This is an artical sent to me by Jules Taylor ( you can contact him via Tri-Talk Forums, he logs on as DoubleTriple) alot of sound advice, I'll be starting my own expirience of Double and Triple training and racing soon, enjoy.
JFT Graham
A Guide to Ultra-Triathlons
Jules Taylor
Training
Swim:
Basically an economical slow stroke always with a wetsuit, a full one being quicker and a short sleeve, much
cooler and more comfortable.
Training very basic with no speed required i.e. kilometre reps with 30 second intervals. For a double-Ironman, 2 or 3 5km sessions a week and for a triple or further, 2 x 8km sessions and every other week 3 or
4, 2km fun/speed sessions. Practise feeding on the long reps. You sweat a lot with a wetsuit on so preferably
liquids i.e. electrolytes, energy drinks every 30 minutes. This also breaks up the monotony
Bike:
Speed is not important. Time in the saddle is, so get used to dealing with back, neck and bum pain and
making adjustments is what is required. A neoprene seat cover is brilliant. Extreme positions are out. I
eventually ended up with my tri bars much higher so my forearms were level with my saddle. Basic gear
shifting units are all that is needed as the courses are pretty flat and you’re probably going to use at the max
3 or 4 gears. Your heartrate should never be higher than upper level 2 ideally staying in high level 1,
occasionally level 2. Do not be tempted by anyone else, you have in a double around 12-14 hours and in a
triple 18 to 24 hours of cycling – do your own thing, just keep going at an even pace. Heartrate monitors come into their own here.
So, you need in training to build up your ability to stay on the bike for hours on end. A maximum of 300
miles/500 km a week is plenty. I have never done more. So this would equate to around 15-18 hours a week though you should not be doing this kind of mileage any more than one week in three. The main points to concentrate on in order of importance are; comfort, pacing, time spent in the saddle and then feeding and hydration. Ignore: other people, speed, and radical equipment. For ultras I used a basic aluminium 700c GT bike with Campag group set and Mavic CXP 30 wheels. Very reliable and comfortable with me being 2nd off the bike in the Dutch Double and first off the bike in the German Triple – no trick gear required.
Run:
Go out on your favourite flat 10 km run – you know it well – what 34 minutes, 33 minutes? That’s flat out
yeah? So, comfortable should be what around 40 minutes? A steady run after a ride around 45 minutes and
a very easy recovery run probably around 50 minutes? Now we’re getting slow. You probably think you can’t run any slower, but for your long training runs you want to be around 55 minutes for 10 km i.e. 4 hour
marathon pace. Initially this seems far too slow but on a 5-6 hour training run it seems very good indeed and
in the race after 8-10 hours seems impossible to continue.
There is no real skill or technique in the run training. The main points to consider; buy the best-cushioned
shoes you can afford, go long and slow and eat and drink continuously. You really need to build up no with
more than 15-20% increase weekly to be happy with running 5-8 hours. Any more is not necessary as after
this time it becomes a mental rather than a physical battle. Legs that can cope with 8 hours running being
fed with food and water can carry on for twice this easily.
Twice I suffered from not drinking enough. You need to sip water constantly and actually drink every 15
minutes. If you haven’t been to the toilet for the last 3 to 4 hours you need to slow down enough to drink a
litre of water. Walk if necessary, but do it, you’re probably already borderline dehydrated. Body maintenance is essential.
Body maintenance
Swim:
Food – mainly liquid foods i.e. drinks, mashed bananas, or yoghurt every 20-30 minutes. Aches and pains,
just deal with them. Stop to stretch shoulders if necessary but basically just get it over with as its all legs from
now on. Vaseline is essential under arms and around the neck.
Transition 1:
Drink at least a pint of electrolyte. Eat – sandwiches are very good and things like vegetable soup are great.
Forget energy bars, sports drinks etc. Proper food is what is needed. Take a multi-vitamin and a magnesium
tablet, good for slowing down muscle soreness. DRINK AGAIN.
Bike:
Alternate your drinks as much for variety as for anything else. Every 2-3 hours a protein drink is a good idea.
Every 4 hours or so stop for 2-3 minutes and eat some proper food. Various foods I used: cereals, yoghurt,
vegetable soup and overcooked pasta (easy to digest).
Most bike routes are loop affairs of anything from 2-10 km. A good idea is to pick a certain point and each
time you pass, stand up and stretch your back, neck, calves etc…and then keep going. This really helps to
offset neck and back soreness.
Two hours before you think you are going to finish increase your liquid intake. You should ideally be coming
of the bike needing a pee.
Transition 2:
Drink – sip all the time you are changing. If offered a massage do not have one for now, go out on the run for
at least a few laps, this is better for your legs than lying down and stiffening up. Remember to Vaseline toes,
armpits etc, and if necessary plasters over nipples and plenty of sunscreen. Been to the toilet? No?
Drink…Yes? Well done, for now you’re safe.
Run:
This is a very low effort run and most foods will not give you any problems. Your taste buds go very weird,
lots of small different snacks are good. Ports bars and drinks are not good, they are much too sweet and too
much effort to chew. Mentally you cannot really think about your food right now and just need to be able to
grab a small selection and swallow it. Some items which are good: liquorice allsorts, coca cola, small chunks
of fruit, yoghurt, cereals, soup etc. Practice in training is essential, learn to recognise what tastes good and
what doesn’t. have some different things which maybe you haven’t used in case you go completely weird
and decide you hate everything you brought. Drink little and often and check the colour of your urine when
you go to the toilet and increase your fluid intake if necessary. Don’t do this and you’ll discover what a drip is like – not very nice. If you go more than twice in an hour, ease back on the fluids as drinking too much can
also become a problem.
Extra Points
Support crew:
They are 50% responsible for getting you over the finish line and also if you fail. When things are good they
are there to feed and refresh you, sort your clothes out and supply anything you need and it all works well.
But when its bad, it’s 3am, it’s pissing it down, you’re knackered and exhausted, you’ve got a puncture, you
need to change your running shoes etc…and they’re also knackered, you’re too tired to sort it out…they
have to take over no matter how tired they are. They are there to get you to the finish line in one shape or
another; they are not there to be nice to you…that can come later. You must convey to them your race plan,
what you want to eat and drink, what clothes you want to wear…everything you have thought about they’ve
got to know about. It is their job to monitor you if you are too spaced to sort it out yourself, so if you decide
you’re not thirsty and haven’t been for the last 3 hours, they’ve got to make sure you’ve been drinking. This
is a partnership and success very much depends on communication and understanding.
Ideally one person at least for a double and anything up to 3-4 people for a triple and beyond is necessary.
Some teams had around 6-7 people helping which must be very nice. Throughout the bike on a triple at least
2 people will be needed to follow you in a vehicle during the night and ideally, both able to drive, otherwise
everyone is going to be wasted the next day.
In Germany my partner and a friend of hers were the support crew but only her friend could drive.
Consequently she drove throughout the night, Michelle fed me throughout the night. The result was three
knackered people the next day. So, on the run, they were really tired and I was really tired and my
breakdown began due to nobody noticing I hadn’t drunk much for 3-4 hours and hadn’t been to the toilet for
the last 5 hours. This result was everybody’s responsibility and nobody’s fault!
Summary:
The whole ultra thing is a major undertaking requiring a lot of sacrifice to train, a lot of planning, a lot of
equipment, a lot of food and it’s not cheap. You have to consider travel and accommodation for probably
around 4-5 people and you need to find people willing to give up their time and to watch you suffer and be
abused! But it really is worth it.
I don’t want all this to sound daunting, because it isn’t. This is just a big long list of my thoughts and
experiences that I think would have helped me had I known all this beforehand. There are definitely no hard
and fast rules and even now, after one double and two triples, on my next one various things will be done
differently and more lessons learned. It’s a very long learning curve.
All the best,
Jules Taylor
Thursday, 25 March 2010
Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Race day
Have a race plan, it saves you from dithering, be prepared to change it, here’s mine, it’s an adaptation of one of the dudes at Gordo’s World Forum, it works for me. Alter it as you require, just give the dudes’ at http://www.coachgordo.com/ the credit.
IM Race Strategy Goals
1. Cross the finish line knowing that I raced to the best of my ability.
2. Achieve a personal best time.
3. Run strong off a solid bike split.
4. Have fun.
Key Success Factors
1. Do what I can at this moment – do not think about down the road – focus on the now.
2. Enjoy the day, race from my heart and maintain solid technique throughout the race and race smart like the Ironman I am.
3. Race my own race from start to finish – check my ego at the door.
4. Get in a good pack for the swim – stay out of the fray around the turn buoys – let the others work for me. Yes, I am a swim drafting pig!!
5. Transition as fast as the top pros.
6. Show control on the first half of the bike and let my endurance work when things start to get tough at hour 4.
7. Maintain mental toughness during the climbs.
8. Run like I know I can.
9. At all times remember that "I get tough when races/workouts get past 5 hours".
10. "Relish in the difficulty of the task".
11. Use my mental strength to overcome every challenge.
Race Week
1. Stay away from large crowds of freaking triathletes.
2. Minimize obligations on my time.
3. Maintain control of diet and food consumption.
4. Gather mental energy and maintain focus.
5. A minimum of two 15 minute visualization sessions each day -- focus on successful completion of key success factors.
6. Free my mind of all distractions.
7. Know the bike course -- stop in key sections and visualize performing strongly in these areas, note key landmarks, count number of rollers, note mile markers.
8. Know the run course -- visualize good technique and a smooth stride throughout the ride, note location and distance of feed stations.
9. 48 hours before the race start increase sodium consumption.
10. 18 hours before the race start go to a low fiber diet.
Swim
1. Show confidence.
2. Ten minute warm up.
3. Close my eyes and visualize my swim during the last 5 minutes.
4. Seed myself at the side on the far right or left to avoid the crowd.
5. Take it out smooth and strong and settle into a good rhythm. Should feel easy!!
6. Maintain smooth stroke mechanics at all times -- low cadence, powerful and long stroke -- highly efficient.
7. Give no energy to any swimmer around me.
8. Ease off in final 200 meters to prepare for a lightning transition.
T1
1. Wetsuit off, Clothes On.
2. Shoes On.
3. Glasses On.
4. Food On.
5. Helmet On.
6. Depart!
Bike
1. Absolutely no riding at 148/Zone 4 at any time of the ride.
2. Stick with proven nutrition strategy.
3. Ride my own race.
4. Stay focused on my nutrition plan.
5. Take strength from all around me throughout the ride.
6. Know that my legs will come right as soon as I am off the bike.
7. Remember that the race is to the finish line, not T2.
8. Think aero, cadence and focus at all times on the bike.
T2
1. Helmet Off.
2. Vaseline feet!
3. Clean, dry socks On.
4. Shoes On.
5. Grab hat and clean glasses.
6. Depart easy!
Run
1. Run based on effort and cadence to 13.1.
2. Race within myself.
3. Remain calm as others crumble.
4. Race the last 10k.
Finish
1. Smile for the camera.
Like my mate Dickie says “Swim like a stone, cycle like a fish and run like a cripple “, you think I’m joking!. I walk like a fucking Orang-utan after a race.
Don’t let the Muscle Marys’ or the go faster hair cuts psyc you out.
To quote Gordo and Joe from ‘Going Long’, “You have done the training you belong on that start line”, think of all the speed bumps that have tried to stop this from happening and mentally say, “Fuck ‘em, I belong here”, all those long hours of training have led to this point in time, look around, most of these guys have the ‘thousand yard stare’, do not mistake poise for calm, now is the time to tighten your focus, the only thing that counts is this moment, it’s fluid like water, all you have to do is be in it.
Make sure you slept well 2 nights before the race, cos your not gonna sleep very well the night before, try to eat about a thousand calories about 2am and drink a pint of juice, have breakfast about 4.30, no later and nothing fried you lardy cunt, carry on drinking energy drinks right up to the start.
I’m gonna tell you how to race, keep your focus and race easy, remember it’s a long day, you can’t win in the first 10 minutes, but you can fuck it up, so easy does it. The first 200 meters of the swim is the worst, it’s like trying to swim in a washing machine, it may look cool from the shore, all those little L shaped arms turning over, if you’re in the middle of it expect to be punched, kicked, swam over, zip pulled down, lost goggles, I’m not kidding they’re like fucking wild dogs on a carcass.
Try to seed your self or at least stay on the out side of the scrum, settle down ASAP, find your stroke, if you find your self panicking roll on to your back and backstroke, don’t breaststroke you’ll kick someone, while on your back calm yourself, focus on your breathing, when your ready roll over and try again. Swim from buoy to buoy, most are 2 lap courses, about 300 meters between buoys, you can swim 300 meters it’s a piece of piss, turn and do the same until you finish. Don’t drink during the swim! :-)
Exit the water as smooth as possible, allow the helpers to help, that’s what they are there for. You will read this all over the Tri sites on the net, SLOW IS SMOOTH, SMOOTH IS FAST! Believe it, you have a long day ahead, change into your cycle gear, don’t trade comfort for speed. Use arm warmers, you can always discard them are a feed station, later on, ride slow.
A mate of mine used to complain that I always took him in the run, he would hit the bike like a demon for the first third of the ride, steadied down for the middle and faded in the last portion of the bike, so that he was knackered going into the run, Duh !, I take it easy and build to a steady pace and keep to it, I get round in about the same time, the difference is I feel fresh going into the run.
Think about it over 112 mile cycle, hammer it for 39 miles at 20mph+, middle at 17.5 mph and the last 34 at a knackered 15mph or a steady 17.5mph who is gonna feel better? How slow is slow? Kids on BMX’s will challenge you to race in the first 25 miles, that’s how slow, take it easy and eat.
The Longest Day Triathlon 05, saw me eat 3 bagels loaded with peanut butter a Malt loaf as well as the stuff at the aid stations, I stop eating solids about 25 miles from the finish, carry on drinking, hydration is one of the keys to endurance racing.
You must hydrate, if you don’t you will die. Pee when you have to, if it’s raining, like it has on my last 2 Ironman races, just let it run down your leg on down hill sections. Finish the ride strong, but comfortable.
Into the Run, this is where the bricks pay dividends. You have just had swim to warm up, cycled to get the legs going, now comes the interesting bit. All the bricks you have done is to get you through the next few hours, make sure you have clean dry socks to change into, absolute heaven, get your head round the fact that this is just a walk in the park, take it easy, run within yourself.
Find a pace you’re comfortable with, forget who’s over taking you and who your overtaking, it means nothing, do what you have to do to get to the 20 mile mark with out walking, if you do walk limit yourself to 100 paces before starting to run again, at 20 miles you are half way into the event, what ever emotions you have been bottling up for the last 9 month to a year, feed on them, pour those emotions on to the fire and let them burn, it’s the only fuel you have now.
I don’t care how tired you are, sprint the last 400 meters, you paid the entry fee, milk the crowd, lift your head up and show them that smile as you finish.
Don’t think it’s just about getting to the finish line either, it’s not. There are things to do once over the line, like thank and hug every one round you, get some food into the system, I have a preference for a couple of cans of Slimfast when I finish, real easy to digest. If you can take painkillers now is a good time as long as it’s not a problem. Get some dry warm clothes on, before the body starts to shut down and it will quite quickly. When you've done that, then you've finished.
JFT Graham
Have a race plan, it saves you from dithering, be prepared to change it, here’s mine, it’s an adaptation of one of the dudes at Gordo’s World Forum, it works for me. Alter it as you require, just give the dudes’ at http://www.coachgordo.com/ the credit.
IM Race Strategy Goals
1. Cross the finish line knowing that I raced to the best of my ability.
2. Achieve a personal best time.
3. Run strong off a solid bike split.
4. Have fun.
Key Success Factors
1. Do what I can at this moment – do not think about down the road – focus on the now.
2. Enjoy the day, race from my heart and maintain solid technique throughout the race and race smart like the Ironman I am.
3. Race my own race from start to finish – check my ego at the door.
4. Get in a good pack for the swim – stay out of the fray around the turn buoys – let the others work for me. Yes, I am a swim drafting pig!!
5. Transition as fast as the top pros.
6. Show control on the first half of the bike and let my endurance work when things start to get tough at hour 4.
7. Maintain mental toughness during the climbs.
8. Run like I know I can.
9. At all times remember that "I get tough when races/workouts get past 5 hours".
10. "Relish in the difficulty of the task".
11. Use my mental strength to overcome every challenge.
Race Week
1. Stay away from large crowds of freaking triathletes.
2. Minimize obligations on my time.
3. Maintain control of diet and food consumption.
4. Gather mental energy and maintain focus.
5. A minimum of two 15 minute visualization sessions each day -- focus on successful completion of key success factors.
6. Free my mind of all distractions.
7. Know the bike course -- stop in key sections and visualize performing strongly in these areas, note key landmarks, count number of rollers, note mile markers.
8. Know the run course -- visualize good technique and a smooth stride throughout the ride, note location and distance of feed stations.
9. 48 hours before the race start increase sodium consumption.
10. 18 hours before the race start go to a low fiber diet.
Swim
1. Show confidence.
2. Ten minute warm up.
3. Close my eyes and visualize my swim during the last 5 minutes.
4. Seed myself at the side on the far right or left to avoid the crowd.
5. Take it out smooth and strong and settle into a good rhythm. Should feel easy!!
6. Maintain smooth stroke mechanics at all times -- low cadence, powerful and long stroke -- highly efficient.
7. Give no energy to any swimmer around me.
8. Ease off in final 200 meters to prepare for a lightning transition.
T1
1. Wetsuit off, Clothes On.
2. Shoes On.
3. Glasses On.
4. Food On.
5. Helmet On.
6. Depart!
Bike
1. Absolutely no riding at 148/Zone 4 at any time of the ride.
2. Stick with proven nutrition strategy.
3. Ride my own race.
4. Stay focused on my nutrition plan.
5. Take strength from all around me throughout the ride.
6. Know that my legs will come right as soon as I am off the bike.
7. Remember that the race is to the finish line, not T2.
8. Think aero, cadence and focus at all times on the bike.
T2
1. Helmet Off.
2. Vaseline feet!
3. Clean, dry socks On.
4. Shoes On.
5. Grab hat and clean glasses.
6. Depart easy!
Run
1. Run based on effort and cadence to 13.1.
2. Race within myself.
3. Remain calm as others crumble.
4. Race the last 10k.
Finish
1. Smile for the camera.
Like my mate Dickie says “Swim like a stone, cycle like a fish and run like a cripple “, you think I’m joking!. I walk like a fucking Orang-utan after a race.
Don’t let the Muscle Marys’ or the go faster hair cuts psyc you out.
To quote Gordo and Joe from ‘Going Long’, “You have done the training you belong on that start line”, think of all the speed bumps that have tried to stop this from happening and mentally say, “Fuck ‘em, I belong here”, all those long hours of training have led to this point in time, look around, most of these guys have the ‘thousand yard stare’, do not mistake poise for calm, now is the time to tighten your focus, the only thing that counts is this moment, it’s fluid like water, all you have to do is be in it.
Make sure you slept well 2 nights before the race, cos your not gonna sleep very well the night before, try to eat about a thousand calories about 2am and drink a pint of juice, have breakfast about 4.30, no later and nothing fried you lardy cunt, carry on drinking energy drinks right up to the start.
I’m gonna tell you how to race, keep your focus and race easy, remember it’s a long day, you can’t win in the first 10 minutes, but you can fuck it up, so easy does it. The first 200 meters of the swim is the worst, it’s like trying to swim in a washing machine, it may look cool from the shore, all those little L shaped arms turning over, if you’re in the middle of it expect to be punched, kicked, swam over, zip pulled down, lost goggles, I’m not kidding they’re like fucking wild dogs on a carcass.
Try to seed your self or at least stay on the out side of the scrum, settle down ASAP, find your stroke, if you find your self panicking roll on to your back and backstroke, don’t breaststroke you’ll kick someone, while on your back calm yourself, focus on your breathing, when your ready roll over and try again. Swim from buoy to buoy, most are 2 lap courses, about 300 meters between buoys, you can swim 300 meters it’s a piece of piss, turn and do the same until you finish. Don’t drink during the swim! :-)
Exit the water as smooth as possible, allow the helpers to help, that’s what they are there for. You will read this all over the Tri sites on the net, SLOW IS SMOOTH, SMOOTH IS FAST! Believe it, you have a long day ahead, change into your cycle gear, don’t trade comfort for speed. Use arm warmers, you can always discard them are a feed station, later on, ride slow.
A mate of mine used to complain that I always took him in the run, he would hit the bike like a demon for the first third of the ride, steadied down for the middle and faded in the last portion of the bike, so that he was knackered going into the run, Duh !, I take it easy and build to a steady pace and keep to it, I get round in about the same time, the difference is I feel fresh going into the run.
Think about it over 112 mile cycle, hammer it for 39 miles at 20mph+, middle at 17.5 mph and the last 34 at a knackered 15mph or a steady 17.5mph who is gonna feel better? How slow is slow? Kids on BMX’s will challenge you to race in the first 25 miles, that’s how slow, take it easy and eat.
The Longest Day Triathlon 05, saw me eat 3 bagels loaded with peanut butter a Malt loaf as well as the stuff at the aid stations, I stop eating solids about 25 miles from the finish, carry on drinking, hydration is one of the keys to endurance racing.
You must hydrate, if you don’t you will die. Pee when you have to, if it’s raining, like it has on my last 2 Ironman races, just let it run down your leg on down hill sections. Finish the ride strong, but comfortable.
Into the Run, this is where the bricks pay dividends. You have just had swim to warm up, cycled to get the legs going, now comes the interesting bit. All the bricks you have done is to get you through the next few hours, make sure you have clean dry socks to change into, absolute heaven, get your head round the fact that this is just a walk in the park, take it easy, run within yourself.
Find a pace you’re comfortable with, forget who’s over taking you and who your overtaking, it means nothing, do what you have to do to get to the 20 mile mark with out walking, if you do walk limit yourself to 100 paces before starting to run again, at 20 miles you are half way into the event, what ever emotions you have been bottling up for the last 9 month to a year, feed on them, pour those emotions on to the fire and let them burn, it’s the only fuel you have now.
I don’t care how tired you are, sprint the last 400 meters, you paid the entry fee, milk the crowd, lift your head up and show them that smile as you finish.
Don’t think it’s just about getting to the finish line either, it’s not. There are things to do once over the line, like thank and hug every one round you, get some food into the system, I have a preference for a couple of cans of Slimfast when I finish, real easy to digest. If you can take painkillers now is a good time as long as it’s not a problem. Get some dry warm clothes on, before the body starts to shut down and it will quite quickly. When you've done that, then you've finished.
JFT Graham
Tuesday, 22 September 2009
Forth installment, if you have read the previous scroll down, this is not PC, you have been warned !
The Plan
The simple version of the plan is to do enough training, so that you find your self at 20 miles into the run in good shape, so that you can run the last 6 miles to the finish. 6 miles from the finish is actually the half way mark, once there you’re over the hump and a smile starts to creep on to your face, by the time you hit the line you will have a big shit eating grin that last for years. That is what we are going to do here.
The first thing is to have a plan, there are loads on the internet some you have to pay for, some are free, the choice is yours. Do you want to do a 13 week, 26 week or a 52 week program, figure out how much time you are going to spend on this, I prefer a long lead up, working on my base and endurance. Then go hard for 13 weeks, with a built in two week taper, any longer than that and my attention starts to wander, plus it don’t seem to long for your support crew to put up with your prima donna shit.
I do have a plan on the original script, this blog won't let me post it from excel, if you want a copy, drop me an email.
Friends, neutrals and speedbumps
I find my self putting people into one of three groups:
Friends, these are people who believe in me and support me in my endeavours, tell me the truth and have a genuine interest in what I am doing. Guys that are willing to put themselves out for me, just as I would for them. You know who you are, love you loads
Neutrals, these are the ones that normally aren’t quite listening then the penny drops, they do the mental mathematics on the distances and they stand with their mouths open, or they just aren’t interested, that’s OK, they are happy with their lot, good for them.
Speedbumps, You are the biggest one, you will stop yourself from succeeding no one else, you are the one who will ultimately cave in, when the training gets hard or it’s raining, blowing, too hot, too cold or any other fucking excuse. They come in many guises, they often seem like friends only to worm their way in to stop you from succeeding, some of the things they come out with seem innocuous, “You are training a lot, are you OK”, may sound like concern but it sows doubt in the mind, or the usual one is “Your becoming obsessed with training”, of course you are, obsessed is what the lazy call the determined. Speedbumps are the ones who tell you that it’s stupid to attempt such things, Fuck ‘em, go round them, don’t listen to their shit, they’re just jealous they haven’t the commitment you have, yet these are the same twats that bask in your reflected glory when you finish, “Yeah, my mate does the Ironman”, twat, or “ I knew he could do it really”, no they fucking didn’t cos they’re speedbumps, they don’t like any one else to realise they dreams, cos it make them think of their own wasted life.
Blueprint of a psychotic
Ironman is not hobby or something you do to impress “the partner”, it’s a way of life, an addiction an all consuming passion to finish or improve. If you can’t or won’t commit to it then fuck off, why have you read this much if you can’t commit. I’m not fucking about here, you become driven, obsessed, controlled by it, it takes over your life.
When your friends are going for a night out, you’re having an early night cos you have a 100 mile ride followed by a 8 mile run the following morning and you know it will fuck you up if you go with them. Your whole life revolves around training and racing, your view of society is not what it was, you look at people differently.
Let a ‘normal’ person read this, they won’t understand that we feel nervous, irritable and discontented with life if we don’t get our fix and that is what out training becomes, our drug of choice, we are no different to drug addicts, alcoholics, gamblers or any thing else that is addictive.
We live to train and train to live, everything else become secondary, although we say we give over time to friends and family, it’s done grudgingly, be fucking honest.
Notice how twitchy you become during rest days, the taper weeks are unbearable, this is normal for us, we have a distorted view of life, mortals will never understand it.
JFT Graham
The Plan
The simple version of the plan is to do enough training, so that you find your self at 20 miles into the run in good shape, so that you can run the last 6 miles to the finish. 6 miles from the finish is actually the half way mark, once there you’re over the hump and a smile starts to creep on to your face, by the time you hit the line you will have a big shit eating grin that last for years. That is what we are going to do here.
The first thing is to have a plan, there are loads on the internet some you have to pay for, some are free, the choice is yours. Do you want to do a 13 week, 26 week or a 52 week program, figure out how much time you are going to spend on this, I prefer a long lead up, working on my base and endurance. Then go hard for 13 weeks, with a built in two week taper, any longer than that and my attention starts to wander, plus it don’t seem to long for your support crew to put up with your prima donna shit.
I do have a plan on the original script, this blog won't let me post it from excel, if you want a copy, drop me an email.
Friends, neutrals and speedbumps
I find my self putting people into one of three groups:
Friends, these are people who believe in me and support me in my endeavours, tell me the truth and have a genuine interest in what I am doing. Guys that are willing to put themselves out for me, just as I would for them. You know who you are, love you loads
Neutrals, these are the ones that normally aren’t quite listening then the penny drops, they do the mental mathematics on the distances and they stand with their mouths open, or they just aren’t interested, that’s OK, they are happy with their lot, good for them.
Speedbumps, You are the biggest one, you will stop yourself from succeeding no one else, you are the one who will ultimately cave in, when the training gets hard or it’s raining, blowing, too hot, too cold or any other fucking excuse. They come in many guises, they often seem like friends only to worm their way in to stop you from succeeding, some of the things they come out with seem innocuous, “You are training a lot, are you OK”, may sound like concern but it sows doubt in the mind, or the usual one is “Your becoming obsessed with training”, of course you are, obsessed is what the lazy call the determined. Speedbumps are the ones who tell you that it’s stupid to attempt such things, Fuck ‘em, go round them, don’t listen to their shit, they’re just jealous they haven’t the commitment you have, yet these are the same twats that bask in your reflected glory when you finish, “Yeah, my mate does the Ironman”, twat, or “ I knew he could do it really”, no they fucking didn’t cos they’re speedbumps, they don’t like any one else to realise they dreams, cos it make them think of their own wasted life.
Blueprint of a psychotic
Ironman is not hobby or something you do to impress “the partner”, it’s a way of life, an addiction an all consuming passion to finish or improve. If you can’t or won’t commit to it then fuck off, why have you read this much if you can’t commit. I’m not fucking about here, you become driven, obsessed, controlled by it, it takes over your life.
When your friends are going for a night out, you’re having an early night cos you have a 100 mile ride followed by a 8 mile run the following morning and you know it will fuck you up if you go with them. Your whole life revolves around training and racing, your view of society is not what it was, you look at people differently.
Let a ‘normal’ person read this, they won’t understand that we feel nervous, irritable and discontented with life if we don’t get our fix and that is what out training becomes, our drug of choice, we are no different to drug addicts, alcoholics, gamblers or any thing else that is addictive.
We live to train and train to live, everything else become secondary, although we say we give over time to friends and family, it’s done grudgingly, be fucking honest.
Notice how twitchy you become during rest days, the taper weeks are unbearable, this is normal for us, we have a distorted view of life, mortals will never understand it.
JFT Graham
Wednesday, 16 September 2009
Third installment, if you havn't read the others scroll down. WARNING ! contains adult language and themes..........
Base
Lets face it if you are a big fat lardy cunt that waddles like a bulldog and have to talc your thighs, at the moment this is probably not for you, work on it for a couple of years and get that Thermite burning nice and hot, on the other hand maybe you’ve done a couple of Oly’s or a HIM and want to move it up a level. To be honest you need to develop a good base to work off, endurance and a solid core are essential.
The base comes from long winter training sessions at a lower intensity, throwing in the occasional speed session, think nothing of going down the pool for a 4k focused swim from Dec to Jan, or doing 3 or 4 hours on the Turbo trainer(I mean it I’ll bitch slap you, if you carry on thinking like that).
When it’s pissing it down and too dark to get out, don’t be a twat about riding in the dark, car drivers can’t see you on a sunny day so you’ve no fucking chance at night. Buy Spinerval DVDs, I recommend, Mental Toughness, Tough love and Have Mercy 2 (The sequel), Coach Troy takes you through a one and a half, two and 3 hours of structured workout, the time just flies by.
Get well wrapped up and go for 2 hour runs once or twice a week, shorter runs of one hour at lunch, as long as you’re focused on what you’re doing forget about speed for the winter, we’ll deal with the Billy and bricks later!
Ironman is all about endurance, you can’t race it if you haven’t got it, I dropped a guy that used to train with me after he suggested that we take a short cut on a 70 miler, “only do 50 but tell every one that we rode a fast 70”, the guys a cunt, 5 years down the line I am regularly placed in the top 4 in endurance events, and he’s still a gunner (gunner do this, gunner do that). Don’t lie about your training, when you do you are cheating yourself, to me that is a crime against your dreams. Make your mind up, are you going to commit to this or just be another gunner.
Learn to breathe, I’m not kidding, the amount of people who have trained with me that say they run out of breath is unreal. Why do you breathe, if you said “ to get oxygen into the system” BONG! Wrong answer. You breathe to get rid of toxic build up in the body, that and I’ve taken my foot off your throat. You need to breathe all the crap out of the lungs before you refill them, think about it, this is basic shit you should know.
Your blood fills up with Carbon Dioxide, dumps it in the lungs, you get rid of it by breathing out, if you don’t empty your lungs how can you replenish the oxygen in the muscles.
Focus on your breath, it will pay dividends.
Core
Without a strong core you have squat, I’m not talking 6 pack or a Muscle Mary, it’s developing core strength that you can build your endurance on. The following are photos of the exercises I do to develop my core, I know people have different name for them, don’t argue with me, just shut the fuck up and do them! Two or three times a week should do it, you must breathe with these exercises.
(I haven't got the room on this blog for the photos, look them up you idle twat)
The Plank, keep the body rigid for 6 normal breaths, do it 6 times and for fucks sake breathe…( insert photo here)
The Banana, lay on your side, find your balance, lift your legs and stretch down with your arm, hold for 6 breaths, do it 6 times. …( insert photo here)
The Sky Diver, onto your belly, lift your arms up and back at the same time as lifting your legs, 6 by 6. …( insert photo here)
Spotty Dog (gotta be over 40 to get that one), like the Sky Diver only opposite arm and leg, 6 by 6. …( insert photo here)
Mini-ups, like sit ups, but again just come up about 6 inches, watch your back and hold for 6 by 6. …( insert photo here)
This is not a substitute for weight training, you idle twat, it complements it.
Nutrition
Here’s some thing for you to think about, training does not make you faster or stronger. Training + recovery + right nutrition, will. Think about it, if you put shit fuel in a Formula One race car, it’s ain’t gonna run right, right!
Run your own car on too lean or too rich, a mixture and you get shit mileage, and/or a fucked up engine,
Think about it, you are that engine! Shit in = Shit out. I’m not talking about becoming a diet freak, just common sense. If you eat nothing but junk food, chips, burgers, kebabs, fry ups, vast quantities of booze, don’t expect the kind of recovery you get with Right eating. Plenty of clean carbs good balance of clean protein and a little good fat. Throw away the fucking frying pan! Stop living on take aways.
The ‘Eat all you can’ sign in restaurants is not a challenge, but it is fun, I’ve been to places with friends who where in heavy training like myself, after a while they ask us to ease up cos there are other people that would like to eat at the buffet, cool. Another time at a pasta party I was asked to put food back if I wasn’t going to eat it, Fucking muppet.
Clean carbs.
Pasta, bread, potatoes, rice (brown or white), sweet potatoes, loads of veggies, just don’t cover them in fats.
Clean protein.
Chicken, steak(lean), fish if you eat flesh, Quorn, TVP, cottage cheese if your Veggi. Again no fats.
Clean fats.
Peanut butter, olive oil, grapeseed oil. All used in moderation.
Lots of fluids, fuck off, that’s not an excuse to drink beer and claim your carbo loading, I tried that one, ended up in AA. Drink water, juices (if you can afford a juicer even better), energy drinks before, during and after training. Hydration is paramount.
My diet was really fucked up until my coach got hold of it, sorted me out a treat. Still inhale food 6 times a day, 4,500 – 5,000 calories a day in peak weeks. I’m a veggi, even so, don’t come near me when I’m eating unless you want to pull back a fucking stump, I think nothing of destroying a fully loaded Veggi pizza the size and thickness of a toilet seat on my own as a snack, you’ve gotta feed the machine!
Try to eat every 3 hours or so, it doesn’t have to be a full meal, just keep the stomach on idle, Fruit or energy bars to snack on during the day are good, small and regular through out the day, my last meal is about 10 o’clock at night, usually a peanut butter and banana sarni washed down with a protein shake, if your head is telling you, you can’t eat that late, look out side your front door, me and Ray Liotta are waiting there to pistol whip you, just like in the film Goodfellows, you pussy.
Base
Lets face it if you are a big fat lardy cunt that waddles like a bulldog and have to talc your thighs, at the moment this is probably not for you, work on it for a couple of years and get that Thermite burning nice and hot, on the other hand maybe you’ve done a couple of Oly’s or a HIM and want to move it up a level. To be honest you need to develop a good base to work off, endurance and a solid core are essential.
The base comes from long winter training sessions at a lower intensity, throwing in the occasional speed session, think nothing of going down the pool for a 4k focused swim from Dec to Jan, or doing 3 or 4 hours on the Turbo trainer(I mean it I’ll bitch slap you, if you carry on thinking like that).
When it’s pissing it down and too dark to get out, don’t be a twat about riding in the dark, car drivers can’t see you on a sunny day so you’ve no fucking chance at night. Buy Spinerval DVDs, I recommend, Mental Toughness, Tough love and Have Mercy 2 (The sequel), Coach Troy takes you through a one and a half, two and 3 hours of structured workout, the time just flies by.
Get well wrapped up and go for 2 hour runs once or twice a week, shorter runs of one hour at lunch, as long as you’re focused on what you’re doing forget about speed for the winter, we’ll deal with the Billy and bricks later!
Ironman is all about endurance, you can’t race it if you haven’t got it, I dropped a guy that used to train with me after he suggested that we take a short cut on a 70 miler, “only do 50 but tell every one that we rode a fast 70”, the guys a cunt, 5 years down the line I am regularly placed in the top 4 in endurance events, and he’s still a gunner (gunner do this, gunner do that). Don’t lie about your training, when you do you are cheating yourself, to me that is a crime against your dreams. Make your mind up, are you going to commit to this or just be another gunner.
Learn to breathe, I’m not kidding, the amount of people who have trained with me that say they run out of breath is unreal. Why do you breathe, if you said “ to get oxygen into the system” BONG! Wrong answer. You breathe to get rid of toxic build up in the body, that and I’ve taken my foot off your throat. You need to breathe all the crap out of the lungs before you refill them, think about it, this is basic shit you should know.
Your blood fills up with Carbon Dioxide, dumps it in the lungs, you get rid of it by breathing out, if you don’t empty your lungs how can you replenish the oxygen in the muscles.
Focus on your breath, it will pay dividends.
Core
Without a strong core you have squat, I’m not talking 6 pack or a Muscle Mary, it’s developing core strength that you can build your endurance on. The following are photos of the exercises I do to develop my core, I know people have different name for them, don’t argue with me, just shut the fuck up and do them! Two or three times a week should do it, you must breathe with these exercises.
(I haven't got the room on this blog for the photos, look them up you idle twat)
The Plank, keep the body rigid for 6 normal breaths, do it 6 times and for fucks sake breathe…( insert photo here)
The Banana, lay on your side, find your balance, lift your legs and stretch down with your arm, hold for 6 breaths, do it 6 times. …( insert photo here)
The Sky Diver, onto your belly, lift your arms up and back at the same time as lifting your legs, 6 by 6. …( insert photo here)
Spotty Dog (gotta be over 40 to get that one), like the Sky Diver only opposite arm and leg, 6 by 6. …( insert photo here)
Mini-ups, like sit ups, but again just come up about 6 inches, watch your back and hold for 6 by 6. …( insert photo here)
This is not a substitute for weight training, you idle twat, it complements it.
Nutrition
Here’s some thing for you to think about, training does not make you faster or stronger. Training + recovery + right nutrition, will. Think about it, if you put shit fuel in a Formula One race car, it’s ain’t gonna run right, right!
Run your own car on too lean or too rich, a mixture and you get shit mileage, and/or a fucked up engine,
Think about it, you are that engine! Shit in = Shit out. I’m not talking about becoming a diet freak, just common sense. If you eat nothing but junk food, chips, burgers, kebabs, fry ups, vast quantities of booze, don’t expect the kind of recovery you get with Right eating. Plenty of clean carbs good balance of clean protein and a little good fat. Throw away the fucking frying pan! Stop living on take aways.
The ‘Eat all you can’ sign in restaurants is not a challenge, but it is fun, I’ve been to places with friends who where in heavy training like myself, after a while they ask us to ease up cos there are other people that would like to eat at the buffet, cool. Another time at a pasta party I was asked to put food back if I wasn’t going to eat it, Fucking muppet.
Clean carbs.
Pasta, bread, potatoes, rice (brown or white), sweet potatoes, loads of veggies, just don’t cover them in fats.
Clean protein.
Chicken, steak(lean), fish if you eat flesh, Quorn, TVP, cottage cheese if your Veggi. Again no fats.
Clean fats.
Peanut butter, olive oil, grapeseed oil. All used in moderation.
Lots of fluids, fuck off, that’s not an excuse to drink beer and claim your carbo loading, I tried that one, ended up in AA. Drink water, juices (if you can afford a juicer even better), energy drinks before, during and after training. Hydration is paramount.
My diet was really fucked up until my coach got hold of it, sorted me out a treat. Still inhale food 6 times a day, 4,500 – 5,000 calories a day in peak weeks. I’m a veggi, even so, don’t come near me when I’m eating unless you want to pull back a fucking stump, I think nothing of destroying a fully loaded Veggi pizza the size and thickness of a toilet seat on my own as a snack, you’ve gotta feed the machine!
Try to eat every 3 hours or so, it doesn’t have to be a full meal, just keep the stomach on idle, Fruit or energy bars to snack on during the day are good, small and regular through out the day, my last meal is about 10 o’clock at night, usually a peanut butter and banana sarni washed down with a protein shake, if your head is telling you, you can’t eat that late, look out side your front door, me and Ray Liotta are waiting there to pistol whip you, just like in the film Goodfellows, you pussy.
Friday, 11 September 2009
Second installment, this is just as abusive as the first, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED, if you're just starting to read this, scroll down to read the earlier missives.
JFT Graham
JFT (Just fucking train)
I have a T-shirt from Animal pak that has the logo “Shut the fuck up and train” that kinda sums it all up, this is not abuse, it’s a simple fact, if you want to train, you train like your life depended on it, every length you swim, every mile you bike and run takes you closer to your dream being realised. Remember, an unfulfilled dream is just mental masturbation. Fuck every thing else, nothing matters other than the session, no bills, no family problems, no office politics, not what you’re going to eat, no Tesco shopping, no he said/ she said shit, come training with me and start that crap and I’ll bitch slap you like you’re ginger.
Every time you train, mentally light that internal fuse that ignites the fire storm inside, have you ever seen Thermite burn, become an animal, you’re not doing this to impress any one, so fuck ‘em, if they come out with the usual shit “It’s not good for you” ask them if they’ve looked in the mirror lately cos it’s usually said by a lardy cunt, or the classic “Don’t you think your doing too much” ask them what their experience of doing an Ironman is, if they’ve never done one repeat these words “BITE ME”, accept experience not thoughts, keep the focus going no matter what, when the internal critic starts up with all the negative crap, mentally bite it in the face and laugh out loud. If you have no control over any thing else, you control your training!. Accept nothing but your best, every session is your last one, so enjoy it.
There will be times when you push yourself so hard that you dump your last meal all over the bars of your turbo trainer or into the gutter at the end of the swim lane, when your head hurts and your lungs burn, when you run so hard you have sparkly bits in front of your eyes or your ears ring from oxygen debt so that the people talking to you sound like they are talking in a fucking tunnel, you have to micro-pore tape your nipples cos they’re bleeding, when you have to come down the stairs backward cos you quads are jelly, when you’ve been in the saddle so long there is no feeling in your genitals, remember I FEEL THAT SHIT TOO.
Find out what fires you up, for me it certain music, memories of going over the finish line, things that piss me off, people that I feel resentful to or hate, some things that are to dark to print. Some are really emotional, like how those who support me put themselves out for me, that shit really brings a lump to my throat. I gather that energy up and throw it on the fire, Burn! mother fucker Burn!. Energy is energy, use it constructively to take you closer to your dream.
Get you self a coach, someone who knows what it’s about and won’t take your shit, I guarantee you will improve beyond your wildest dreams. A coach can look at what you’re doing from a different angle and spot things you can’t, best thing I ever did was to get a coach, solid training.
When Daley Thompson was asked why he trained 4 times on Christmas Day, his answer was a simple one, ‘Cos my rivals only trained 3 times’. Do you understand yet? This is it your one shot at immortality, don’t fuck it up. You know that you can train harder, so you do. There are no limits to how much you can do, the only limiter is you. You will force yourself to do that last 400mts swim interval or the last mile of a run/bike, to the best of your abilities, no-one else. This is your commitment to greatness and I want you to succeed. When you finish a hard session, make sure that everyone who was training with you knows it. You want everyone leaving there to be afraid to train with you.” Fuck that, I ain't training with G4, he pushes all the fucking time”. I love to hear those words.Training hard does not mean running a marathon every session or riding a century every time you go out. Just because you train like an Animal doesn't mean you should destroy yourself. Train hard, work till you get the results you require, then stop. Recovery is your friend, if you’re recovering do it with focus. I have had loads of people asking me how do you get used to doing six hour rides, it’s simple, get on your bike and ride away from your house for 3 hours , turn round and ride back. You ride for six fucking hours, there’s no short cuts, endurance is endurance is endurance.
How do you know it’s going well? Look inside, be honest, you know the truth, Coach Troy came out with a good one “Remember you don’t cheat me you only cheat yourself” that one really hits home, when I want to back off, those words ring in my ears. When people that know me tell me I’m looking a little gaunt, that’s good, it means that I am coming down to race weight , that’s another thing, instead of paying thousands of pounds to lighten you road bike, drop some fucking lard, works out a lot cheaper.
How do you know when you’ve done too much, if you hear the words “ Oh, he’s coming round now” back off a bit, another clue is, piss should not be brown and burn when you pass it and finally you should not be shitting blood. It’s OK to throw up, but not pass out.
‘Being your best’ has fuck all to do with beating anyone or being faster than so and so, it’s about looking inside and knowing that you gave that session your best shot, whether it was a hard session or a recovery one, know that it was the best you could do. Don’t let the Ego get in the way, I remember coming back off a 70 mile bike, after giving it my all, warming down over the last mile, when some 10 year old on a BMX says “ wanna race, mate? “ I gave him my best Paddington Bear hard stare and replied “ Piss off, before I push you off.”, patience is one of my strong points along with eloquence.
Do not mistake arrogance for confidence, we have confidence that borders on arrogance, nobody likes a dick, even a big one. It only takes one miss directed out burst to turn every one against you, learn to become humble with those that support and train with you, always thank people for training/racing with you, even if they are wankers. The fire that burns inside is yours, don’t externalise it, don’t waste it, harness it for that next training session. One other thing, always thank marshals and volunteers, if it wasn’t for them you couldn’t race, they do this for free. Learn humility, learn to grow, do some marshalling,
JFT Graham
JFT (Just fucking train)
I have a T-shirt from Animal pak that has the logo “Shut the fuck up and train” that kinda sums it all up, this is not abuse, it’s a simple fact, if you want to train, you train like your life depended on it, every length you swim, every mile you bike and run takes you closer to your dream being realised. Remember, an unfulfilled dream is just mental masturbation. Fuck every thing else, nothing matters other than the session, no bills, no family problems, no office politics, not what you’re going to eat, no Tesco shopping, no he said/ she said shit, come training with me and start that crap and I’ll bitch slap you like you’re ginger.
Every time you train, mentally light that internal fuse that ignites the fire storm inside, have you ever seen Thermite burn, become an animal, you’re not doing this to impress any one, so fuck ‘em, if they come out with the usual shit “It’s not good for you” ask them if they’ve looked in the mirror lately cos it’s usually said by a lardy cunt, or the classic “Don’t you think your doing too much” ask them what their experience of doing an Ironman is, if they’ve never done one repeat these words “BITE ME”, accept experience not thoughts, keep the focus going no matter what, when the internal critic starts up with all the negative crap, mentally bite it in the face and laugh out loud. If you have no control over any thing else, you control your training!. Accept nothing but your best, every session is your last one, so enjoy it.
There will be times when you push yourself so hard that you dump your last meal all over the bars of your turbo trainer or into the gutter at the end of the swim lane, when your head hurts and your lungs burn, when you run so hard you have sparkly bits in front of your eyes or your ears ring from oxygen debt so that the people talking to you sound like they are talking in a fucking tunnel, you have to micro-pore tape your nipples cos they’re bleeding, when you have to come down the stairs backward cos you quads are jelly, when you’ve been in the saddle so long there is no feeling in your genitals, remember I FEEL THAT SHIT TOO.
Find out what fires you up, for me it certain music, memories of going over the finish line, things that piss me off, people that I feel resentful to or hate, some things that are to dark to print. Some are really emotional, like how those who support me put themselves out for me, that shit really brings a lump to my throat. I gather that energy up and throw it on the fire, Burn! mother fucker Burn!. Energy is energy, use it constructively to take you closer to your dream.
Get you self a coach, someone who knows what it’s about and won’t take your shit, I guarantee you will improve beyond your wildest dreams. A coach can look at what you’re doing from a different angle and spot things you can’t, best thing I ever did was to get a coach, solid training.
When Daley Thompson was asked why he trained 4 times on Christmas Day, his answer was a simple one, ‘Cos my rivals only trained 3 times’. Do you understand yet? This is it your one shot at immortality, don’t fuck it up. You know that you can train harder, so you do. There are no limits to how much you can do, the only limiter is you. You will force yourself to do that last 400mts swim interval or the last mile of a run/bike, to the best of your abilities, no-one else. This is your commitment to greatness and I want you to succeed. When you finish a hard session, make sure that everyone who was training with you knows it. You want everyone leaving there to be afraid to train with you.” Fuck that, I ain't training with G4, he pushes all the fucking time”. I love to hear those words.Training hard does not mean running a marathon every session or riding a century every time you go out. Just because you train like an Animal doesn't mean you should destroy yourself. Train hard, work till you get the results you require, then stop. Recovery is your friend, if you’re recovering do it with focus. I have had loads of people asking me how do you get used to doing six hour rides, it’s simple, get on your bike and ride away from your house for 3 hours , turn round and ride back. You ride for six fucking hours, there’s no short cuts, endurance is endurance is endurance.
How do you know it’s going well? Look inside, be honest, you know the truth, Coach Troy came out with a good one “Remember you don’t cheat me you only cheat yourself” that one really hits home, when I want to back off, those words ring in my ears. When people that know me tell me I’m looking a little gaunt, that’s good, it means that I am coming down to race weight , that’s another thing, instead of paying thousands of pounds to lighten you road bike, drop some fucking lard, works out a lot cheaper.
How do you know when you’ve done too much, if you hear the words “ Oh, he’s coming round now” back off a bit, another clue is, piss should not be brown and burn when you pass it and finally you should not be shitting blood. It’s OK to throw up, but not pass out.
‘Being your best’ has fuck all to do with beating anyone or being faster than so and so, it’s about looking inside and knowing that you gave that session your best shot, whether it was a hard session or a recovery one, know that it was the best you could do. Don’t let the Ego get in the way, I remember coming back off a 70 mile bike, after giving it my all, warming down over the last mile, when some 10 year old on a BMX says “ wanna race, mate? “ I gave him my best Paddington Bear hard stare and replied “ Piss off, before I push you off.”, patience is one of my strong points along with eloquence.
Do not mistake arrogance for confidence, we have confidence that borders on arrogance, nobody likes a dick, even a big one. It only takes one miss directed out burst to turn every one against you, learn to become humble with those that support and train with you, always thank people for training/racing with you, even if they are wankers. The fire that burns inside is yours, don’t externalise it, don’t waste it, harness it for that next training session. One other thing, always thank marshals and volunteers, if it wasn’t for them you couldn’t race, they do this for free. Learn humility, learn to grow, do some marshalling,
Thursday, 10 September 2009
As we are coming to the end of the season, not a lot of training is happening, it's all recovery stuff.
I decided to post some thing I wrote a few years ago for those interested in moving up to ironman events, I warn you now, there is a LOT of swearing and abuse, if you are offended by such, do not read any further.
I'll publish it in sections, if you nick any of it at least credit me.
Graham
I decided to post some thing I wrote a few years ago for those interested in moving up to ironman events, I warn you now, there is a LOT of swearing and abuse, if you are offended by such, do not read any further.
I'll publish it in sections, if you nick any of it at least credit me.
Graham
The Long Road Ahead
So you have seen an Ironman Triathlon and now want to do one, you’re all fired up with enthusiasm and ready to go, inspired by what you saw. That incredible effort of mind over body, watching people go to the very edge.
Just think 2.4 mile swim, 112mile bike and 26.2 mile marathon to finish.
Sorry unless you have already done one you can’t, you haven’t got the time or the discipline, you couldn’t commit the next year to eighteen months to the training, you couldn’t do that distance, especially in the time allotted, what about your girlfriend/boyfriend, wife/husband, children, friends, social life then there’s the holiday in Ibiza, you have work commitments, just add to the list……….
That’s not me talking that’s your internal critic, listen, the little voice that whispers that you’re useless, hopeless, worthless anything that ends in less. That is what will stop you from achieving your dreams, not my abuse, that’s here to light the fire that will burn like a forest fire inside you and drive you to achieve your dream.
If you read the glossies that tell you how to be a ‘real man’, how to get a six pack in 6 weeks, how to pull the partner of you dreams, tell you what to eat to be desirable, fuck off, it’s all mental masturbation, you’re being controlled and manipulated to take on a life you don’t need, fuck ‘em, I’m here to destroy that.
If on the other hand your inner voice went ‘Fuck yeah, lets do it’, welcome to my world, blood, sweat, tears, pain, cramps, micropore taped nipples, an emotional roller coaster you would not believe, and a feeling that only you can experience when you cross the finish line and every time you pull on your finishers T-shirt, that one day of pain and suffering for a life long shit eating grin.
Had a guy, I work with, ask me to scrounge him a finisher T-shirt, just so he could wear it in the Gym, didn’t have to say a word, everyone in the office ripped into him. Fucking speed bump, wanna be.
If your content with ‘doing’ the occasional Fun Run or go swimming 2 or 3 times a week, but all you do is hang on the gutter at the end of the lane and talk to your friend, great, fuck off and do ‘em, I’m talking Hard Core Training, when all the others are rotting their brains watching the box on a dark winter night, I’m finishing a 3hr Turbo session and just going for a 6 mile warm down run or while others are tucked up at 7am in a nice warm bed on a cold, rainy Saturday morning I’m doing a 15ml run then gulping down protein drinks that taste like liquid shit, driving a 30mile round trip to the nearest pool that will put up a lane for me when the kids are off school.
We are talking dedication to a sport, there’s no bullshitting in Ironman, you make it to the start line or wuss out, and you’ve gotta believe me I’m talking from experience , 05 Longest Day saw me going into the water with a pulled back muscle, still made it to 13mls into the run, we’ll cover DNF in a later chapter.
To be even fit for an Ironman needs a good base, most don’t ‘race’ until they have 2 or 3 Ironman races under their belt, the first ones are just survival events, as I write this, in 2005, I’m 52 and just finishing my 20th year in Tri’s. It took me 16 years of racing and training to have the bollocks to have a proper go at the Ironman, and all I can tell you is they are fucking great, I don’t care how long you’ve been doing the shorter events nothing compares to finishing an Ironman.
So what do I need to do an Ironman, heart of a lion, stamina of an ox, the brain of a jelly fish and a fucking good sense of humour, lets face it if you can’t laugh at the stupidity of the distances you are going to die, one way or another, so gather up all the romantic images you have of this race and along with your inner critic and flush ‘em down the shitter for a couple of years.
So you have seen an Ironman Triathlon and now want to do one, you’re all fired up with enthusiasm and ready to go, inspired by what you saw. That incredible effort of mind over body, watching people go to the very edge.
Just think 2.4 mile swim, 112mile bike and 26.2 mile marathon to finish.
Sorry unless you have already done one you can’t, you haven’t got the time or the discipline, you couldn’t commit the next year to eighteen months to the training, you couldn’t do that distance, especially in the time allotted, what about your girlfriend/boyfriend, wife/husband, children, friends, social life then there’s the holiday in Ibiza, you have work commitments, just add to the list……….
That’s not me talking that’s your internal critic, listen, the little voice that whispers that you’re useless, hopeless, worthless anything that ends in less. That is what will stop you from achieving your dreams, not my abuse, that’s here to light the fire that will burn like a forest fire inside you and drive you to achieve your dream.
If you read the glossies that tell you how to be a ‘real man’, how to get a six pack in 6 weeks, how to pull the partner of you dreams, tell you what to eat to be desirable, fuck off, it’s all mental masturbation, you’re being controlled and manipulated to take on a life you don’t need, fuck ‘em, I’m here to destroy that.
If on the other hand your inner voice went ‘Fuck yeah, lets do it’, welcome to my world, blood, sweat, tears, pain, cramps, micropore taped nipples, an emotional roller coaster you would not believe, and a feeling that only you can experience when you cross the finish line and every time you pull on your finishers T-shirt, that one day of pain and suffering for a life long shit eating grin.
Had a guy, I work with, ask me to scrounge him a finisher T-shirt, just so he could wear it in the Gym, didn’t have to say a word, everyone in the office ripped into him. Fucking speed bump, wanna be.
If your content with ‘doing’ the occasional Fun Run or go swimming 2 or 3 times a week, but all you do is hang on the gutter at the end of the lane and talk to your friend, great, fuck off and do ‘em, I’m talking Hard Core Training, when all the others are rotting their brains watching the box on a dark winter night, I’m finishing a 3hr Turbo session and just going for a 6 mile warm down run or while others are tucked up at 7am in a nice warm bed on a cold, rainy Saturday morning I’m doing a 15ml run then gulping down protein drinks that taste like liquid shit, driving a 30mile round trip to the nearest pool that will put up a lane for me when the kids are off school.
We are talking dedication to a sport, there’s no bullshitting in Ironman, you make it to the start line or wuss out, and you’ve gotta believe me I’m talking from experience , 05 Longest Day saw me going into the water with a pulled back muscle, still made it to 13mls into the run, we’ll cover DNF in a later chapter.
To be even fit for an Ironman needs a good base, most don’t ‘race’ until they have 2 or 3 Ironman races under their belt, the first ones are just survival events, as I write this, in 2005, I’m 52 and just finishing my 20th year in Tri’s. It took me 16 years of racing and training to have the bollocks to have a proper go at the Ironman, and all I can tell you is they are fucking great, I don’t care how long you’ve been doing the shorter events nothing compares to finishing an Ironman.
So what do I need to do an Ironman, heart of a lion, stamina of an ox, the brain of a jelly fish and a fucking good sense of humour, lets face it if you can’t laugh at the stupidity of the distances you are going to die, one way or another, so gather up all the romantic images you have of this race and along with your inner critic and flush ‘em down the shitter for a couple of years.
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