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Ironman training is very social: master’s swims, long rides and runs, track workouts. With almost complete unanimity, they talk about the people: the camaraderie and the bond that they feel with other Ironman triathletes. Though the above benefits are important, they are not what Ironman triathletes talk about most when I ask them why they race Ironman distance. And you can get great joy (the tri-high!) out of your Ironman experience. Ironman can teach you lessons about patience, perseverance, persistence, and resilience that can benefit you in your work, relationships, and other aspects of your life.
#IRON MAN COMPETITION HOW TO#
It can inspire you, give you confidence, improve your focus, show you how to deal with emotions, and help you learn to overcome adversity.
#IRON MAN COMPETITION FREE#
Ironman can offer you physical and mental challenges that can free you to test yourself in other areas of your life. There are many good reasons for doing an Ironman. If you are doing an Ironman for the wrong reasons, it is simply not the answer to the questions that you are probably asking yourself. Ironman will not stop you from running (and biking and swimming) away from your problems. If you are looking for answers to your life’s questions at the finish line, you will probably end up frustrated and unsatisfied because those answers will, likely, not be found in an Ironman. It is easy to be seduced by the allure of life change in triathlon everyone seems so happy and alive! Yet you may not feel that way and conclude that you just aren’t going far enough “If I’m not finding what I’m looking for at Sprint or Olympic distances, I must not being going long enough!” We meditate, practice yoga, and, yes, race triathlons. We also live in a society in which many people are looking for that elusive something called happiness, self-esteem, or inner peace. Everest! There is always a greater challenge harder courses, tougher conditions, faster competitors, more demanding events. Gosh, is Ironman even enough? Now there is Xterra, double Ironman races, Ultraman, Eco-Challenge, Mt.
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And if I feel that good doing a half, I’ll feel even better doing an Ironman.” But we often forget that, like most things, triathlon can have a point of diminishing returns longer distances won’t necessarily give you greater benefits in terms of enjoyment, fulfillment, meaning, or fitness. Triathletes can get in the trap of “If I feel good doing an Olympic distance, I’ll feel even better doing a half-Ironman. In this second part of the series, I’ll explore the “wrong” and “right” reasons for doing an Ironman.
#IRON MAN COMPETITION SERIES#
To help you decide whether you should do an Ironman, I’ve written a two-part series exploring what I have found to be the most important issues to consider (you can read Part I here). As a two-time Ironman finisher and a sport psychologist who works with triathletes, I encourage you to give careful thought to this question to make sure that, if you choose to do an Ironman, you do it for reasons that are healthy and beneficial. Particularly coming off the covid-interrupted 2020 season, you may feel this draw to be an Ironman even more strongly as it appears that the 2021 season may be “full on,” which for triathletes is the only medicine we really need.īut should you do an Ironman? Though training for and finishing an Ironman can be a positive, life-enriching experience, it can also be a source of personal, work, and social stress, a cause of injuries and other health problems, and a less than satisfying experience in which the costs outweigh the benefits. Putting in the training time, going the distance, crossing the line as an Ironman finisher (even qualifying for Kona!) are all heady stuff that can act as a Siren’s call for triathletes. Because of its status, the pull of doing an Ironman is strong for any triathlete who takes his or her participation seriously. Within triathlon, Ironman competitors are accorded a certain reverence. When I began doing triathlons, almost every non-tri person I met would ask if I had done an Ironman (that’s all they knew), as if that is the only badge of honor in our sport. It’s the “poster child” by which triathlon is known to the world at large.
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Ironman is the ultimate in triathlon competition.