Ironman Training Distances

My friend Corey just confirmed that he’ll be flying in to Louisville to watch me race.  He followed that text with, “So you better kick some ass.”

I told him all I could guarantee is good drama.

He asked what my longest swim, bike, and run of training have been.

I said, 2,800 meters in water, 77 on the bike and 12 miles of running.

There is no doubt I put in more mileage last year.  The fear of the unknown drove my training, and in Ironman Number One, I couldn’t take chances.

But, is 2,800, 77 and 12 enough for Ironman #2?

It’d better be, because that’s about as far as it’s going.

I love exploring this topic because my goal has always been to keep training time at the bare minimum.  I can’t tell you how many times I have stopped a workout early because I knew I could finish and didn’t want to waste another hour or jeopardize the next day.

But there is flip side to this coin.

For me, training all comes back to effort.  If I’m scheduled for a shorter workout and feel really strong, I often extend it to push my limits.

I know long workouts have their place, but I’ve never been a fan of riding 6 hours just to ride six hours.  I would much rather ride four hours hard and build.

And there’s another mental factor I bank on during a race . . . the energy.

I often train by myself because I put a lot of stock in fueling off the crowd.  If I can trudge through pain in isolation, running past a screaming group is icing on the cake.  I can literally be like a reset button to me.  You can be drifting off to sleep, then someone gives you a big jolt of adrenaline that lifts you over the next few miles.

This race is at least half mental and the half of that is simply faith.

I’m pretty sure nobody ever does the entire distance in one day of practice, so what’s too much?  What’s not enough?  People have been debating that one for years and I’m very curious to see if my low-end strategy plays out.

Until then, I’ll be looking for my sweet spot.  Using my final days to make me feel alive and restored rather than like I’ve been beaten over the head with a baseball bat.  I’ll have plenty of time for that the night of August 24th in the hometown of Louisville Slugger.