Tag: endurance training

Posted on

Ironman Wisconsin Will Be My First Marathon #IMWI

As I inch closer to Ironman Wisconsin, I have one major question gnawing at my insides:

Will the fact that I probably won’t run more than 16 miles (ever) be a problem on the marathon?

I am trusting the hell out of this process and one reason is . . . I have no choice. 

From Day 1 of Ironman Training (sometime around January 3rd) I have had to reel in my training.  I simply wasn’t prepared for the intensity and made a few mistakes early on just to save face. 

For example, we had early training rides (indoors) of 3 and 4 hours scheduled in February and I reluctantly suffered through them, even though my longest ride in many many years was an Olympic race (or thereabouts) of one hour and twenty minutes. 

After several post-ride collapses that included long naps and limping around the house, I decided to implement a new strategy.  I said to myself, “Self, if there are times when you feel you ‘could’ finish a long workout, but know it will put you down for a couple days, walk away on top.” 

So, that’s what I started doing in the pool, on the bike, and on runs.  If my workout was starting to feel like a detriment to my body, I would save myself.  Four thousand meter swims became 2,500, four hour bikes turned into 2 1/2.  Two hour runs, 1.5.  But, the difference was, I always made the workouts count from an intensity perspective. 

I had to remember that I literally just started running last year and other than some light biking and swimming over the last decade, the thought of doing Ironman Distance was laughable. 

The other day I expressed concern to my coach about my running history, or more accurately lack of history.  He simply said, “Stay the course.”  And I trust that opinion.

Instead of panicking into long distances I have focused on a gradual, consistent build knowing that as I approach my first Ironman, I had to be at peace with patience.  Trust the process and shine for one day. 

Last night as I was running my planned 90 minutes (which turned out to be about 80), I added up the mileage.  Sunday was an hour Monogetti run (sprint workout) of about 8 miles, Monday was around an 8 mile hill explosion, and last night was about 9 miles with some nice hills in the middle.  Tomorrow I have another Monogetti waiting and Saturday is a 45 minute brick run after 4 hours on the bike.  That’s will equate to around 30 miles of pretty intense running in 7 days. 

I have already given in to the fact that (aside from passing a kidney stone) the marathon will likely be the biggest test of pain tolerance in my life.  26.2 miles of pounding after the swim and bike.  I guess asking why I’d want to do it is a fair question and I think the answer lies somewhere in a quote I saw posted by Payge McMahon today: 

Image

 

Posted on

The Power of Isolation

Occasionally I try to figure out why I’m putting so many hours into training, most in isolation.  Even the group rides are replete with time for contemplation.  I think the simple answer is . . . I like it that way. 

Image

My dad was a very social guy when I was growing up.  We lived in a small town and he seemed to know everyone.  There was always a party in progress or about to happen when my dad showed up. 

I loved it when he would take me along to the cookout.  The kids would run around or play baseball in the back, while the parents got drunk in the kitchen.  Everyone was relaxed and free. 

But the sun always sets on a party and it’s tough to see in the dark. 

I’d go down to my bedroom in the basement and stare at a ceiling that wasn’t there.  I’ve always had trouble falling asleep and think it’s largely because I can’t get out of my head.  Eventually I figured out there’s no better place to fuel this addiction than long hours in the pool, on a bike, or a run. 

When I’m at my best, I embrace the art of meditation in motion.  I am completely in the moment.  Focused on the next stroke, pedal, or step.  I’m at one with my breath and let that take over.  There is no watch, no conversation, and no finish line.  I just am.

I have always been a fascinated by the power of meditation.  The ability to look inward for peace is extremely powerful and the key to staying centered.  But, it’s difficult to stay on course with an endless flow of distraction.

Phones fill voids like a crack pipe.  We cling and hope the next message delivers the perfect high.  If we’re not looking at the phone it’s the television or the tablet.  We’re always “looking” . . . but for what? 

I think that’s the irony of endurance training. 

We go to extreme lengths to find something we can’t describe.  A consistent, manageable, and peaceful state.  But what we do when we find it is the real challenge.  Do we accept it or climb higher for another level of stimulation?  How high is high enough? 

On the most elemental level, I think humans are searching for ways to feel better, but how we do that is baffling. 

What part of staying inside an office for 10 hours a day while staring at numbers on a computer screen resembles natural behavior?  It’s a real challenge because we have crafted a world that is driven by “more is better.”  More money, more power, more fame, more sex, more highs, more stuff. 

So this all comes back to basics.  What do we need to be satisfied?  For me, it’s typically nothing. 

The most serene moments of my life are those times when I’m focused on my breath.  I don’t “need” anything when I’m “awake.”  Life gets more complicated when I am forced to squeeze into a box created by humans who think they’re doing what’s best for me, for us.  We get dragged around the block when all we really want is to chill in the backyard.

I love to immerse myself in other people’s quest for genuine satisfaction.  What does it take to be content?  Where do we go off the rails? 

I spend a lot of time listening and observing.  I think it’s because I truly have no clue what life is all about.  Then, sometimes, I genuinely think THAT is what it’s all about.  Listening, learning, loving.

So many of us are tripped up by the lure of the next high.  The first thought after I make a million dollars is, how can I make two million?  And the list goes on.  It’s never enough.  But all we really want is to be comfortable, content, and free.  More often than not, I find that space on long swims, bikes, and runs.  The challenge is handling the rest of the day.