After savoring the flavor of finishing an Ironman and the aches and pains subside, you feel some emptiness inside, loss of motivation, and just feel blah or letdown - hence the name, Ironman hangover. You've spent months training, devoting all your free time to this one coveted event, and sacrificing family time, hobbies, and other interest in the name of Ironman. Months of excitement, anxiety, and anticipation comes to a screeching halt after the race. While training you think it will be nice to finish Ironman and then go back to your "normal" lifestyle, but in reality you miss that nervous excitement.
After my 1st Ironman I had a pretty big Ironman hangover, but this 2nd one hasn't been too bad. My guess is after a week in relishing in finishing the event I went back to the drawing board and made new goals and signed up for more races. I also went right to work on some home improvement projects that needed to be done. That void or emptiness of not having anything left on plate for the season has been resolved and I can go back to training. The volume won't be near as much as Ironman, but it will be enough to fulfill my need to continue training.
How to Overcome the Race or Big Event
- enjoy completing the event, but not for too long
- set some new goals - these don't have to be in sports, but rather in other areas of your life
- hit the reset button and figure out what you want to do next
- try something new and different
- go back to doing some things that you have had to sacrifice not doing during training
For instance, I've set up some shorter races for the upcoming months and a marathon for the end of the season, started putting more focus into spending time with my family and my business, and re-acquainting myself for my love of cooking.
Any other tips for getting over that hump after finishing a major event?
Monday, July 11, 2011
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Ironman Couer D'Alene Race Report
Ironman Couer D’Alene was my 2nd Ironman, and the 1st one I’ve done in about 3.5 years. I had some high expectations coming into the race from a PR perspective, and although I wasn’t close to hitting my marks, I was happy that I preserved through a tough day and finished the race. This race was really well organized, the city was beautiful, and the volunteers were awesome. I would highly recommend this race to anyone interested in doing Ironmans.
Swim:
The swim was a 2 loop counter-clockwise course with a 10 yard run out on the beach after the 1st lap before heading out for round 2. Coming into the race I knew the water was going to be COLD, as in 54-57 degree cold. In preparation I purchased a neoprene cap and swim socks to help mitigate the cold factor. The day before the race I got in the water for about 15 minutes and I described it as “tolerable”. Having a sleeveless wetsuit certainly didn’t help my cause either. As all 2400 people entered into the water it became a human washing machine for the 1st 800 meters which is to be expected. After a lot of going, stopping, face kicks, and swim-overs I found somewhat of a ‘groove’ and began my way around the course. There was somewhat of a chop and I was taking in a lot of water so I had to turn my head up directly to the sky to get air every other stroke. It wasn’t a big deal but I’m sure it didn’t help my time too much. Another issue I ran into is my hands got stuck in a closed fist in the first 400 meters so I was essentially doing fist drills for the 2.4 mile swim, so that made the swim a bit more difficult. The rest of the swim was fairly uneventful and I was certainly ready to get out of the water.
T1:
As I got out water the wet suit strippers took off my wetsuit and handed me my bike gear bag. I was disoriented, still couldn’t open my hands, and shaking uncontrollably so I was directed into the warm tent to warm up and re-group. I wasn’t able to buckle my helmet or snap in my race belt so a volunteer had to help me get my gear on. I finally started to feel decent after 20 minutes in the warm temp and off I went on the bike.
Bike:
We had the opportunity to drive the bike course on Saturday so I knew what I was getting myself into for the race. It is described as a two-loop course with some rolling hills. The first loop felt great. My nutrition was going well, I held an average speed of about 17 mph throughout the course, and didn’t go barreling over a cliff which in my mind is a success. The 2nd loop was a different story. At about mile 70 the miles were catching up to me. My hydration was off and I was starving. I was eating bananas and energy bars and switching between Gatorade and water between aid stations to try and play catch up. The course is relatively flat except for about 20 miles of the aforementioned “rollers”. Being an Iowa flatlander may have swayed my interpretation but there were some tough hills. A lot of them had a steep downhill portion and a sharp turn then had you going uphill, or a downhill with a flat portion before going back uphill which slowed down your momentum. There weren’t any daunting hills, just a lot of them. By the time I got out of hilly portion and heading back into town I was spent. I had no energy and I coasted back into town with literally nothing left in the tank.
T2:
As I entered the changing tent a volunteer saw me and didn’t think I looked very good so he led me over to the medical tent. I was checked over and asked if I needed to stop. I refused to quit and after a little rest and some sugar water I was out of t2 and onto the marathon.
Run:
Well, I don’t know if I would call it much of a run, more of a walk, shuffle for the 1st 6 miles of the run. My priority here was getting myself together and getting some quick carbohydrates and sodium into my system. This included flat coke, cookies, chips, and sports drink. After the 1st 6 miles I was able to do some running. I would pick out a spot ahead of me, run to that point, and then walk. I continued this throughout the rest of the run and crossed the finish line.
A lot of things went wrong during the race, but one thing that stood out for me was my ability to keep a positive inter monologue, upbeat mentality, and a ‘no quit’ attitude. I took away a lot of lessons that will help me in the future. I truly couldn’t have done it without the love and support of my wife and my family and I am forever grateful for them. I’ll take next year off from Ironmans, but I’ll be back the following year!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Ironman Taper
The long, hard training sessions are over. Any drawn out, challenging, or long-distance based training now will not help or improve performance, but will leave you susceptible to injury and/or showing up on race day tired. Taper is kind of a hard pill to swallow because you cut down your workout load significantly (50%-75%) and so you have more energy than you normally do and that energy can be spent on nervous energy as you get closer to race day. I try and take it in stride and use that energy for spending time with family and mental preparedness.
The important thing to remember is that you need to trust your training and human physiology that a 2 week taper before an Ironman is the right thing to do. The next 10 days will be spent doing shorter, higher intensity work to keep fitness levels high, allow my body to fully recover, and ensure my glycogen stores are full when I line up at the start line.
I'm coming to the end of a long journey to my 2nd Ironman, the hard work is done. The Ironman is just the opportunity to showcase what I've accomplished over the past 5 months. I'll line up at the swim start with my current fitness level and confidence, and cross the finish line with a tired, smile on my face. Now, if I can just fast forward to June 26th.
The important thing to remember is that you need to trust your training and human physiology that a 2 week taper before an Ironman is the right thing to do. The next 10 days will be spent doing shorter, higher intensity work to keep fitness levels high, allow my body to fully recover, and ensure my glycogen stores are full when I line up at the start line.
I'm coming to the end of a long journey to my 2nd Ironman, the hard work is done. The Ironman is just the opportunity to showcase what I've accomplished over the past 5 months. I'll line up at the swim start with my current fitness level and confidence, and cross the finish line with a tired, smile on my face. Now, if I can just fast forward to June 26th.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Ironman Race Strategy
I'm about 2.5 weeks out from my Ironman, so I think it's about time to think about race strategy. I could go a few different routes here. One option is to go as hard and fast as I can from the start, but I'm pretty sure that is not going to bode well for me and I'll end up getting a ride to shore from one of the nice people on the jet skis due to exhaustion.
The name of this game is patience. The swim is going to be a warm-up for the bike, the bike is used for hydration and food for the run, the first 20 miles of the run is saving the legs for the real race, the last 10K of the Ironman.
Let's get into a little more detail here.
Swim - the plan for the swim is to start off easy. When I say "easy", I mean a little more effort than casual. Once I re-enter the water for the second loop I plan on a slight increase of effort, but still very comfortable. After all, the swim is just a warm-up. I'm pretty confident most of the 1st lap will be a human washing machine so it's important to stay cool and calm and let it play out. The rest of the swim will be about finding some feet and coasting to T1.
Bike - A lot of people will be so excited to be out of the water they will start off on the bike with too much effort and pedal mash the initial part of the course. I, on the other end, will start the bike in upper Z2 zone and focus on a smooth, relaxed cadence, nutrition, and hydration. Those pedal mashers will fall apart on the 2nd loop and/or on the run. My plan for nutrition is a PowerBar every other hour(1,3,5) and 'Sustained Energy' drink every other hour(2,4,6). This comes out to about 250-300 calories per hour. Hydration will be intermixed with water and Gatorade with drinking every 15 minutes. This will also depend on the course conditions. On the 2nd loop, based on how I'm feeling, I intend to pick up the effort and negative split the 2nd loop.
Run - The run is going to be about putting one foot in front of the other for 26.2 miles. Nothing fancy or complicated here. I'll eat what I feel like eating and drink water/Gatorade at each aid station. I imagine toward the end of the race I'll be taking in flat Coke and put every ounce of effort I have to crossing that finish line.
Keep in mind this is merely a plan and there are many things that are simply out of my control on race day. I will control the things I can, and not worry about the things I can't. I may follow the plan to a T, or I may have to throw it out the window. Hopefully it's not the latter.
The name of this game is patience. The swim is going to be a warm-up for the bike, the bike is used for hydration and food for the run, the first 20 miles of the run is saving the legs for the real race, the last 10K of the Ironman.
Let's get into a little more detail here.
Swim - the plan for the swim is to start off easy. When I say "easy", I mean a little more effort than casual. Once I re-enter the water for the second loop I plan on a slight increase of effort, but still very comfortable. After all, the swim is just a warm-up. I'm pretty confident most of the 1st lap will be a human washing machine so it's important to stay cool and calm and let it play out. The rest of the swim will be about finding some feet and coasting to T1.
Bike - A lot of people will be so excited to be out of the water they will start off on the bike with too much effort and pedal mash the initial part of the course. I, on the other end, will start the bike in upper Z2 zone and focus on a smooth, relaxed cadence, nutrition, and hydration. Those pedal mashers will fall apart on the 2nd loop and/or on the run. My plan for nutrition is a PowerBar every other hour(1,3,5) and 'Sustained Energy' drink every other hour(2,4,6). This comes out to about 250-300 calories per hour. Hydration will be intermixed with water and Gatorade with drinking every 15 minutes. This will also depend on the course conditions. On the 2nd loop, based on how I'm feeling, I intend to pick up the effort and negative split the 2nd loop.
Run - The run is going to be about putting one foot in front of the other for 26.2 miles. Nothing fancy or complicated here. I'll eat what I feel like eating and drink water/Gatorade at each aid station. I imagine toward the end of the race I'll be taking in flat Coke and put every ounce of effort I have to crossing that finish line.
Keep in mind this is merely a plan and there are many things that are simply out of my control on race day. I will control the things I can, and not worry about the things I can't. I may follow the plan to a T, or I may have to throw it out the window. Hopefully it's not the latter.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Mental Toughness
You're at the point of your race, workout, or life where you come to a crossroad and have a few choices
- fight through the pain and finish strong
- dog it and just finish
- quit
The easy choice, is to quit. The physical pain will subside quickly and you'll walk away feeling disappointed. The emotional pain won't go away easily and it will linger in the back of your mind. Clearly, this is not the best choice.
Another option is to half-ass it the rest of the way. You're not quitting, but you're not giving it your all. This is the point where excuses start to run through your mind. "what am I doing here"?, "why did I sign up for this"?, "why do I subject myself to this misery"? "I'm not built for this type of thing"? You start to unravel and become unfocused on what you're trying to accomplish. You'll make it to the end, but you're not going to be fulfilled with the outcome.
The best option, but the hardest, is to fight through the pain and finish strong. This takes focus, the ability to harness the pain as strength, and true grit. Some people are really good at doing this, and some have opportunities for improvement. You need to put away the distractions, the "noise" in your head that is telling you to quit, slow down, or back off and continue to hammer away. Focus all your energy and visualize that end goal or finish line. Finish 1st or last, you've won. You had the ability to overcome your perceived limitations and defeated your biggest competitor, yourself. By leaving it all out on the course you'll have instantaneous gratification and a high that can't be replicated by any drug.
The best part of it all, is that you can apply this to every aspect of your life.
- fight through the pain and finish strong
- dog it and just finish
- quit
The easy choice, is to quit. The physical pain will subside quickly and you'll walk away feeling disappointed. The emotional pain won't go away easily and it will linger in the back of your mind. Clearly, this is not the best choice.
Another option is to half-ass it the rest of the way. You're not quitting, but you're not giving it your all. This is the point where excuses start to run through your mind. "what am I doing here"?, "why did I sign up for this"?, "why do I subject myself to this misery"? "I'm not built for this type of thing"? You start to unravel and become unfocused on what you're trying to accomplish. You'll make it to the end, but you're not going to be fulfilled with the outcome.
The best option, but the hardest, is to fight through the pain and finish strong. This takes focus, the ability to harness the pain as strength, and true grit. Some people are really good at doing this, and some have opportunities for improvement. You need to put away the distractions, the "noise" in your head that is telling you to quit, slow down, or back off and continue to hammer away. Focus all your energy and visualize that end goal or finish line. Finish 1st or last, you've won. You had the ability to overcome your perceived limitations and defeated your biggest competitor, yourself. By leaving it all out on the course you'll have instantaneous gratification and a high that can't be replicated by any drug.
The best part of it all, is that you can apply this to every aspect of your life.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Bluff Creek Olympic Race Report
We arrived in Ogden, IA for the Bluff Creek Oly Triathlon on Saturday afternoon and found a great camping spot about 2 miles from the transition area. My wife, eldest daughter, and I were fortunate enough to ride up with my parents in the RV so we weren’t exactly ‘roughing it’. I pulled out the bike and did a quick 4 mile hard effort and 1 mile run off to get the blood flowing before the race. The rest of the evening was spent eating dinner and relaxing before the first triathlon of the season.
Race morning started off with almond butter on pita bread and a banana. I rode my bike down to the transition and set up. I was feeling really relaxed and didn’t have pent up energy that I usually have before a race which I thought was strange, but passed it off as nothing. I headed down to the bus that takes us to the swim start so I could test out the waters. The Oly swim had been cut short to only 500 meters due to the cold water temps of 52 degrees. I’ve swam in similar conditions before so I knew it would help to get in and get somewhat acclimated to the temperature before the start of the race.
Swim
It was a short swim with a small amount of people in my wave so it was pretty uneventful. I found a few draft lines but my main goal here was just to catch my breath and make it to shore. The cold water literally took my breath away and I just wanted to push through it and get out of the water. After reaching shore there was about a 2-300 meter run up to the transition zone. Total time: 12:40
T1
I had some trouble getting my wet suit off and kind of jacked around a little bit in T1 before I was finally off on the bike. Total time: 2:07
Bike
Starting off on the bike felt great with a tailwind, but after 3 miles we were in a strong crosswind or a headwind. At about mile 10 one of my aero bar pads fell off. I knew it was cracked before the race but I thought I could get away with it, I was obviously wrong. For the rest of the race I was not able to ride aero and relied on the horns to get me through the rest of the bike. I dropped my water bottle and failed an attempt to grab another bottle at the water station and had trouble getting my Gu packet to open so I bailed on that attempt. Long story short, no hydration or nutrition on the bike. I didn’t feel very strong on the bike and felt like I was missing the power and speed that I’ve developed during the off-season. Total time: 1:25:40, 17.5 mph avg
T2
I spent 2.5 minutes in T2 – I have no idea why I was in there so long, probably jacking around like I did in T1
Run
I headed out on the run with heavy legs and in need of hydration. My legs felt better after the 2nd mile but I was never able to find my rhythm throughout the entire run. I was able to push through and reach the finish line. Total time 53:22/8:36 per mile pace
I was pretty down after this race due to my performance and I had some time to think through it on my run Tuesday. Here’s what I came up with:
- Drive – I didn’t have much drive when I lined up at the start line. I think I can attribute this to my focus being on IM CDA in a month and this was more of a “tune up” for the big race.
Lots of mental mistakes during this race which inhibited my performance. It’s the first race of the year so I’m not going to invest too much stock in the results and chalk it up to a learning experience. I was able to take away some things to work on before my 1st ‘A’ race of the year and dive back into training with more focus and drive.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
7 Mental Keys to Weight Loss
The hardest part of getting into a routine or getting a workout done is we mentally talk ourselves out of it. Listen to your inner monologue and you'll hear:
- "I just don't have time today"
- "I'm too tired to work out today"
- "It's too hot/cold out today"
Here are 7 tips to get you to overcome the mental hurdles and get the work done:
1) Create Goals - I know this one has been ingrained into our brains, but it is a cornerstone to being successful. Make goals for the year, month, week, and the day. The daily, weekly, and monthly goals should align with reaching your annual goal. Keep them attainable, but require hard work and reaching. Post them where you can see them each day. Here is more information on setting goals.
2) Post Your Workouts or Planned Workouts on Social Media Outlets - This is a way to indirectly hold yourself accountable to others and lets your friends know what you're doing.
3) Educate Yourself - We tend to be more engaged and excited about doing something the more we know about it. There are a lot of good resources out there today on the web and on news stands near you.
4) Get Out of Your Own Way - This is one of the biggest inhibitors I see today. Making excuses, using false logic, procrastination and other ways we try and trick ourselves out of doing the work. Clear your mind of the negative self-talk replace it with positive self assurance..
5) Take it Day by Day - It's not what you did yesterday or will do tomorrow that counts, it's what you're going to do today. Refer to your daily goals. Consistency counts.
6) Avoid Instant Gratification - Today's society relies heavily on instant gratification. Information and feedback is so instantaneous that we expect that from everything we do. Getting the fitness and body you want takes time. You will get instant gratification of feeling energized and a sense of accomplishment after a work out and good nutrition, but be patient and the work will pay off in the long run.
7) Conquer the Foothills, not the Mountain Today - Starting off slow and hitting small milestones will guide you to more success than going full bore out of the gate. Build your confidence slowly and consistently.
Reaching your goals is 90% mental and 10% talent. You've got the fitness and nutrition knowledge, now it's time to conquer the mental roadblocks and meet your goals.
For more information and training plans, visit GettingFitness
- "I just don't have time today"
- "I'm too tired to work out today"
- "It's too hot/cold out today"
Here are 7 tips to get you to overcome the mental hurdles and get the work done:
1) Create Goals - I know this one has been ingrained into our brains, but it is a cornerstone to being successful. Make goals for the year, month, week, and the day. The daily, weekly, and monthly goals should align with reaching your annual goal. Keep them attainable, but require hard work and reaching. Post them where you can see them each day. Here is more information on setting goals.
2) Post Your Workouts or Planned Workouts on Social Media Outlets - This is a way to indirectly hold yourself accountable to others and lets your friends know what you're doing.
3) Educate Yourself - We tend to be more engaged and excited about doing something the more we know about it. There are a lot of good resources out there today on the web and on news stands near you.
4) Get Out of Your Own Way - This is one of the biggest inhibitors I see today. Making excuses, using false logic, procrastination and other ways we try and trick ourselves out of doing the work. Clear your mind of the negative self-talk replace it with positive self assurance..
5) Take it Day by Day - It's not what you did yesterday or will do tomorrow that counts, it's what you're going to do today. Refer to your daily goals. Consistency counts.
6) Avoid Instant Gratification - Today's society relies heavily on instant gratification. Information and feedback is so instantaneous that we expect that from everything we do. Getting the fitness and body you want takes time. You will get instant gratification of feeling energized and a sense of accomplishment after a work out and good nutrition, but be patient and the work will pay off in the long run.
7) Conquer the Foothills, not the Mountain Today - Starting off slow and hitting small milestones will guide you to more success than going full bore out of the gate. Build your confidence slowly and consistently.
Reaching your goals is 90% mental and 10% talent. You've got the fitness and nutrition knowledge, now it's time to conquer the mental roadblocks and meet your goals.
For more information and training plans, visit GettingFitness
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