Ryan Schneider's Diary of Ironman Training & Life in General
My Fortius Racing coach, Gerardo Barrios, texted the above to me last week after asking if I had finished my Bandit 30k Ultra Trail Run race report. I hadn't started it yet. It's easy to go with the "I'm busy" excuse even if it's true. But it's not like I didn't know what happened in my race.
Read MoreUntil this past weekend at Ironman Arizona, I thought the concept of “the perfect race” was a fallacy. There is no such thing. Especially with my bad luck finding good weather, not to mention past nutrition foibles, pacing problems, occasionally gloomy mental outlook and all the other “little” things that can add up to a major malfunction on race day if not addressed properly.
Read MoreI promised my friend Ryan (not me, I promise) I'd send him an email about how I might prepare for Ironman Lake Tahoe based on completing the event. For Ryan and the rest of you considering IMLT '14, here's my advice.
Read MoreBewilderment.
That is what I feel three days removed from the physically hardest and most mentally draining sporting event I've ever completed. Of course, I'm talking about Ironman Lake Tahoe. And yes, I finished Ironman St. George in 2012, when I felt like the Wilson volleyball from Castaway during the tempestuous swim and bike portions. There is no debate for me -- Tahoe was tougher. I never wanted to quit in Utah. I'd sign up for St. George in a heart beat if the World Triathlon Corporation re-instated the full-distance triathlon.
Read MoreI read an article yesterday from a pro triathlete whom I admire, Jesse Thomas. He's super freaky fast (a former Stanford steeplechase racer) and he's an entrepreneur. Not easy to juggle both, along with being a new father. The gist of the story was about how he uses mantras to help him perform better. I'm no stranger to mantras. I used one to get through the marathon at Ironman Coeur d'Alene, in fact. But what would my mantra be for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas next weekend? I've been thinking about this while training the past few days, now that my attention is solely focused on this monumental triathlon. The theme I can't get out of my head is the usual one -- overcoming the odds to hang alongside the elite. And there's no better movie for me to visually express my feelings than Rudy.
Read MoreWhen I was in a college fraternity, "brotherhood" largely meant drinking and doing stupid things together, and having your buddy's back in a barfight. Nearly 20 years later, on a picturesque Santa Barbara morning, "brotherood" took on new meaning. Certainly something more special, and far more real than the concept we thought we understood it to be during chapter meetings.
Read MoreI have a Whitney Houston song stuck in my head.
Seriously.
When my sister celebrated her bat mitzvah, "One Moment in Time" was the song she chose as the theme music for her childhood photo montage during the reception. I never told her, or anyone, but that song -- that moment -- struck a chord with me...no pun intended. Maybe it was the cute photos on the screen as the music played. Or the words themselves. But I've never forgotten how I felt when I watched my sister's video more than 20 years ago. It made Dana seem larger than life. And the power of the lyrics and Houston's voice made me feel invincible even though it wasn't even my special day.
Read MoreI had no idea what to expect driving to the Sierra Nevada range for the June Lake triathlon. Expectations got me in trouble for Ironman 70.3 Boise. I've since learned that when coming back from an injury of any type, expectations are fairly meaningless. Data can tell you one thing -- or maybe what you want it to tell you, but unless you're racing exactly where you train in the same weather conditions, anything is possible. Expectations just cloud the truth, which is this: Your body and mind are either ready to race...or they're not. I made a decision after Boise to stop worrying about how I'd race and just focus on the training. Focus on one workout at a time, that is. The upside of that is that every day brings a new chance for growth and improvement. The downside is that you can forget to see the metaphorical forest while you're lost amidst the trees. In this case, the very large pine trees near the Nevada border up at 8,000 feet.
Read MoreT1: Upon exiting the water, I ran to the carpeted ramp towards the bikes to have my wetsuit stripped. And was dragged along the carpet at least five feet by two teenagers who couldn't get the suit off my feet! I don't have particularly large feet either. The spectators roared with laughter and I did too. Hilarity amid total intensity. Perhaps this is the final sign though that I need to trim my wetsuit at the calves to make it easier to remove.
Read MoreIt's one thing to write about the Ironman Blues for triathlon websites. It's another to experience them in gruesome detail. Such were the past few days following what I had perhaps erroneously concluded was a disappointing Ironman 70.3 Boise.
When I define "disappointing," I mean failing to realize either an objective, an understanding or an achievement where all signs pointed to being able to do so. In the case of Ironman 70.3 Boise, the latter part of my definition is key, as you'll see. As a result of grasping that distinction, I'm no longer as bummed about Boise.
Read MoreRyan Schneieder is the IronMadMan
