Ironman Weeks 15/16/17 of 20 Complete

Pats on the back are now being accepted that I made it over the peak of my training. The last three weeks were brutal on my body, mind and confidence, yet somehow I have emerged on the other side of hell month and now begin the descent toward the last handful of days leading up to Ironman Louisville. Up to this past month, training for an Ironman was not much different than training for shorter distance races in terms of hours, intensity, nutrition and impact on my sanity. This past month made me truly understand what I stepped in line for.

Remember the first time you got on a roller coaster as a little kid; the one that went upside down, with the loop? From outside the fence it looked fascinating. Everyone looked like they were having the time of their lives. Screams of joy rang out as riders crested the inital drop and the inital excitement turned to a moment of fear. But as you shimmied up to measure yourself against the 48″ line and realized that this year, you could actually get on and that euphoric feeling of excitement turned into a brief moment of terror as you stood there realizing you have no idea what youve just gotten yourself into. Well, if that painted a clear enough picture then welcome to 2.5 weeks away from your first Ironman.

I had a few scares with equipment malfunctions, my left knee decided it didn’t like riding more than 2 hours without a break, my butt doesn’t like riding more than 45 minutes without a break, and throw in a good old fashioned Kentucky heatwave just to make things interesting. All things considered, I found myself at times during my 6 hour rides just shaking my head and laughing at what I was doing, getting up at 6AM on a Saturday, riding my bike 112 miles … and then running afterwards!? I had a few 2.5 to 3 hour runs which forced me to find some new routes around the city and amazed me how much of it you could cover on foot during that time.

Sleep, stretching, core work have all gone out the window … little or no time to spend with friends or family, missing parties, concerts. Am I really missing out on something though? I feel a bit like I am, but at the same time this has been an amazing experience for me to push the boundaries of what I thought I was made of. Remember that not too long ago I smoked a pack a day, weighed an M&M shy of 230lbs and spent most days in front of a computer and most nights out at a bar. Now down to a svelte 170, not able to remember the last beer I had, a resting heart rate in the low 40s, I find myself thinking 18 mile runs arent that big of a deal. I wouldnt trade anything Ive gone through over the past two years. Sure Ive missed out on alot of what was going on in the world around me, but maybe thats unfair to say though. Ive made a fistful of new friends, traveled all across the country, raised money for blood cancer research, and taught myself enough about nutrition and conditioning that I could probably teach a night class.

All of the deposits have been made … two and a half weeks from today, theres going to be a run on the bank. Mark your calendars … 8/31 7PM, watch me become an Ironman.