Guinea Pig I am

  Self-Coaching can be an incredibly hard task. For some it comes naturally; for others it's impossible. It doesn't come naturally to me but I'm not convinced that it's impossible either. Quite a few triathletes coach themselves. Self-coaching is all I've got to work with. One of the hardest things about self-coaching is there isn't anyone to hold you accountable. No one cares whether I get up at 4am to get my workout in except for me. No one cares if I miss my long run of the week, except for me. No one cares if I have bad swim technique except for me. You get the point.

   The other challenge with self-coaching is not having an outside observer or rather a coach (stating the obvious); someone who is watching your technique, someone that can tell you're overtraining, someone who can pin-point a problem and has a solution, someone who thinks outside the box, someone with personal experience, someone who is always finding a new and improved way to help you become a better athlete.

   I have learned, as a self-coach, that it's important to ask for "outside observation" from experienced athletes who are either training with you or who are in the vicinity of your training field. People are usually willing to help and are very generous with their knowledge. Many wonderful, kind, knowledgeable athletes have been more than willing to help me out.  I appreciate every one's wisdom and advice.  It has been so valuable to surround myself with experienced Ironman. It can be intimidating but once you work up the nerves to workout/train with these people you figure out how accepting, friendly, and understanding they are. They have all been where you are...at the beginning.    

    Ironman training is unfamiliar ground to me. It adds a whole new dimension to training. You don't just swim, bike and run. What jumps out at me most regarding Ironman training (besides the obvious 140.6 miles you must cover) is how you MUST allow yourself recovery time, how you must increase mental toughness both for pain and duration, how you must practice fueling over the extent of the bike and run, and how you NEED a support group!!! 

  Recovery time is crucial and something I struggle with. It's so important for me to add recovery into my routine every 5-6 weeks. I still "train" just without high intensity and long distances. Recovery weeks leave me refreshed and ready to tackle another 5-6 weeks of solid training. Burn out is inevitable if recovery isn't included in Ironman training. I also religiously have a recovery day each week. It not only gives my body a physical break but also a mental break. I am still active on my recovery day but it's unstructured activity.

  Mental toughness must be strengthened over the extent of training by pushing through acute,non-threatening pain and by swimming/riding/running long distances without anyone around to talk to. It can be very hard. Long distances start to get monotonous and a bit boring to me but at the same time I often get in the zone and focus well. When discomfort starts to creep in I begin to doubt myself and wonder what I'm doing to my body, but then I just keep pushing. Sometimes the discomfort takes my mind off how far I have to go and helps time pass quickly. Sounds a bit weird and proves the insanity of it all. On the flip side pain can also make time stand still; you feel like you will never reach your destination. No matter what, it seems you will fight pain if not during the Ironman than during training. It's inevitable.

  Fueling is a whole new ball game for me. With sprint tri's I never take the time to fuel and find it very unnecessary. As long as I eat solid, wholesome meals the week before and I drink lots of water there is no need to fuel while sprinting...just go for all your worth. Ironman requires fueling and alot of it. You will crash and hit the brick wall if you don't fuel. The worst part is you probably won't get back up after you hit the wall. The challenge for me is figuring out what type of fuel my body can handle and at what mile I can start to eat on the bike and run. I have figured out I can not handle really sweet fuels. I love the gummies and I hate the gels. I can start to fuel on the bike fairly quickly but I have to wait until I'm 4 or 5 miles into the run until I can fuel. If I fuel too fast, too much or if I consume something too sweet I will see it again...not cool!!! Throwing up means loss of water so you lose the nutrients and H2O. I have also figured out that it's extremely important to dilute any fuel I consume. So if I have some gummies, etc they are followed up with a good dose of water. If I don't dilute it my tummy often becomes very upset. I still have much to learn about fueling and plan on posting more after a little trial and error.  So stay tuned.

  Every day I'm learning something new about self-coaching. Not only am I figuring out different motivational strategies, I'm also figuring out different ways to train, effects of nutrition on my training, the importance of a good nights sleep (even on the week-ends), and the importance of variation. I'm learning more about myself, my limitations, my capabilities (or lack of), when I self-doubt and why. The bottom line is I'm learning; simply learning and I have SO SO much more to learn!!! So teach me!!!