Be the Next Ironman Champion

So you want to win Kona? Well I’m going to tell you how.

But wait a second why would I tell you and not just keep this secret to myself? And how the heck did I find out “what it takes” (not to be confused with the movie created a few years ago showcasing Peter Reid and company).

I had a revelation today. Actually it was yesterday but today it was too hot to do anything so I decided to write about it now. My reasoning came from two different sources. The first was a program sent around by XCzone which is a XC-ski group here in Ottawa. If you have the time go through it. It’s got some really great training tips for snowshoeing, running and of course skiing. My second source came from Alan Couzens blog with his most recent post “What it takes“.

How did these two completely different websites give the answer to unlocking the Kona secret? Read on.

Looking at the XCzone program there are different levels, advanced, intermediate and novice. Well when it comes to anything training I just look at the advanced (doesn’t everybody?). My first thought was man, this is actually hard! Most plans I see are very basic with 1, maybe 2 workouts per day. If you look there is actually 3 things done daily! I know “stretching” doesn’t seem like a workout but it truly is if you want to take your recovery seriously. You could substitute stretching for passive recovery like a massage or an easy pool swim. Bottom line is that to be an advanced endurance athlete, 3 workouts a day is where you need to be to be out in front. Recovery being the KEYYYYY third ingredient.

Now my logic was confirmed with Alan Couzens blog with his most recent post “What it takes“. Now if you’ve read this far you should read his post so you know what the heck I’m talking about.

In his post he talks about what it takes to get to the top. He doesn’t go as far as me to say what it takes to be the next champion but thats probably because I’m just young and naive to know any better. From his conclusions which basically says to be a successful Ironman athlete (AG winner/Pro) you need a HUGE foundation to further your development. No sh%$ eh? But is that all?

Well let’s look at it this way. Take Jonny. Jonny was put in swim lessons when he was 4. He swam 5 times a week until he was 10. At 10 he kept swimming but also took up soccer and hockey. Now Jonny is practicing twice a day and playing games on the weekend. Little does he know that he is helping his body learn how to deal with athletic stresses. Not only that but doing it twice a day! Junior high comes and Jonny makes the swim team and now swims twice a day but still wants to play other sports on the side. Poor parents eh? High school roles around and Jonny keeps progressing as an athlete. He is now working out to help progress his muscle fitness. Jonny is now very disciplined; working out 3 times a day and still keeping it fun!

Ok so maybe Jonny has zero ambition to be an IMan champion. Or maybe Jonny get’s a girl knocked up in grade 12 and is now manager at McDonalds (not that there is anything wrong with that!). The point is he has built an enormous foundation to work from. Maybe he didn’t know it at the time but he is turning his body into a natural endurance machine.

So where does that leave you?

Maybe you picked up the sport of triathlon with huge ambitions of rocking Kona. Well I got news for you, your going to have a long wait till you get to the top.

Now I truly believe that nothing is impossible. Lance Armstrong proved at 37 he can still kick some rump racing the Tour so age isn’t necessarily a factor. However if you want to win your going to have to be one dedicated, motivated (and lucky) SOB.

Where do you start? Well don’t go out tomorrow and do 3 runs, things have to be progressive. My first piece of advice would be look into the crystal ball, what do you see in 1-5 years? Do you still see your self climbing the Ironman ladder or do you see yourself doing other things? If you think 5 years is along time than this might be the wrong game for you. Think back to Jonny, he has been training since he was 4 years old! Thats a 15 year head start (if your 19).

Again I stress that nothing is impossible. So don’t fret if you weren’t like Jonny and didn’t swim (or bike and run). What you will need is someone to help you. The less background you have with a sport the more coaching your going to need. So this would be my first piece of advice, get help. Ideally you’d find someone who knows the sport of triathlon but coming from experience this isn’t always the case. Seek out an advisor for swimming and one for biking and one for running. Or if your truly serious about this career path, move. Move to Boulder or San Diego.

Ok so I have you going down the right path but where does the road go? Well the road is very long. Some of it is nice 8 lane freeway other parts no bigger than a single lane filled with pot holes. The nicely paved stuff comes in the beginning where everything seems to come easy as you progress further and further into the sport. For most athletes huge gains can be expected in the first two years (the younger you are the better). Then the road starts becoming more narrow. This is where a lot of athletes that I’ve seen fall out or become part timers. There use to winning on single workouts a day but aren’t ready to jump to 2 a days. The ones that do upgrade will progress further being able to take on more mileage and higher stresses.

I’m not going to paint the whole picture but can you see where I’m going? The 2 a day athlete then becomes the 3 a day athlete and maybe a fourth (the next dimension!). Like the example of Jonny, they progress further because of the stresses they put on their bodies. My favorite analogy is going two steps forward and 1 back. Breaking the muscle down, letting it heal and then breaking it down. It’s keeping this progression going that is what I think is the fun part.

Is that really it?  Get to three workouts a day and boom I’m an Ironman?  Yeah!  I mean you just have to eat right, train right, keep the injuries low and have a  lot of luck on race day.  Of course all these other things are just minor.  And by minor I mean the key ingredients for you to be at the top.

So if you read this far chances are you either know me (thanks Ma) or you thought I was offering some special potion or going to tell you some secret. Well sorry folks, I’m going to tell you it takes a lot of work. Don’t hate people like Jonny who have a head start. Just find out how Jonny got to where he is and try to emulate that. Hopefully he wrote a book!

****Take this post for what its worth. These thoughts are based on my daydreams and expressed only because I have the time while I’m resting. What would happen if I rested all the time? Do you think I could solve more meaningful problems?

Probably not.