IM: A Novel Perspective

"The two hardest things in life to handle are failure and success."

I felt really ... lost after my IM. I needed the break physically and I didn't know what to DO with myself. Solution: get knocked up

Seriously, the IM comedown can be tough. Maybe find a different goal -- either non-tri related, or tri related but not IM (sub x in a HIM, etc.)

good luck !

Well, lets see.... From an IM standpoint, there is faster or other courses.  From an endurance sports standpoint, there are Xterras, ultras, etc, all which can be flavored with goal of getting faster.  From a life standpoint, there are other things to do like run a biz or charity work or take up another hobby.  Lots of options!

I have 2 under my belt and my focus was to go faster.  Having failed at that with a blow up on the run, I still have that carrot there.  It will still take work.  No, you cant have that feeling back of the unknown i.e. how am I going to survive this training program and this race etc, etc, but you can change up the goals for doing a race- go faster, do a course where i want to vacation too, do a tougher event, enjoy the race more this time around, etc, etc.  There is a ton of ways to make it more challenging or other events out there that make IM look like a tea party.  So decide what you want to do- go faster or longer or maybe its even take time off and do one every x years.  No IM is a cakewalk though.  You have the knowledge to tweak some things but you will likely get a completely different day with completely different challenges.  I think I learned more about myself in the 2nd one than the first as a matter of fact.

One other note- i have taken more to doing marys vs IM cuz of the time committment.  I have the capability to run that distance right about now every other week if i want to cuz my training cycles have me there.  However, I am planning on racing my race in two weeks as hard as i can.  I am nervous as hell cuz i respect the challenge and pain that is sure to come from racing it.  So, sure, you can get ready to 'do' and event and survive it or keep testing yourself.  Big difference and generally a never ending process.  See how much pain you can truly take if thats your thang.

Edited by jszat 2010-05-03 10:25 AM

Something you now realize is IM is a lifestyle and not a race.  If you focus on the race you'll be really let down.  IM raceday is a cake walk IF you have done the proper training and execute well a good race strategy...something you have experienced already.

I thought my first IM was such a cake walk (which really bothered me because I wanted it to be more and put it on a pedestal) I sat on the couch for 4 months then trained for 3 months and did another one...not as much of a cake walk...but still, totally doable with extremely minimal training.  I did it to try and "make" the 2nd IM "hard".  It was harder than the 1st one but still nothing as hard as I wanted it to be.

I went through the same feelings you have after those first couple IMs and that's one of the reasons I did the back to back IMs.  Even that's wasn't really all that challenging as I thought I would be. 

What I've come to realize is what you are beginning to realize....IM is nothing more than a race just like a wedding is nothing more than a day.

Wedding is a day and marriage is a lifestyle.
IM is a race and endurance training is a lifestyle.

I stress to all my first time IM athletes to NOT focus on IM raceday and rather focus on the training and making it part of your everyday "life".  IM is simply a celebration of fitness and the celebration of the commitment and sacrifices we made to get us to that day...nothing more.

Now once that's all said and done and you love the endurance lifestyle you can do "other" things like was mentioned (continue to PR IMs, do 50k/100k running races, 200mi rides, etc.)

What you are feeling is completely normal and common among almost all first timer IMers so just find the reason behind what you're doing and use it as a launching point.

Another athlete I'm coaching went through what you're feeling and he found Ultraman and he's also climbing the 7 summits...so you just have to find what YOU like about the endurance lifestyle and go with it.

Over the past 14 years I've been doing this sport it has taken me to things like 24 hour adventure races...which are a BLAST!  Maybe that's something you'd like.

Main thing to remember is IM is just a day and nothing more than that.  It's the training and lifestyle that makes you an endurance athlete, not finishing an IM; which you now well know that it's one of the easiest things to do (the training and sacrifices you must make for an IM are the hard parts...)


Edited by Steve- 2010-05-03 9:38 PM

Well, now that I'm a "two-time IM finisher" (and multiple marathoner, HIM finisher, blah, blah, blah), I've come to the realization that I really miss the days when I just ran cuz I loved running and could go out and throw down a fast 5K or 10K once in a while to satisfy my competitive appetite when I needed to.

I have a couple tri's coming up later in the year that I had to sign up for way in advance that I'm committed to, but I think the "what else" there is for me right now is to get back to a bit more simplicity--and maybe sanity--in my training load for awhile, now that I've proved to myself that I can handle an IM.  There's still the possibility of trying for Boston next year, but even that isn't as seductive as it was six months ago...probably done with goals for awhile.  (Definitely not interested in "topping" the IM experience with anything "bigger.")

After you get over the mystique of the first Ironman there is definitely some evaluation to be done.  For some, that is all they wanted which is fine.  For me, there was a down period after my first Ironman but after some R&R I realized I wanted to continue running ultras and competing in Ironman races.

I have come to the realization that the "races" are just goals to help get my butt out the door for workouts and measurements to evaluate how my fitness is coming along.  For me it is a little easier to stay committed because I am fighting a weight problem.  I lost 60 pounds for my first Ironman and really enjoyed the way I felt and the way the world looked at me.  After my first Ironman I quickly gained 20 pounds in two months.  I came to the conclusion the being "thinner" and in shape was something just as important to my "bucket list" as the races themselves.  I also realized that there is no way I could meet this goal by diet alone.  

If I did not have the fear of fat driving me I am not sure if I would be able to keep going.  I love the rewards of the workout but I really love my couch too.  I agree that you can finish an Ironman on minimal training but once you get past that you have to push a little bit harder if you want to see just what your body and mind are capable of.  As Ricky Bobby would say....."I WANNA GO FAST!!!!"

Congrats on your Ironman Finish! 

I'm speechless. That's the ticket... the perspective I could sense but not articulate. Many (many) thank you's for your thoughts & patience to type them up. Really appreciate it.

Jjcbg, your weight problem is my unstable mood... endurance training--not the races--is what keeps me sane.

I think once you do your first IM the mystery and the fear of the unknown is gone - Can I do it? Did I train enough? What will it be like? all those questions are answered crossing the finish line.

I think finishing an IM give us confidence to know that at we are mentally and physically strong enough to conquer a challenge like that. 

IM training is a lifestyle. For me that sums it up pretty well. This is my lifestyle and I feel really good about my body and myself.

It is my sense of accomplishment I reflect on every time I stand at the waters edge for the start of a race, and every time I cross the finish line I am ready to do it all again, because I have accomplised one more of my goals.

I like living my double life as an Ironman.

The what else for me is Ultra's. I am working on checking things off my 'to do' list and Ultras are on the list. 

I hear that this is very common. 

And I'm already worried about it.  My Ironman isn't for 3 more months.

But the word "ultras" keeps ringing around in my head. 

"Main thing to remember is IM is just a day and nothing more than that.  It's the training and lifestyle that makes you an endurance athlete, not finishing an IM; which you now well know that it's one of the easiest things to do (the training and sacrifices you must make for an IM are the hard parts...)"

This is the point. Good luck.

These are big realizations.  One thing, looking back over the journey from couch to multiple IMs, that I'm really happy about was that I lost weight (75 lbs) first without the incentive of racing.  I made a commitment to daily exercise, lost most of the weight, then realized I was in shape to race.

The weight rebound after the big "bucket list" race is over is very common.  Having weight loss and maintenance at the top of the bucket list (and figuring out what tools...including racing...you need to achieve this) are really key in my experience.  I'm now six years into daily exercise/training and three years into successful weight maintenance (no yo-yo'ing) and finally am confident that if I was injured and couldn't ever race again, I'd still keep the weight off.  I'm actually more proud of that accomplishment than I am of the IM finishes.

my advice would be to stop doing this...like..as in immediately.   good luck

Edited by Birkierunner 2010-05-05 10:58 AM

I just finished my first IM--IMSG--on Saturday. It was a fantastic experience, and yes, I've had those feelings like I'm not sure what to do next. I, too, want this to be a lifestyle, since I enjoy it so much. I guess it's inevitable to go through this after such an event.

Relative to your last point. It really WAS the training that was the hardest part. Getting up in the dark winter months, riding my bike 95 miles in the freezing sleet/snow. At the pre-IM banquet Mike Reily or someone else congratulated us for just getting there. And it's so true. My IM was hard--the course is a bear--but in reality it wasn't as hard as the journey getting to that point. For me the day was a real celebration. I was so psyched to have made it to that event, that in a way the rest was just icing on the IM cake.

This is some seriously wise advice.  Well said, all the way around.

I'll just add one thought.  Instead of being frustrated that IM was not as challenging as you hoped, celebrate it.  It is similar to many other hard things in life.  I call it the "slaying the dragon" phenomenon.  There are some things that just scare us, for whatever reason:  quitting a bad job, applying for a job that seems out of reach, running a marathon, joining the military, starting a business, even having a really hard conversation with some one we love are examples of things that seem larger than they really are when we give them that power.  Then you go and do that thing, slay that dragon and suddenly realize it was never a dragon to begin with.  

Celebrate crossing one more dragon off your list.