Wednesday, April 21, 2010

140.6

i am starting a list. 140.6 things to know about training for your first ironman. i should have asked for this list from someone BEFORE signing up for ironman... but live and learn! it is not complete today but i still have 67 more days to figure it out.

1. training for ironman creates a lot of laundry. mostly lycra/spandex.
2. there will be no more time to do laundry. or any regular chores for that matter.
3.training for ironman requires multiple granny naps throughout the week.
4. granny naps require time. you should factor that into your schedule.
5. you will be hungry. all of the time.
6. being hungry means you need to buy more food for the week.
7. long bike rides will take half or all of your day on the weekend.
8. waking up at 5am will be required 7x per week if you work a full time job.
9. tan lines will mostly result in a 'farmers tan' or 'raccoon eyes'
10. speed becomes irrelevant when you think about how long you have been running.
11. going into stores in your bike kit no longer phases you.
12. all of your 'free time' will be spent either swimming, biking or running
12.5 or sleeping and eating
13. be prepared to explain and re-explain to people what ironman means
14. be prepared to explain why you would choose to sign up for such a thing
15. enjoy the feeling of accomplishment when you finish a long workout
16. load the ipod shuffle ahead of time before your workout.
17. make sure the garmin is charged before your workout.
18. allow time in your schedule to remember to do little tasks of charging and organizing watches, phones, ipods, etc.
19. finding clean socks may be a challenge.
20. don't blame the dog when she has the socks- you've been gone all morning on your bike
21. even though you are tired you still need to be nice
22. do not hesitate to have a cup of coffee mid-day
23. enjoy the company when you have it but realize ironman must be done on your own
24. enjoy the solitude of a solo workout
25. be grateful that you are capable of doing such an event.
26. be aware that your facebook status may result in all 'training/workout' posts
27. you will most likely blog about your experience so others can read it with or without actually having to do it
28. the guys at the bike shop are your new best friends
29. attitude determines how successful you will be at completing an ironman
30. hard work is the only way to prepare for race day

to be continued...

to your health,
C

4 comments:

Chloe said...

Love it. I am going through all of those right now :) Thanks for being brutally honest!

Looking forward to your next addition to you list!

Tawnee Prazak, M.S., CSCS said...

this just reminded me to plug in my garmin :)

Caroline said...

Love it...and all SO SO true! We'll have plenty of time to come up with additional items for your list on Sat ;)

X-Country2 said...

Great list. I shall keep this for my IM day someday. :o)