Ironman Training & Inspiration for the Everyday Man (or Woman)

1) Hawaii-(5 times, so far) this is the granddaddy of the all. It is quite the experience for an everyday athlete to be able to compete on a World Stage in a World championship. Click here for details of the next event in Kona - Oct 13th, 2007

2) 3-Way Tie - IM Canada(4 times), IM USA in Lake Placid (2 times) and IM Roth Germany (5 times) (now in Frankfurt)- all of these communities bring so much love and support for EVERYone.....this makes it memorable, special, and leaves a special stamp on the heart.

3) IM New Zealand - fabulous journey to the opposite side of the world.

There are 3 components:

1)Nutrition
a. Daily - simple rule - avoid sugar, and saturated and trans fats as much as possible. By default that leaves lots of lean meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, and grains. Drink plenty of water.
b. Race day- I keep this very simple. What ever the sports drink is on the course plus a gel every 30 mins or so. Practice, practice, practice this on the long runs every week.

2)Keep a well balanced life. Things need to be going well with family, work & your personal life in order to be able to succeed. Get enough sleep.

3)The Training. My program is very simple, is designed to fit into real life and will help you finish, without getting injured. Note, very fast times can also be run on this schedule. So, here it goes:

a. Frequency - Run 3 or 4 days (can do more if the time is available, and you are healthy and injury free) a week building up to a 20 mi per week base to start the program. Four days a week will get you through the marathon, but you can do more and all extras should be "maintenance" which is just feel good running. All runs except the long run below can be done with 45 min avg time (30 min to 1 hr max).

b. Intensity - Do one long run, one easy run, one intense run, and one speed run per week. The long run is outlined below. The intense run is warming up and cooling down with 10-15 minutes easy running w/15- 40 mins in between at faster than marathon pace (conversation would be a bit labored). The speed work can be done on a track, but really doesn't need to be. I personally do mine on the roads, sometimes just racing between garbage cans at the curb on trash day - the key is to keep it fun. I do my speed periods from any where from 90 seconds to 4 mins, with an easy jog between that is ½ the time period. So, for 4 min. speed intervals I do 2 mins easy jogging between. All other runs during the week are maintenance, which is just going out and enjoying the run.

c. Endurance - First, count backwards from race day doing a long run of 3 hrs 3 weeks out from the marathon. Anything longer than 3 hrs has too high a risk of injury and is not worth it. Count backwards from this date, reducing the long run 15 mins every other week until you get back to 1 hr. On the off week do 10 miles as the long run, as long as it is not longer than the time progression to minimize the risk of injury. Do this run on whatever day works for you.

Stay positive!

Bicycle riders tend to incur severe injuries and high medical expenses when involved in an accident with a motor vehicle. Have you considered how you will pay your medical expenses if you are injured in a bike accident? Even with the best health insurance, there is usually a deductible and/or a co-payment that you will be responsible for.

Did you know that your auto insurance may provide additional coverage? All automobile policies issued in NC provide coverage not only for the named insured, but also all family members living in the same household. Accordingly, almost all bicycle riders will have access to automobile insurance coverage.

The first type of auto insurance that may provide coverage for a bicyclist is medical payments coverage. Med pay, as it is called, is optional coverage in NC that can be purchased in conjunction with your automobile insurance. This coverage means your insurance company will reimburse you, or any family member, for any injury sustained if you are hit by a motor vehicle regardless of who was at fault. Medical payments coverage is generally issued in amounts of $1,000, $2,000 or $5,000. This insurance is fairly inexpensive, but you have to ask for it.

It is also important as bicyclists to have uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage to protect you in the event of an accident. Uninsured and underinsured coverage is mandatory in conjunction with your liability coverage, unless you sign a waiver.

In NC, the minimum amount of insurance coverage required is $30,000. Due to the cost of medical services and the likelihood that severe injuries occur in a bicycle accident, this may not cover all of the medical expenses and other damages incurred. Accordingly, it is our opinion that underinsured coverage is crucial coverage for bicyclists. Underinsured coverage can now be purchased in excess of your primary liability coverage and in amounts up to $1,000,000. Like medical payments coverage, this insurance is relatively inexpensive.

And what about your bike? Like many cyclists, you're often more concerned about your bike than yourself. Fortunately, your automobile insurance and homeowner's insurance may protect your bike against theft & vandalism as well.

Hopefully, you will never need to use this coverage or advice, but like your spare tire, you will be thankful you have it if the occasion does arise. For more information visit Lewis & Daggett.

Ever since I started participating in triathlons in 1981 I wanted to do an Ironman. Now 140 triathlon races later, including 15 Ironman finishes, I believe I am getting closer to the reason "why?" Of course, at first there was the typical "why do you climb a mountain....because it is there" attitude. Or, "Let's just see how tough I really am......" However once we allow ourselves to move beyond that primal thinking deeper and more fulfilling exploration takes place.

Over the years I have evolved to now believe that there are at least 3 main reasons for such events/participation. These include: 1)displays of unconditional love that are many times missing (or ignored) from our modern world, 2)personal internal exploration into areas not typically revealed or evaluated in everyday life, and 3)the spiritual pureness and simplicity of the wonders of nature.

Having just returned from Ironman Canada, my best memory is not a successful completion of the course, but rather the very striking displays of unconditional love that escorted us all through the day. Although the race is on Sunday, I always "start" on Saturday evening by finding a local church. The Saturday evening Mass at Penticton's Catholic Church filled the bill. Love to all visitors, mostly triathletes, radiated throughout the service, including the Priest's message which used the Ironman event as metaphor for community, support, & love.

The small town of Penticton, BC was celebrating its 20th anniversary of staging this Ironman event, the 2nd oldest and largest on the world Ironman circuit. Each year more than 4000 volunteers turn out, many of whom have volunteered for a large number of those 20 yrs. Why? Sure they get a T-shirt and have some fun, but for 20 years! My only explanation is love for fellow human beings and that the "Ironman" is simply an organized avenue of expression. As the Priest asked, "What would the competitors do without volunteers, and what would the volunteers do without competitors?" This is "community," "support," & "unconditional love" exchanged between strangers who have never met and may never see one another again. This display gives a renewed confidence in the goodness of humankind, and the most awesome power of love. What a joy and gift this is to experience!

Most of us have fears that keep us from fully exploring our inner selves. We usually do not fear our limitations - those are known. Rather we fear exploring our furthest abilities - those are unknown.

When we take ourselves to our limits, whether it be academics, spirituality, social, parental, & spousal relationships or in athletics, we are at the same time exposing ourselves to failure, and yet we don't feel "complete" until we have explored that unknown area. When we do explore, we develop a peace or calmness that comes from truly knowing who we are and what we are capable of achieving. When we are tired, hot, hungry, thirsty, scared & sore and the devil taps us on the shoulder to say it is ok to stop/walk/quit, what do we do and how do we respond? We can either give in and fail to discover our true power, or we can look fear right in the eye, put one foot in front of the other, and do what is right, good & tough. When we persevere we find part of ourselves and our true character along the way.

Perhaps the words from Nelson Mandela's 1994 inaugural speech describe the power we possess but many times are afraid to obtain: "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure...There's nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." When we conquer our fears we not only become what we can become, we also give others permission to become what they can become. It's magical!

Ironman Canada is such a terrific event partly because Penticton is such a wonderful natural setting. I've already boasted about the volunteers. There are also spectators cheering until midnight lining the streets all over the course. In addition there is magnificent scenery. This part of Canada, which includes the only Canadian desert, is really quite different from what many might expect. The swim starts the day at dawn at the beach on Lake Okanagan with crystal clear and refreshingly cool water. The bike course passes beautiful vineyards, many wineries & orchards on the way and through the spectacular mountains. The mountains, including a 7 mi climb up Richter Pass, include colorful rock walls, valleys & a canyon. Whenever you put wonderful, kind, loving people amidst the backdrop of the mountains and lake, you are just about as close to heaven as you can get. The experience becomes spiritual!

What a day! We get to do three of our favorite things - swim, bike, and run - all day (!) with people handing us food and drink. Along the way we get to really experience unconditional love, explore our inner selves, and experience the wonders of nature. Not a bad way to spend a day!