Can I do it?

‘Can I do it?’

Is this goal really possible?

To complete an Ironman in 7 months?

This seemed like a crazy goal from the beginning.

Such a far-fetched idea.

I’ve had no triathlon experience before.

Haven’t swam properly in over a decade.

Never been on a bike for an extended period of time.

Ran a marathon in 2023, but hadn’t done any running since I finished that.

Yet I decided to attack this journey head-on.

This was the first week I questioned myself.

Could I do this?

First big build week where most days were 2 workout days.

Just finished a training session this morning that was brutal!

2000m swim.

Came home then immediately did 55k in 2 hours.

My legs felt like jelly for the last hour.

Towards the end, kept asking myself.

Can I do this?

Is this worth it?

All to expected.

All part of the process.

Every book I’ve read and person I’ve talked to said this was normal.

To question yourself through the process.

It’s part of the journey.

The journey to see what you can really accomplish.

It was the same for me when I ran the marathon.

That seemed like an impossible goal.

Yet I stayed focused on small steps.

Mini goals.

Just do the workout in front of me.

That’s all I need to remember.

Do the thing in front of me.

If I do that, I’ll get there.

But it’s hard.

It’s tough.

It’s a test against myself.

I cannot let the negativity win.

I won’t.

But it doesn’t mean it’s not there.

Still get nervous every time I get in the pool or hop on the bike.

And I’m only done month 1.

But, I know I can do this.

I know this goal can be acccomplished.

I’ve seen other people do it.

As long as they can do it, why can’t I?

What’s stopping me?

Me.

That’s it.

That’s the biggest obstacle.

The biggest obstacle to the life you want to live is yourself.

Always has been.

Always will be.

My friend asked me this week ‘so you’re done a month of training, what’s been your biggest learning?’

It’s this.

You are so much more capable than you think you are.

If you told me at the beginning of the month what my schedule was, I would say it’s impossible.

No way I could do that.

Yet I did.

Just take it one day at a time.

Of course you can do it.

LFG!

As Dori from Finding Nemo says - Just Keep Swimming.

This week in training - (Follow me on Strava here):

Swimming - 6100 m - 1 x 2100m, 1 x 2000m, 1 x 2000m. Good swim workouts this week. Sprint workouts were fun but tough. 25m time down to 22 seconds.

Biking - 92.1 km - did my FTP test this week and at 164. Long bike was tougher on Sunday right after the swim. Still need to optimize my nutrition on the bike because was not feeling great towards the end of the long bike.

Running - 19.3 km - good run week. Felt faster. Long run got to 10k in 1 hour 10 so happy with that. No problems with any lingering injuries too.

Notes from Week 5 of training:

• Back into another build week. First week with a lot more 2 per day workouts.
• Food has been ok this week. Broke the routine a bit. Still need to dial in right nutrition on the long bike but otherwise solid.
• Good improvements in the pool. Sprint workouts were fun yet tough.
• Bike was tougher this week. Didn’t feel great on the FTP and probably could’ve gone more but that’s ok. Was drained in the back half of the long bike so need to do better on the nutrition.
• Good run week. Really happy with it, especially the long run. Solid 10k, good pace, aerobic the whole time and no lingering issues.
• Finished Recruit Season 2, Mo Season 1, few episodes of Prison Break season 2. Severance was so weird and wild this week.

• Tired towards the end of the first build week. Swim into bike was tough, but got through it. Just gotta keep swimming ;)

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