Why Ironman?

On July 23, 2006 I was in Lake Placid, NY racing Ironman Lake Placid. When we jumped into Mirror Lake that morning it was about 50 degrees with a light rain. By the time I started the marathon the sun came out and the temperature climbed into the 80s. From a fitness perspective I was ready to race. My big mistake that day had to do with nutritional intake, or more to the point what I didn't take in. The back half of the marathon took me close to three hours to complete. After crossing the bridge after the River Road out and back I thought about laying down on the big rock right next to it. Which would sound completely rational except for one thing - there is no big rock. Yeah, I screwed up my nutrition so bad I literally saw things that weren't there.

After the race The Queen took one look at me and said, I quote, "this isn't over, is it?"

I smiled that smile that says this is only the beginning. I was hooked.

In thirty days I will be in Panama City Beach, Florida for my fifth go at the Ironman distance. I am older and, hopefully, wiser. This year hasn't panned out as I originally planned, but that doesn't really matter. My fitness is solid and I have some big goals for November 1. In 30 days we go and get 'er done.

But why? Why Ironman?

When asked, I tend to blow it off with an "I don't know, it's just something I do." Really. I don't think anyone buys it, but that's my usual response.

Truth be told, everyone who toes the line at a full Ironman-distance race has a reason for being there.

For some people they do an Ironman for a cause. Others do it to reach a life-long goal. The professionals do it for the paycheck. There are as many reasons as there are Ironman finishers.

For me it's more complex. It's been said that the Ironman is the worlds hardest one-day endurance event. I don't know if racing 140.6 miles of swim/bike/run is the hardest one-day event, but it certainly ranks right up there. I like that.

The Ironman is not something you can just wake up one morning and say, "I think I'll go do an Ironman today" and then go out swim/bike/run 140.6 miles. You could try, I guess, but even the fittest among us would have a tough go of it. To go 140.6 it takes time, persistence, discipline.

Just getting to the start line of an Ironman is something I find impressive. It takes work ... lots of work, over an extended period of time to get ready to complete the distance. I like that too.

My training for Lake Placid in 2006 started on January 2 of that year. For almost four months I trained almost every day just to get my body ready to specifically train for the race. Then, for the next three months I swam, biked and ran more than I did the previous four months. Waiting on the small beach area of Mirror Lake I felt confident I would end up in the speed skating oval slapping spectators hands as I headed to the finish line.

But unlike single sport athletes, the work you do is not so straight forward. If you are a runner, you go outside and run; If you are a cyclist, you hit the road and ride; If you're a swimmer, you spend your time looking at the black line as you go back and forth. To excel, or just improve, at any of the three sports, you put in the time, you do the interval work, you work on the technique. As a triathlete you need to do this for all three sports, all at the same time. This takes work and discipline.

Just to complete a full Ironman distance race you need to have at least a base level of competence at three separate sports. You may be able to get away without swimming and doing a sprint or Olympic distance tri, good luck with swimming 2.4 miles without putting in the pool time. Or for that matter, biking 112 miles or running a marathon without a certain level of fitness specific to those sports, let alone on a whim.

Once race day comes you need to have patience, discipline and focus for the 9 - 17 hours it takes to complete the event. I admit is a challenge for me. The swim is about getting through without getting kicked in the face or punched in the nose while burning as little energy as possible. Biking 112 miles requires one to stay well within your means while properly fueling for the run. The run is about pacing, then survival. Sounds easy in theory. It works in practice. But damn is it hard to execute (at least for me) on race day. But that's what makes it appealing - having the ability to stay within myself so that my fitness can be reflected in my final results. Haven't done it yet ... but I will.

So while I would like you all to believe I don't really know why I do it, I know exactly why I'm out there: It is the pursuit of the patience to build fitness, the focus to do the work, and the discipline to keep from doing something stupid that will ruin my day so my fitness level reflects my performance. Over the years I have been able to figure out how to get to the starting line rested, injury-free and fit. As for race day, that continued to be a work in progress. The plan on November 1st is to make the 5th time the charm.

For you, my friend, if you are doing an Ironman in the future, or are thinking about doing an Ironman at some point, you really need to know why you are out there. When training gets hard you need to remind yourself of why you are doing it; When the racing gets hard (and it will, I promise) you need to remind yourself of why you are out there.

Do you have an Ironman on your schedule or do you want to do one in the future? What's YOUR motivation?

Train hard. Stay focused.
Jon