Alright, it’s time for another post from a guest writer….John!
When I wrote my first post about 2 years ago, I thought it would be fun to guest write once a week or at least every couple weeks, but, here I am two years later with my second post! I know, you’re pumped.
I felt like today would be a great time to update everyone on my latest training endeavor, since today marks exactly 3 months until I take on Ironman Texas, an Ironman distance triathlon. An ironman distance race consists of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and 26.2 mile run; I will have 17 hours to complete it. I will be participating in Ironman Texas in the Woodlands outside of Houston on May 16th.
Participating in an Ironman distance race has been a goal of mine since competing in my first triathlon in April of 2012. That race was a sprint triathlon (400m swim, 20k bike, 5k run) in which I back stroked (and that is even generous) the swim portion of the race and will not be disclosing the overall time. Needless to say, just because I completed a triathlon, a triathlete I was not. Later in 2012, I watched a friend participate in the Louisville Ironman and I was officially bitten by the bug. Over the past few years though, I have competed in a number of other triathlons of various distances, including a half-ironman (or 70.3) in Muncie, Indiana this past July. And yes I swam the entire 1.2 miles freestyle.
Swimming has been the ultimate challenge of getting into triathlons, since I had no prior experience in the pool. It took almost 2 years of training and practicing before I felt comfortable in the open water on race day. My first few days… scratch that, months, in the pool consisted of a grand total of 200 to 300 meters of swimming before I would call it day. Those workouts were the most grueling and mentally defeating workouts I can remember. Sam can attest, those first few months of swimming would kick my butt. However, after a little persistence and a few private lessons, I was finally able to break through and now my swim workouts consist of 2500-3000 meters each time I get in the pool. The 2.4 mile swim though, is 3800 meters, so there is still work to be done, but I am getting there.
As far as the rest of my training, I will give y’all a glimpse. It really all started in 2012, when I started running marathons and other races. These races helped me get used to training and to overcome some challenges before I could ultimately decide to tackle the Ironman distance. Here I am doing the Olympic Tri at Hueston Woods here in Oxford (notice Sam with the boys in the background!).
And at the finish of the Sprint Triathlon.
However, my official training plan started on November 1st. I am doing a six month program that Ironman has published. It started in the first month with about an hour workout each day in the various disciplines and a 2 hour cycle on Sunday. It now has me working out 2-3 hours a day, 6 days a week, with a long workout of 4-5 hours on Sunday. So, roughly, I am putting in anywhere from 18-20 hours a week of training. It’s getting to be a lot, and next month, my long workouts increase to 6 or 7 hours on Sunday. Luckily, my family and friends are extremely supportive and will be joining me on some of my extremely long workouts.
Since it is the middle of the winter, a lot of my biking has been on a trainer in my living room (roughly 40 hours, thanks Netflix for keeping me entertained). I always try to get my workouts in either before the boys wake up, at nap time or after they go to bed. This is getting more difficult as the workouts increase in time, but I think I am doing a good job of balancing. When I was half way through the run of the Ironman 70.3, I told myself I wouldn’t do a full race since the sacrifice of family time would be too much. When I crossed the finish line though, I wasn’t satisfied and knew it was inevitable that I would sign up for the full distance. Balance has been a primary concern of mine since day one. This is actually why I am doing the race in Houston in May rather than the close Louisville race, which is held in the fall. I am forced to do 90% of my training inside, close to the family. Being able to spend time with Sam and the boys while cycling for hours at a time has been great.
Lastly, I am thankful I work for an organization who also is supportive of my personal goals and allows me to be flexible with my schedule so I can go to things like Alex’s gymnastics class, etc… and still get all my training in.
Three months to go from today! I will write a post after the race (I promise this time) to update everyone on how it went. The next three months are going to be extremely difficult both mentally and physically and I appreciate everyone’s thoughts and support. Hopefully this weather gets a little warmer, because six hours on a trainer in my living room seems dreadful! But, either way, May 16th and Houston, here I come!
Until next time, y’all!
John
