This
Ironman training is tough! Peter has me clicking
on all cylinders and my training is progressing
rapidly. I think the hardest part of Ironman
training is juggling a full work and family
schedule with training. You find yourself trying
to balance work, family, and training all at the
same time. In order to accomplish my training
plan I have decided to knock out at least one
work out between 5 - 7 am. On days that I have
more than one training event I reserve my lunch
hour for logging additional miles. Brick
training simply means an earlier start to my
day.
I have
realized that to be a successful Ironman
triathlete I have to maintain focus and
attention on the important things in life like
family and work. My family has been great
supporting me as I follow Peter's training plan
for IM Arizona. My 4-5 hour Swami's bike ride
consumes a large chunk of my day.
Luckily,
I have an understanding wife who is a
triathlete. This Sunday was a perfect example.
It takes a special woman to get out and hit the
road for a 13 mile run before breakfast! We
followed up the run with a ninety minute family
bike ride.
My
thirteen year old son is just starting to get
into cycling. We have been slowly introducing
him to running, swimming, and biking. We
recently gave him my wife's old road bike. My
wife borrowed my son a pair of her biking shorts
for the ride and my son found out that wearing a
pair of underwear under your biking shorts isn't
a good idea. The important take away for me was
the fact that I have my family involved in my
Ironman goal and they are supporting my dream to
become an Ironman.
Ironman
training is time consuming and requires the
aspiring athlete to set aside countless hours of
precious family time to achieve the dream. This
week I learned that becoming an Ironman is
really a "team"
effort
requiring an understanding and dedicated family
to support you. If any future Ironman
triathletes are reading this I suggest that you
sit down with your family and figure out a way
to get them involved in your training. Getting
the whole family involved in your training
schedule will pay big dividends and make the
goal of becoming an Ironman a shared family
experience.
