I’m dialled in on Ironman training right now.
And although there’s a lot going on with the new role, the community, life and everything in-between, my days have been increasingly consumed by the preparation for the big day ahead.
I’m in the depths of the tunnel right now, putting in the final preparations with the light of race day shining ahead of me, getting closer each day. It’s been a true test of patience. But, having overcome the obstacles, I now feel more ready than ever to get this 2 year goal ticked off.
How’s it all REALLY going?
The last 4 weeks have been a real test. It’s felt like the universe has been throwing me one last set of challenges before I’m allowed to realise the goal of the crossing the Ironman UK finish line in 37 days time.
The first of which has been the discovery of a fracture in my bike frame which could collapse me into the road at any moment. I’d noticed a slight crack and thought nothing of it. But, when I visited a bike shop they firmly recommended that I get it checked out. I reluctantly took their advice and went to a carbon bike repair workshop where they told me it would cost over £500 to fix and they couldn’t offer their usual 1 year warranty on it. In fact, they advised me to just buy a whole new frame instead… easily another £1k.
So, I scrolled the Facebook marketplace for bikes, dropped my jaw at their prices and then got thinking. After a phone call to my housemate and my mum to brainstorm solutions we came up with the (now somewhat obvious) decision to call the original manufacturer and see if I could get it fixed under warranty. After explaining the situation on the phone while travelling back home from the repair workshop, the manufacturers were more than happy to help. Shock. Relief. “Everything’s going to be okay” I thought. But, they could only pick it up on Saturday, the day I was flying out to Mallorca… A flurry of texts later and one of my friends volunteered to have the bike picked up from theirs in East London. I cycled over, dropped it off and smiled to myself that I’d got it sorted before the holiday so the bike would be back in my hands before Ride London on 29th May.
Lone behold that would be a close shave. In what I thought was ample time to have the bike fixed the manufacturer cut it tight, delivering it back to me only days before the 100 mile race. I’d called them every few days to reiterate the urgency. And I’m glad I did. But, as the sun came out in London it was having the patience to suck it up and go out training on the slower (almost dangerous) second bike that I’d kept lying around that mattered the most. Especially as I picked up an injury in the pool…
Now without a bike to do sessions on, I decided to head back to the gym to use their indoor trainer. In what must look like madness to everyone else having a chilled weightlifting morning, the lack of a fan combined by a tough workout meant that I was drenched in sweat by the end of the 90 minutes. There was even a river taking shape beneath my feet. As much this wasn’t my greatest look, I had bigger problems ahead.
As you may or may not know nutrition is a vital part of any training regime. So much so that they call it the 4th discipline of triathlon (after swimming, cycling & running). And it was the part I’d managed to neglect after one of those sweaty workouts. Instead of downing electrolyte drinks, salt tablets and bags of crisps I thought little about the water my body had just lost. Which only came back to bite me the following morning as I turned up for an all-out 7 x 300m swim session and cramped my calf pushing off the wall on a turn. The pain shot through my leg as the calf kept trying to fire and I flailed in the middle of the pool. After a few seconds, I regained my posture and managed to wave off the lifeguard who had been preparing to spring into action. It wasn’t my finest hour, that’s for sure.
What followed was a week of no running, protecting myself from further injury and clocking up even more miles on the not-so-great bike. It felt like a perfect storm of problems outside my control. But, after a healthy dose of patience I managed to recover well and was back to toe the start line for the Night of the 10k PBs, a legendary race in the running scene. 25 laps of the track, support from lane 3 and music blasting all day long, it’s called the Glastonbury of running. And what an event it turned out to be. I didn’t set anything close to a PB, but it didn’t matter. Seeing the top guys run 27:12 was an incredible sight to behold.
Amidst the challenges on the sporting front, there were also several positives too. In particular, I managed to pack in a week out in Mallorca with the triathlon club. There were 68 of us triathletes in one hotel… and what could possibly go wrong with that? Not a lot it turns out. Just a wholesome trip with 23 hours of exercise, 476km of cycling and more calories than I can count from the all-you-can-eat breakfast and dinner buffets. I even managed to beat my climb times from last year and revisit the exact spot where I cycled off a cliff, reminiscing on how far I’d come in the last 12 months. It was a confidence boosting return that brought me back to the UK with new friends, fitness and confidence for the just over 5 weeks ahead.
Now, having braced the last 4 weeks, with an injury in the past, the bike back in my hands and the fitness still ticking over, I’m excited to finally get this 2 year goal done. It’s consumed my mornings, evenings and weekends for longer than I can remember. And although I wouldn’t change one bit of it I’m definitely looking forward to finally cashing in on the fitness. So, as the rest of life continues to move forward in the background, my focus remains on the task ahead. They say the hard part of training for an Ironman is getting to the start line in good form and without injuries. The rest is easy. Apparently…
Only 37 days until I find out.
This Month’s Lesson: Trust the process and be patient. Do not panic when faced with challenges outside your control. Smile at their adversity, avoid rushing the recovery and come back stronger.
What’s Coming Up Next?
5 Weeks Until Ironman UK
I’m the closest to race day I’ve ever been and it’s now time to get dialled in. Between now and then there are 3 races in the next 3 weekends to push the fitness to the next level. The main goal though will be to avoid any injuries.
Almost Halfway to 30
It’s 28 days until my birthday. Which means the next diary lands bang on the big day, which I’m sure I’ll use to reflect on making it halfway through my 20s and what it means for my perspective on career, life and the future.
Building a No-Code MVP
I’ve been learning no-code through 100DaysofNoCode this last month and it will start all coming together very soon. I’m planning to build out a prototype for a completely unrelated idea I’ve had for a while. More on this next time.
Next Steps for the Community
The Camping Committee and I have also been busy planning in the background for Mastery In Your 20s first weekend trip away. We’ve got 9 of us signed up for an exciting trip to South Downs to slow-down for a weekend.
A Final Note
Hopefully the theme of this post rings truer than ever. For it’s a reminder to myself to zoom out when things take a turn for the worse. To breathe. To accept the new reality. And then change perspective from one of “Why Me? What could I have done differently?” to “Okay. What steps do I take now?”.
Thank you for joining me on the journey. It means a lot.
Goodluck Charlie!