Check in: IM Chattanooga training

This week starts the 3rd week of training for Ironman Chattanooga. Life has been too busy to document everything thus far. I have been slowly building my base over the last few months and the IM training plan started over Memorial Day weekend.

I want to share the highs and lows of training. I don't want folks to see that I crossed the finish line and not know the challenging moments that I had in preparation for this event. Below is an email interchange that I had with my Coach on Saturday. Since this post, I ran 9.75 (I got lost due to being a wanderer, ran out of time and made my way back 5.25 miles short) and I have cycled nearly 3 hours. I'm committed to doing my best to get the trainings in. Stay tuned....

Hey Coach,

 

Congrats on finishing Comrades last weekend!! I hope that you're able to run the Ethiopia marathon this weekend.

 

My first two weeks of Ironman training have been tough. With the move of my Mom and Sister to the area and getting them settled in, work obligations, personal stuff and being completely exhausted, it's been really tough to get my training in. I had a little breakdown yesterday morning, because I overslept but I wanted to get a bike ride in. I just started to wonder:  Can I even do this? Did I bite off more than I can chew? Do I have enough time to properly prepare??  Do I have a solid enough base? .... I have a little note on my mirror that reads "How bad do you want it?" I asked and  answered that question with: "I want it. I want it bad". This is something that I want to do for ME . I don't want to continue giving all of my time and energy to my job and to my family and have nothing left for me. This IM is for me.

 

So, I brushed away tears, looked at the calendar and I counted the weeks. I have 16 weeks to get ready for Ironman Chattanooga. I'm going to jump in where I need to be. Today I'm going to run the 15 miles. I know that I can do that. I'm headed to California now. I rented a bike and I will ride my two hours tomorrow. I also packed my swim gear. I plan to run twice, swim twice & cycle twice while here. I just plan on getting on board.

 

I just wanted to share with you the mental challenges that I've faced this week. I know it won't be the last time that I have some sort of breakdown while training for this Ironman. I'm in. I'm committed. I will do this. I know you help me. I can do this.

 

Rebecca

Rebecca,

I'm glad you shared. You'll have a few more moments like this and the answer will  always be, "YES,  I want this!"  In the end, Tri training should be a stress reliever, not a stress inducer. The workouts are an opportunity for you to dump all of the frustrations of the day.

 

Just keep doing what you can on the schedule. I've yet to get everything done on my training schedule and I've completed 12 Ironman competitions. Just keep moving towards the mark. We will always keep an eye on the big picture to make sure we are within reach of the final goal.

 

Family and work are important. But like you said, you've got to take care of yourself first. This race is all about you. Don't let anyone distract you, including yourself.

 

Get some rest and hit it again tomorrow.

 

Coach