tv, and I wish I could just be happy being a slow hobby jogger. But I can't. I love training and pushing for a goal.

    You've done all the work. I can't wait to "see" you kill it!

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  9. You're gonna kill that run! I am so excited for you and I'm going cheering so loudly at my computer next weekend!

    It took me (what will be) 3.5 years to get back on an Ironman course. And my goal is that same as yours: run that GD IM marathon. At least 25 miles of it. I'll give myself some aid station walking ;)

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  10. Yes, yes, yes!
    #RAGE all over that marathon. Can't wait to cheer you on.

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    1. I'm already excited for the mile 23 ass slap.

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  11. That high is hard to beat. The high from accomplishment, the high from pushing through fatigue, pain and mental lows ... why wouldn't you do another?

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  12. That's kind of how I felt after my first marathon, "Yay, I did it! Now what can I do to make the next one better." Good luck next Sunday!

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  13. A. You are going to smash it.
    B. I am really jealous. I wish I could do another one that wasn't in 96 degree heat. Not enough time to train (4 hours of sleep just isn't acceptable) and run time would suck (stupid hip) so I am really really really jealous.
    C. Go kill it!

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  14. I think that the second IM makes total sense - the first is to have the experience, and then the second (or third or fourth?) to improve one's performance. Not that you need it, good luck!

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  15. I've been watching the finish line footage for like an hour and I was so excited to see you finish and you looked strong! Now I am dying to do an ironman. I mean, it's there right?

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