Ryan Schneider's Diary of Ironman Training & Life in General
Be careful what you wish for.
That thought first crossed my mind midway through the first loop on the Ironman St. George bike course, right after sand blasts smacked my face from 30-40 mph wind gusts. After the wind blew me literally from one side of the road to the other. After the myriad leg-biting rolling hills yet before any of the three "big" climbs near the tiny towns of Gunlock and Veyo.
Read MoreThe bike is dropped at the reservoir. The run bag is at T2. The items on my three-day pre-race checklist have been checked.
Now, I wait.
I wait knowing that in 24 hours, I'll still be on the bike for up to another 30 minutes or so. I wait knowing that in several hours after that, this whole thing will be over for several months. No more races on my calendar until September. Possibly no more Ironmans (unless WTC comes through with an inaugural event in Tahoe or San Luis Obispo) until I qualify by lottery for Kona one day. 70.3 events? Sure! I'm down with that. Full Ironmans...we'll see.
Read MoreBefore I get started, I hope you've had a chance to read my latest Lava Magazine Online column, "Race for a Reason." It just came out yesterday so it's still relatively hot off the digital press.
Back to the blog at hand!
I drove 6.25 hours to my third Ironman today and was strangely calm. I almost got nervous because of how calm I actually felt. Where were the butterflies? The nervous energy? The excitement?! You'd think it would have hit me after driving through the Arizona gorges that precede the Utah border on I-15, with their ominous towering vertical faces staring down in intimidating fashion, but it didn't.
Read MoreIt took me about a week before I cut off the participants' blue wristband from my right wrist. I don't have a set amount of time I wait before doing something like that -- usually it depends on the race and my feelings about the experience. For IM California 70.3, I really basked in the achievement. Who knows how many races I have left? Why not soak it all in a bit longer before setting ahead on the next big challenge?
Read MorePart I: Roll With It, Baby
When I wrote my pre-race plan for this past weekend’s Ironman California 70.3 and included my best-case scenario goal of finishing with a 5:14:00, I didn’t think it really would happen. Too many things can go wrong in a longer race, or any race for that matter. No, a 5:25:00 would be far more likely, especially considering that teammates of mine whom I consider to be better triathletes finished the race last year closer to 5:30:00-5:40:00.
Read MoreI participated in a different type of endurance event this weekend. The first leg involved a 6.25 hour drive in traffic to St. George, Utah. After a slow 8-hour sleep T1, I rode 94 miles of the St. George Ironman bike course Saturday morning. I picked up the pace in T2 with a 45 minute lunch at the Pasta Factory in Ancestor Square and staggered into the third leg, the drive to Las Vegas and a bachelor party evening for my future brother-in-law, Craig. Then I drove home yesterday through a rain storm and snow flurries. All told, I drove around 700 miles, biked nearly 100, spent nearly ... well, a lot ... and learned a number of invaluable lessons for Ironman St. George. Below are my Top 5 Ironman St. George Bike Loop Lessons.
Read MoreI'm announcing something special tomorrow to all my friends and family but wanted you to know first. I'm so excited I just couldn't wait one more day or even one more hour to share.
When I signed up for Ironman St. George a week or so ago, I realized that I had an opportunity to do something special. Not just for myself, but for others too. See, all these miles add up, but for what? So I can be proud of myself? So that I could prove something to myself? Maybe at first, but it's not good enough anymore.
Read MoreAs some of you may know, I was in Austin, Texas this weekend for South by Southwest, the annual music, film, tech and gaming mash-up that brings smarties and hipsters together from all over the country. I spent my time trying to do three things there: 1) Get a sense of which way the marketing trend winds were blowing (answer: user experience is king)
Read MoreI signed up for Ironman St. George this past week. The event is two months away. Eight weeks. Five weeks of build and peak training left.
When I write these sentences and stare at the screen, I wonder what the heck I was thinking. And how it seemed like such a good idea at the time.
So, what the heck was I thinking?!
First and foremost, Ironman St. George has always called to me. It's arguably the toughest Ironman in the continental US -- even with the more forgiving run course. Ever since "tri-asshole" told me I could have picked a harder Ironman when I was getting ready for Ironman Arizona in 2010, I knew I had to prove something more to myself. I knew I couldn't quite feel satisfied with my Ironman accomplishments until I tackled IM St. George.
Read MoreWhat does it mean to "get better" in triathlon? Does it mean "go faster?" I think that would be the obvious response. But there's something else, something deeper.
No, to me getting better in triathlon means being smarter. By "smarter," I mean developing an innate sense of body awareness that transcends the data we gather on our sophisticated training devices.
Read MoreRyan Schneieder is the IronMadMan
