Too good not to just touch on....

I saw this posted over in the Slowtwitch forums. It made me chuckle. Brutal, but honest! For the record, this a thread in response to someone questioning why IMWI run times were so slow:

Most Ironman triathletes think they have done enough training----They haven't!

Most Ironman triathletes think they know how to hurt----They don't!

Most Ironman triathletes think they can deal with all race situations---They can't!

Most Ironman triathletes think that they will hit their goal time---They won't!

Most Ironman triathletes refuse to take advice from those who have been there and done it---They are idiots!

*And when it all goes shit on race day they blame the weather.*

So a little blunt, and maybe not ALL those situations are true for everyone, but the last one seems to be. Most athletes do find excuses when things don't go well. Sometimes there are valid reasons, but more than likely you didn't pace right, get nutrition right, or come prepared to adapt to different situations that may arise. Sick or injured, bike literally fell apart, valid excuses. EXTREME heat or cold... probably valid. But realistically, those situations don't come up as often as one of the scenarios above. So, as a regular Age Grouper, most likely out there to finish your first (or next) IM event to the best of your capability, what can you do?

First and foremost, get your training in. Be consistent. With families, jobs, etc getting in the way of all of this fun training, the one thing you can do is be consistent with the time you have to put in. Assess your personal situation, decide how many hours a week you truly have to devote, and make sure that you find a plan, or hire a coach, that falls in line realistically with the time you have available to put in. Then, follow it as close as possible. Those missed workouts add up, and can put you behind schedule. When your already strapped to fit in many hours of training a week, your not really going to make up those missed sessions. Everyone will miss a couple of sessions here and there, but don't let it turn into a snowball effect.

Second.... nutrition. One sure way to ruin most anyones day, is to mess up nutrition. This is much more evident in age groupers performances. Those that can put in many many hours of training a week, and whose bodies can go for much longer with less nutrition, or a couple screw ups, might bounce back during the race a bit better. But take a regular age grouper who is probably getting through the race on minimal training in the first place compared to the pros, and then compound the issue with nutrition gone wrong, and you have got yourself one long day, and maybe a DNF. This area is very important.

Third.... be realistic. If you havent swam a 1 hr 2.4 mile swim in practice, or have not biked 20 mph on your 100 mile bike rides, or ever ran a sub 4 open marathon, its probably not going to magically happen in your first Ironman either. Yes, there are the genetically gifted out there, but normally they know that before they ever get to the Ironman and know they can push it. So, when your out on the bike course, excited to be cruising along at 20mph when you normally ride 18 mph on a long ride, expect that you will quickly learn what the Ironman shuffle means early on in that marathon.

Its a long day, and its a long training season. Enjoy the ride, adapt, and learn to love training! :)