I have to get this post out there following a conversation I had with Dan the other night. It was the night I got back from the Andover Triathlon and we had decided to have a drink for the first time in ages. The night posed a lot of questions, some of which I would love to come back and answer in July 2014 after my Ironman.
When I first started competing in triathlons three years ago I did it as something else to try and hope I was good at as I wasn't going to win any enjoyment from merely running events. However, I never expected it to become part of my life to the extent it has. I would never have thought that the months April-September would have to be religiously planned around what triathlons I would be doing on what weekends. However, throughout the three years, this year has been the most important. I have committed to it mentally, physically and financially. Moreover, I am starting to understand the sport in greater detail and with that understanding becomes more love for it. I enjoy analysing mine and others time splits, finding out where the minor improvements can be made. Where I can make up precious seconds that can mean the difference of 50th or 80th place.
The one question that started off an array of others was 'what next?'. What do I do after I am an Ironman? People have asked me this before. I know that doing the even longer distances such as the double or ultra-Ironman would not be something I would consider so I selfishly assumed I would just do another Ironman and constantly chase a better time. Constantly wanting to do one in another more desirable or tougher location around the world. However, would I have the time to keep this routine up forever? How much stress and fatigue can one body go through with a full time job as well? As Dan said 'It is not like an Ironman is good for your body' and he is right. The amount of physical and mental impact you are putting your body through during the event is not healthy. Matt Fitzgerald, sport nutritionist, coach and author, writes "the changes the body undergoes in 12 hours of extreme exertion are similar to some of those that occur in the body over the course of two decades of non-exertion, as a result of normal aging". The body also burns around 10,000 calories throughout the event which is impossible to make up through water, gels and bananas alone no matter how often you take on fuel throughout the race. Would it really be sustainable and healthy to continue to put my body through this pressure and fatigue?
Moreover, would I need to up my training hours per week in order to continue? Are the hours I am able to sensibly commit to too little to compete in Ironman for a long period of time and see improvements? Are my training plans suitable to only improving sprint and olympic distance triathlons as opposed to making gains on my eventual Ironman time? At the moment this appears so, as my training schedule at the moment is making huge personal bests in my previous small distance triathlons. This could be due to getting it wrong before and not having a focussed training plan, but it does pose the question as to whether I would be doing enough to have an impact on an Ironman time. Would getting 30minutes faster on the bike leg really be as euphoric as the first time of becoming an Ironman? Does completing another mean the same again? Will it ever feel as good as crossing that line for the first time?
Furthermore, does Dan really want to have my event being the centre of our holidays because we cannot afford to have two holidays abroad every year? Is that asking too much of him? Is that fair on Dan? Probably not. Surely Dan should be able to get a say where we decide to go on holiday as opposed to where the most appropriate Ironman is. Surely I am asking enough now by hardly being with him on the majority of nights yet him still being the friendly and reassuring face I need when I do return?
Ironman is never far away from my thoughts and I would be suprised if I go a day where I don't have a conversation about it. Will that get dull to listen to and boring to try and retain interest? Of course it will! This is my sporting event and goal. I could talk about Ironman and triathlon to anyone who cares to listen until I'm blue in the face but that doesn't mean it is fair or interesting to hear about everyday!
BUT can I just end it all in June 2014? Can I say goodbye to the journey I have taken? Can I stop being an Ironman? If the elation is anything like I imagine when crossing that finish line will I just be able to stop and draw a line under my achievement and move on? Will I be able to return home and go back to a minimal amount of training in comparison and be happy with that?
Dan's suggestion is that I would have to find a new hobby, a new event, a new challenge. We could possibly find one that we can do together. However, most importantly, would I be able to drop triathlon altogether? I think I am able to answer this one now. No. I am in too deep now, triathlon has me gripped. Whether I do other sporting events on top is another matter. Whether I continue long distance triathlons after June 2014 I am unable to answer until then. All I know is that me and triathlon are not going anywhere. Sorry Dan, its me and the triathlon, I am hooked.
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