We were promised there would be a moment.
We'd be in the middle of a long ride or perhaps whilst completing a key run set, maybe it would happen after battling through a tough patch to "come good" again.
It was different for every one, but the moment would come, the moment when you knew you were going to cross the finish line. When you knew you were going to be an Ironman.
We were told this moment would happen for each of us putting in the hard work on this journey.
Ironman Melbourne is now 44 days away and I'm not sure the promise has been fulfilled yet.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not nervous about finishing the event. I don't worry that I'll find myself lacking somewhere along that 140.6 miles of racing. To date I have remained fairly consistent in my training, Our swim sessions are regularly close to, if not longer than the prescribed 3.8km of the first leg. In the past I have completed a 5km open water swim in under the Ironman's cut-off time.
The thought of a 6 hour bike ride does not scare me as I've proven to myself I am capable of spending that time in the saddle many times before. Several long rides in the various steep grades of Victoria as well as training rides in the garage on the windtrainer have shown this.
I'm not a great runner but I am a fairly efficient runner. I may take a bit longer but, since working on my run technique I've become a lot more comfortable with the final discipline of triathlon.
All of the above tells me I will get to experience the voice of Ironman, Mike Reilly, calling out my name in St Kilda's Catani Gardens. My pause though is, I've been overconfident in my abilities before.
Have I already had my epiphany, is it yet to come?
You may have read a couple of my older posts entitled Tale of Seven (part 1 and part 2) which discuss my strong belief I could tackle Victoria's mountain rides. You would have also noted that, though I technically made it to the summits, I was not exactly triumphant in my efforts.
When I first started training with Tri Alliance it was as a part of their "Try-the-Tri" program. I had signed up for my third season of racing and had taken the leap to the longer "Sprint" distance events. Being eager, I had been one of the first 100 to sign up and was rewarded with the 6 week beginner program. With two seasons already under my belt I figured I'd pretty much rock this triathlon rookie crowd, perhaps extol some of the lessons I'd learned as a graduate from Fun distance racing. I'm not sure if it was whilst floundering in the pool with a band around my ankles; during a run session whilst I lagged behind again; or the skills session where it took me a little longer than most to get the hang of jumping onto a moving bike. Where ever it was, I soon realised I wasn't living up to the image I had fixed in my head.
What I'm getting at is this; I've been certain of an outcome in the past and I've been proven wrong.
How can I know this time is different?
I look to my results and they are promising, granted.
For many years I worked to break the 2 hour barrier for a half marathon - now I do so on a regular basis, in races, on long training runs and even my last half Ironman. My swimming is also improving, I'm yet to take up residence in the advanced lane but the technique is better than ever.
Last weekend I competed in the Sandringham Olympic distance triathlon. My plan was to treat it like a training day and just roll through. My swim was good and the run up the hill to transition also felt pretty strong. On the bike we got smashed with heavy rains with a storm front that literally sat in one place and pummelled the road with water. Two laps on the bike done followed by 2 X 5km loop with Coach Greg sitting at the top of the steep pinch of a climb (bugger). When I got the official results I was surprised to discover I had cut 5 minutes off of last years time. More startling was that I'd clocked in a sub 50min run.
Are these the cues I should be using?
Is a good result in a longer race indicative of what I'm really capable of?
Perhaps the real clue I need is that, for the first time I am questioning my blind faith that I can conquer the challenges I set myself.
We were also told, a long time ago; "You need to respect the distance".
I first heard the phrase as I was preparing for my first 70.3 race. At the time I knew I could do it, a month later as I was forced to walk a considerable part of the run, the phrase returned to me.
Now, as we approach March 24th, it is JC's words I choose to focus on.
I will continue to put in the effort and time and will try to interrogate the basis of my confidence and I will respect the distance because Ironman is a whole different ball park. I will not merely assume I've got it covered.
It deserves the respect.
Maybe my moment has come from committing these thoughts to the virtual page.
We'd be in the middle of a long ride or perhaps whilst completing a key run set, maybe it would happen after battling through a tough patch to "come good" again.
It was different for every one, but the moment would come, the moment when you knew you were going to cross the finish line. When you knew you were going to be an Ironman.
We were told this moment would happen for each of us putting in the hard work on this journey.
Ironman Melbourne is now 44 days away and I'm not sure the promise has been fulfilled yet.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not nervous about finishing the event. I don't worry that I'll find myself lacking somewhere along that 140.6 miles of racing. To date I have remained fairly consistent in my training, Our swim sessions are regularly close to, if not longer than the prescribed 3.8km of the first leg. In the past I have completed a 5km open water swim in under the Ironman's cut-off time.
The thought of a 6 hour bike ride does not scare me as I've proven to myself I am capable of spending that time in the saddle many times before. Several long rides in the various steep grades of Victoria as well as training rides in the garage on the windtrainer have shown this.
I'm not a great runner but I am a fairly efficient runner. I may take a bit longer but, since working on my run technique I've become a lot more comfortable with the final discipline of triathlon.
All of the above tells me I will get to experience the voice of Ironman, Mike Reilly, calling out my name in St Kilda's Catani Gardens. My pause though is, I've been overconfident in my abilities before.
Have I already had my epiphany, is it yet to come?
You may have read a couple of my older posts entitled Tale of Seven (part 1 and part 2) which discuss my strong belief I could tackle Victoria's mountain rides. You would have also noted that, though I technically made it to the summits, I was not exactly triumphant in my efforts.
When I first started training with Tri Alliance it was as a part of their "Try-the-Tri" program. I had signed up for my third season of racing and had taken the leap to the longer "Sprint" distance events. Being eager, I had been one of the first 100 to sign up and was rewarded with the 6 week beginner program. With two seasons already under my belt I figured I'd pretty much rock this triathlon rookie crowd, perhaps extol some of the lessons I'd learned as a graduate from Fun distance racing. I'm not sure if it was whilst floundering in the pool with a band around my ankles; during a run session whilst I lagged behind again; or the skills session where it took me a little longer than most to get the hang of jumping onto a moving bike. Where ever it was, I soon realised I wasn't living up to the image I had fixed in my head.
What I'm getting at is this; I've been certain of an outcome in the past and I've been proven wrong.
How can I know this time is different?
I look to my results and they are promising, granted.
For many years I worked to break the 2 hour barrier for a half marathon - now I do so on a regular basis, in races, on long training runs and even my last half Ironman. My swimming is also improving, I'm yet to take up residence in the advanced lane but the technique is better than ever.
Last weekend I competed in the Sandringham Olympic distance triathlon. My plan was to treat it like a training day and just roll through. My swim was good and the run up the hill to transition also felt pretty strong. On the bike we got smashed with heavy rains with a storm front that literally sat in one place and pummelled the road with water. Two laps on the bike done followed by 2 X 5km loop with Coach Greg sitting at the top of the steep pinch of a climb (bugger). When I got the official results I was surprised to discover I had cut 5 minutes off of last years time. More startling was that I'd clocked in a sub 50min run.
Are these the cues I should be using?
Is a good result in a longer race indicative of what I'm really capable of?
Perhaps the real clue I need is that, for the first time I am questioning my blind faith that I can conquer the challenges I set myself.
We were also told, a long time ago; "You need to respect the distance".
I first heard the phrase as I was preparing for my first 70.3 race. At the time I knew I could do it, a month later as I was forced to walk a considerable part of the run, the phrase returned to me.
Now, as we approach March 24th, it is JC's words I choose to focus on.
I will continue to put in the effort and time and will try to interrogate the basis of my confidence and I will respect the distance because Ironman is a whole different ball park. I will not merely assume I've got it covered.
It deserves the respect.
Maybe my moment has come from committing these thoughts to the virtual page.
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