Perspective & Gratitude for the Ironman

During my (hilly) endurance run over the weekend (13th Jan), I spoke to one of our squad members who had been racing triathlons over 20 or so years and this year he will be racing his first Ironman distance triathlon (IM Melb). I queried why this was his first and I learnt something from him that day. Previously, you actually had to qualify to do an full Ironman (3.8km/180km/42.2km) distance triathlon by racing in sanctioned half ironman races and finish it at a very fast time close to the 5 hour mark. We are not talking about Kona World Championships here, we are talking about sanctioned Ironman distances. I had only been exposed to the sport of triathlon since 2008 (in the sprint distances) and this fact was unknown to me. I think the non-qualifying races came in around 2006-7 (not 100% sure and will need to do more researching into the history).

I guess this was one of the reasons why the Ironman tattoo held so much significance and regard - back in the day when you had to (first) qualify to race one and then complete it within 17 hours.

I will be racing my first Ironman Distance triathlon in 69 more days (just under 10 weeks) and the fact that I had won a slot into this event - I am grateful that I am able to even be part of the starter's list. I would definitely not be fast enough to qualify (with my first half ironman time of 6:16) back in the day as it is no where near the required qualifying time!

The following regarding Kona, I had known about before last Sunday - you can only be part of the starter's list by the following methods:

• Qualify (means you actually have to be fast at a sanctioned Ironman and some sanctioned Half Ironman distances)
• Lottery slots - 200 (150 for US citizens and 50 or so drawn Internationally)
• Charity slots - by the money you raise (we are talking about significant, not your $1K - $10K) or purchase (upwards of $40K)

He also spoke about how training for his first Ironman is also more enjoyable as we are training to finish this race. He compared it back to the days when he was training for his half - trying to qualify for an ironman slot - it was hard work. It is also less stressful on the body - rather than pushing your body past it's limits to qualify during a half ironman race, you are training to do well. This is the same principle applied to the Ironman Distance (for the majority of triathletes not racing to qualify for Kona) as well - train to do well and finish and enjoy the journey and the actual race day.

The downside to this is that many people do an Ironman race as part of their bucket list within a very short period of their life. Not giving their bodies enough time to adapt to the aerobic requirements. Examples of this can be seen/heard:

• I have done a season of sprint distances and have entered to do my first ironman (within 12 months).
• I have done a marathon and now doing my first ironman
• I have downloaded an "Ironman race in 12 weeks" program and will start training 12 weeks before my ironman race
• I am just doing this as part of a bucket list

There is also nothing wrong with doing an Ironman race as part of a bucket list but people should be realistic about doing this event. Training for an ironman distance (or any long course distance races) needs to be taken into perspective:

• Is your body fit/able enough for training (load)?
• Is your mindset strong enough for you to train long hours and take you over the line (strong enough will power)?
• Do you have enough time (hours in a day/week) to dedicate to training?

As much as people want to be just a finisher for an Ironman Distance triathlon, you do need to put in the hard yards in training to safely complete an Ironman Distance event. It is not a joke, not even the slightest.

Consistent Training over a Realistic Time frame = A Good Race.