Author: Crushing Iron

1.  My bike’s been making a strange knocking sound for the last week or so and I’ve been hanging out at the shop more than my Grandpa used to linger at the used car dealership.  I pulled out a few of his old jokes, but they bombed.

2.  You know Ironman is a big deal when it nearly made me forget about the Badger game today.

3.  Race Forecast Note:  Just to prove my last point about it being stupid paying attention to long range forecasts (and proving I am stupid by checking it anyway) yesterday they called for sunny and a high of 80.  Today, the forecast for Ironman Chattanooga is 78 and showers.  Okay . . . I’m not going to look until 3 days before the race.

4.  I just took an “ice bath” in my above ground pool.  It’s not freezing, but it will wake you up.  And, there’s no doubt it helps with muscle recovery.  I’m still shivering as I write this.

5.  I wish everyone racing Chattanooga could hang around for a week and just chill together.  I’ve never been a big fan of the “it’s over, see you later,” thing.

6.  It’s crazy to think about the unknowns going into an Ironman.  What’s even crazier are the thoughts that you have “forgotten” how to swim, bike, or run after a day or two of not doing them.

7.  Last year I ran about 5 miles the month before Ironman Louisville due to achilles pain.  I’m in much better shape this time and in a strange way excited to run.  I’m sure that attitude will change after about 5 miles.

8.  Ironman really is kind of like a wedding.  For most of us it’s the biggest day of the year.  The nerves, anticipation, and desire for perfection all clank around for months.  Hopefully everything goes as planned, but whatever happens, happens and has to be accepted.  At least with Ironman, we can do it again next year (without guilt) if it doesn’t turn out like we planned.

[follow_me]

 

 

 

A friend of mine once told me, “The thing I always try to remember during an Ironman is, never put too much stake in how you feel because it will change every 20 minutes or so.”  Easy to say . . . tough to remember.

This is actually one of my favorite topics because, on many levels, I think it’s the only thing that ultimately matters when it comes to Ironman.  Pain, and more specifically, managing that pain is the key to hitting your goal.

I was talking with a different friend tonight who is getting back into cycling and he was telling me about all of the pain he feels.  Saddle pain, calf pain, knee pain, ankle pain, etc.  He asked what he should do about it and, after thinking for a minute, my only advice was, “Ride through it.”

I don’t know how else to say this, but that is exactly my plan for Ironman Chattanooga.  I am fully prepared for the pain and only hope my mind can talk me into riding and running through it.

Last night I watched “4 Minute Mile,” and while I think it’s a bit on the cheesy side, there was some really good running stuff in there.  Coach Coleman told his protege:

“You gotta face that fear. You GOT to, because if you don’t, you’re gonna be me, and, buddy, you don’t want that. But if you do – and I don’t care if you never run another race in your life – because if you DO face that fear, it’ll change your life. I promise you. It’s the hardest thing you’ll ever have to do, but you gotta do it. Oh, you gotta do it. And then you’ll be able to push right through the pain. You’ll go right through the door. And when you’re about ready to pass out and your legs can’t move and your lungs can’t breathe and your eyes can’t see, you’ll know that it’s just the beginning, and it’s so beautiful. It’s beautiful.”

So, I ask myself, “What is that fear?”  What is it that I have to overcome on race day?  And the only answer I can come up with, is doubt.  I fear that I won’t believe in myself when I start to feel the pain.  I fear that it will seem easier to give up then push through the pain.  Move the pain.  Manage the pain.

That is my fear.

But, we’ve all done it.  We’ve all run through that fear.  We’ve all pushed ourselves past places we believed were possible.  So, why not on race day?

The more I train for these races, the more I blown away I am by the mental perspective.  On some levels, it’s really simple.  Don’t let that obsessive, crazed personality take over your mind on race day.  Go out at your pace and keep a little in the tank until you really need it . . . then, understand.

Understand that your body will recover.  Understand that you are capable of doing much more than you believe in that moment.  Understand that the way you feel will change.

Hydrate, fuel, and embrace the beauty.

[follow_me]

 

Once again I am staring at an Ironman registration screen before I’ve completed the next one on my list.  Chattanooga is in twelve days and Ironman Wisconsin 2016 is baiting me with all its glory.  Unfortunately my competitive and sign-up windows are both closing quickly.

I think most of us go through this phase.  The last couple months before your race you make a lot of claims about taking the next year off.  I almost actually did this last year, but caved in to Louisville 3 months before the race.  Louisville was slow to sell out in August, but Wisconsin will likely be gone in a day or two.  So, what should I do?

IF I was set on doing an Ironman next year, I would pull the trigger in a second.  Wisconsin is the race I want to do.  It’s a great course, the atmosphere is incredible, and it’s home.  The swim alone is almost worth the entry fee.

The “transfer” option isn’t really a question.  It’s whether or not I want to race.

I think my competitive nature makes this decision so hard.  I’m just not the kind of guy to sign up and do it “for fun.”  I mean, obviously I love this stuff or I wouldn’t keep racing or writing about it all the time, but . . . it’s hard!

I’ve tried to compartmentalize my training, but Ironman has a way of taking over your life.  And, that’s the second catch . . . in the big perspective, that’s not such a bad thing.

Ironman training is the big-picture-guide for my life.  It deters me from falling off the rails and sauntering into the murky marsh.

But, it also saps my energy for other things.  And, frankly, I should probably get on with my life as an entrepreneur one of these days.

So, I sit here in contemplation with a peaceful monk on my left shoulder and a lycra-clad competitor on my right.  Each urging me to be myself and make the right decision.  That, of course, is the always the dilemma.

[follow_me]

 

This is such an interesting thought to me.  How exactly DO you make an Ironman race fun?

As I think back to my first two, I can remember four fun things about the races.  The time before and after each.  During the race?  Not so much.

But maybe that’s a lie.

There were moments, I’m sure.  The swim, for example.  Wisconsin was fun in a “going to battle” sort of way.  Louisville was fun from a “relax and enjoy the outdoors” angle.

The bike at Wisconsin was kind of fun at the time, but really fun in retrospect.  Till this day it’s my favorite bike ride of all time.  Louisville’s bike was more of a consistent effort sort of thing that I don’t recall being “fun” but it was sort of okay.

The run at Wisconsin was my first marathon, so it was fun in a new and exciting kind of way. There were tons of people and great memories as I “ran” in and around the University of Wisconsin campus.  That was my stomping grounds back in the day and I’d rarely seen those places sober, so it was definitely exciting (other than the pain).  The Louisville run, on the other hand.  Not fun.  I wasn’t ready and the heat destroyed me.  One question kept piercing my mind was . . . why?  Why would I do an Ironman?

Now, I’m facing my third, Ironman Chattanooga, and you know what?  I think I’m going to try and have more fun.

I think a big part of that solution is simply keeping your head up a little more.  Soaking in the beauty of the bike course and looking into people’s eyes as you run.  It makes the race a more connected experience, and really, that’s the key to life in general.

The other big, big, key to having fun during an Ironman (at least for me) is staying within your limits, especially early in each discipline.

I have ruined many a swim, bike, and run by starting too fast.  It becomes survival and surviving really isn’t that fun.

There is a very fine line between giving your all and pushing yourself over the edge.  I fall for this a lot and hope that writing it down might actually convince me to live in the space just below the edge more often on race day.

[follow_me]

 

 

I just looked at the watch on my wrist and it’s set to 00:00.  That can only mean one thing . . . another workout is looming.

At the moment I am sitting in a coffee shop, writing on my computer.  It is a casual, comfortable, and easy experience.  But soon I will have to get into the water and push myself.

 

I’ve been putting a lot of effort into a “new” training philosophy.  Not new in the revolutionary sense, but new in a “in the moment” sort of way.

Thinking about an Ironman Race Day can steal your soul.  It will consume you to the point where everything before it is a blur.  The best way to separate from a future event is doing something today that will make that future more pleasant.

It’s like preparing for a final exam.

I used to be the all-night crammer kind of guy.  Ignoring the lessons months in advance, trusting an immense, short-term immersion of information the week before my test. Sometimes this worked, but one thing was always constant.  That cramming experience threw me out of balance.

I’m learning.

I’m learning that consistent effort and preparation pays off.

I’m learning that repetition is the best learning vehicle.

I’m learning not to obsess over things that aren’t here now.

But it’s hard.

It’s hard because the lure of that shiny medal at the finish line has a way of validating our efforts.

It’s hard because in a strange way it doesn’t seem like the little recovery runs really matter.

It’s hard because having faith is hard.

Setting goals has always been weird to me because I typically focus on the goal instead of what it takes to get there.  With Ironman, for example, I tend to compare my training efforts to my race goal.  That can be dangerous territory.

The worst strategy in the world is racing an Ironman like it’s a race.  It’s a brick by brick build.  Stroke by stroke, pedal by pedal, stride by stride.  You can’t put up the walls until the foundation is laid.

The same holds for training.  I have 17 days left until Ironman Chattanooga, and while that doesn’t seem like much time, there’s a lot of things I can do to improve my race.  Little things.  Adding a few more bricks to the foundation.  Making my weaknesses a little stronger.

The race is coming fast, but there’s really only one thing I need to think about . . . what I’m doing now.

[follow_me]

 

Ironman Wisconsin was the reason I started this site a few years ago and I’ve published a bunch of writings and video about the race.  I’ve dug it all up and linked everything from this page for simplicity.  I absolutely love Madison and this race.  Hope you find some things you enjoy!

20 Things I learned at Ironman Wisconsin.

10 Mistakes I made at Ironman Wisconsin 2013.

Ironman Wisconsin Swim Start Video.

Ironman Wisconsin 2013 Swim Start Video.

My 2014 IM Wisconsin Tribute Video.

My 2013 Ironman Wisconsin Race Report.

The registration stress of Ironman Wisconsin.

My coach’s perspective from the sidelines, including an awesome story of race survival at Ironman Wisconsin 2013.

Friday before Ironman Wisconsin.

Pre-race report before Ironman Wisconsin 2013.

Ironman Wisconsin distance analogy.

Comparing IM Wisconsin vs. IM Louisville.

Contemplating my race strategy for Ironman Wisconsin.

My first week of training for Ironman Wisconsin.

What I imagined Ironman Wisconsin was like before I did it.

My return home a few days before IM Wisconsin.

100 Days Out from Ironman Wisconsin.

My day of spectating Ironman Wisconsin 2014.

Pictures from Ironman Wisconsin 2014.

My friend’s guest Race Report from IM Wisconsin 2010.

Ironman Wisconsin was my first marathon.

The emotions of the Fab 5 one month away from Wisconsin.

Mike’s Race Report from 2015

I road the bike course and drove the run course, then wrote about it.

This is the slick-ass video I made while spectating Chattanooga in 2014.

The very popular piece on why you shouldn’t wear a wetsuit, even if it’s legal.

10 things to think about before and during your race at Ironman Chattanooga.

Here is the slick-ass video Little Debbie made in 2014.

This is video of the pros running out of T2 at Ironman Chattanooga.

It’s always moving to see the final swimmer get out of the water.  Here’s the video.

An illegal, but cool story from last 2014 Ironman Chattanooga.

The endless stream of Age Groupers coming out of the water at Ironman Chattanooga 2014.

Pictures of some of the pro racers.

My summary of what it was like spectating IM Chattanooga in 2014.

Ironman Chattanooga Transition Layout.

Overhead Video of the Swim of Ironman Chattanooga.

Video of first woman out of the water in 2014.

Men’s Pro Pack coming out of the water at Ironman Chattanooga 2014.

Video of practice swim current.

Some day before the race pictures, including the cutest little girl holding the best Ironman sign ever!

[follow_me]

 

Pretty pumped to offer these new logo shirts to anyone who will be Crushing Iron in Chattanooga.  They are the same “Next Level” brand Ironman uses for their name shirts.  Color is Indigo Blue and for now there are Small – XL in men’s sizes only.  Cost is $20.

There are two ways to get one in Chattanooga.

– By making arrangements to meet us… Send me an email ahead of time:  [email protected]

–  Coming to the lobby of the Chattanoogan Hotel from 3-4:00 on Saturday.

(Note: I will soon be setting up an online store to buy them from here, but it may be a week or so.  Email me if you’d like to order with a check or something and we’ll work it out).

Can’t wait to see you in Chattanooga!  Thanks!

[follow_me]