Chapter 42: Do It for You, Not for Them (Triathlon, Yes -- Life, No)
Weekly training blog, sorry for the late edition! Wedding weekend for James and Jen, and Labor Day laboring. Finished up week one of my big mileage training block. I've been averaging around 10 hours of workout activities a week for the last 2-1/2 months and this is where I'm going to ramp it up. I definitely felt the extra few hours, especially on the long bike ride on Saturday. And several times this past week, I just didn't want to do the workout, but did it anyway because I know that it will get me where I want to be in 9 weeks. Here we go...
Weekly Stats:
- Swim (3x)
- 3.42 miles (6,025 yards)
- 2:00:31
- Bike (3x)
- 104.69 miles
- 6:07:12
- Run (3x)
- 21.69 miles
- 3:35:04
- Yoga (3x)
- 1:26:31
- TOTALS:
- 12 Activities
- 129.81 miles
- 13:09:18
Training Notes:
Early mornings, long time in the bike saddle, and just being plain tired put a stamp on this week. Longest swim in while at 3,000 yards on Wednesday. This week it bumps up to 3,500 yards. My Ironman swim will be just over 4,200 yards, and I'll be working my way up to that distance. In Florida I'll make 2 loops around the pier. I'm planning on making a lap around the pool at the halfway mark when I get there in the training so I can practice like I play.
Several bike rides this week put me at my biggest week or riding so far. On Saturday I was able to watch the sunrise on my way to Louisburg, 30+ miles distant from home. The whole night before I was dreading the ride. Not for the bike ride part, but just the fact that 3-1/2 hours seemed so long. And rightly so. This was my longest ride by distance ever for me. I have been on the bike for 4 more minutes during 70.3 Redman in 2017. But I don't talk about that race. Wasn't pretty. This coming week I'll surpass that with a 4-hour ride after the Old Settlers' parade. I actually felt great though and felt I could have kept going if I had to; I didn't push too hard, and averaged 18.5 MPH for the 65+ miles I put on Bandit. I'll work my way up to 6 hours in October. That will be a long ride. I bought a small selfie stick so I could get some better pics or videos on my rides, so I did have a couple of filming stops during the 210 minutes.
After the bike on Saturday, I helped James and Jen set up for their wedding on Sunday. Normally I would have put in at least a mile of run off-the-bike. But I definitely got my cardio in moving chairs and tables and helping build their arch. On wedding Sunday, I still made sure I did my long Zone 2 run, even though I was tired and legs were still a little shot from the day before. Again, just didn't feel like it but knew I don't have the option to not don the important sessions. Biggest downer on the run was my phone dying with about 35 minutes to go out of 110. Couldn't figure out why my phone didn't charge (it was low the day before as well), and then realized I had put a magnetic ring in the case for the selfie stick. And I guess that hinders the charger from working right. First world problems trying to be an influencer! (I have no thought that I actually have THAT much pull on influencing others through social media, but it's more of a visual journaling for me as I can look back at my photos and videos later on).
I didn't do any strength training this week. I didn't want to ruin my legs with the big bump in mileage and time, but I did get in some yoga sessions. Going forward, I'm not 100% sure how much benefit I get from a 20 minute leg workout and a 20-minute arms/shoulders workout each week. I feel I get just as much from the yoga sessions with the stretching and movement along with the swimming for my arms and shoulders and runs and bikes for the legs.
Daily Life:
Yes, I like to talk. Anyone who hangs out with me knows that. I often wish I could keep quiet more, but that's not my personality. But one thing I really try to do is not compare myself to others. I will talk about triathlon and my Ironman journey all day long for anyone who dares ask. And I also try to be humble about what I'm doing. I'm not the only one doing long rides, long runs, or getting up at 4:15AM regularly.
What I have to continuously remind myself of is that I am doing this Ironman journey for me and not for others. I don't do this blog for others specifically. I started it so friends and family could follow along, but as I have gotten deeper into the journey, it's turned more into doing it for me. It has to be that way in triathlon. No one else can pull against the water, pedal the bike, or slog out a long run. And in the end, when I'm hurting and struggling to hit that finish line (it'll be hard, but I also know I'll get there!), it will be all me physically. However, knowing I have people supporting me will assist me getting to that archway with my name and time listed.
It's OK to be proud of who I am and what I do and can do, especially on this Ironman adventure. But Paul tells us in Philippians to think of others better than yourself. Don't try to impress others. So how can I be proud of what I'm doing and stay humble? He goes on to say to not only look out for my own interests but take an interest in others. Full transparency, I have to consciously think about doing this when I am in Ironman training mode. This is taking up most of my bandwidth most of the time, but I really am trying to prioritize others during this time. I plan my workout schedule around family and friends and do my best on not quitting on spending time with others. And I like it that way. Such a two-way street with doing things for me and doing this for others. It will always be an on-going challenge to do them at the same time.
Final Thoughts:
As always, thanks for following along. I really do appreciate everyone who takes an interest in this process. But remind me to stop talking if I keep rambling!! Until next week,
Show Up, Keep Fit, Stay THE Course,
and Keep Moving Forward
CPC
9-2-25
Olathe, KS
85,713 minutes until Ironman Florida
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