For quite some time (probably a few years) I have been thinking about doing something that might push me close to my breaking point, both physically and mentally. What I was thinking about was the Ironman Triathlon. I would swim for 3.86 km, ride a bike for 180.25 km and then, as a cherry on top, run a full marathon of 42.2 km (that is 2.4/112/26.2 miles respectively for all of you who use the wrong system).
I was always thinking of the people who finish this within 17 hours (the time limit set to finish the course) as super humans. Someone I thought I could never be despite being in good shape from all the running and cycling I was doing.
After a good friend of mine Goran Markuš finished this years Ironman in Nice, France I know for a fact that these people are superhuman but that I can become this as well. I would like to take a moment here and congratulate him on this once more!!!
For the last month I have been training "in secret" and tried to asses if I can squeeze in 10-15 hours of training into my weekly schedule. I am glad to say that it is possible but I will have to adjust my life for the next 8 months a little bit in order to get the training I need as well as keep up with other things I have to do outside of sports.
I started reading about proper form, training schedules and other stuff around being a triathlete. I have also watched quite a few videos on various subjects and feel confident to embark on this journey. I might seek some pro help/coaching if I realize something isn't going as planed (I am pretty realistic about expectations especially since there are long 8 months in front of me) to check my form and guide me into the right directions.
My biggest "fear" was the swimming part of the race which I knew I had the least experience in but it turned out to be the most fun one. My sessions were around an hour long and I was pleased with how much more distance I can cover in the same amount of time using fewer rest every time. The two other parts of the race are the ones which I had more confidence int the beginning but just because of the long distances which needed to be covered I am starting to realize that they will be just as hard (if not harder).
I have polished my stroke quite good now (there are still times I have to remember the high elbow, rotating hips, kicking from the hips, pointing my feet and ,yes, not to forget to breath) and I love the fact that now I feel more muscles after a nice run.
All in all I am quite pleased how the preparations are moving along and am looking forward to writing regular updates with the kilometers just going up and up :)
If you have some tips let me know, I will be happy to listen to you all day long.
Before I sing off I will leave you with a short video take from the Ironman in Nice last year which is just amazing to watch and I really hope to be part of the crowed next year :)
Until next time, don't forget to be awesome!