I posted this on a Triathlon Facebook Group I'm a part of, it ended up being quite long and I think the immediate post-race thoughts and then the more considered thoughts may be of interest to others. This is the first part:
So I just finished my first Ironman on the weekend and it doesn't feel like much of a big deal.
Going into it my goal was simply to finish. I had a rough idea of how long it should take me, but that was mainly just so my cheer squad knew when they should expect to see me, I'd made a point of not shooting for a specific time.
In the end, my swim was right on my prediction, bike was a little faster and run was a little slower so overall I came in at a little over 14hrs which was where I expected to be.
I'd been told to expect to feel like quitting etc. during the run and I'd have highs and lows. I didn't feel that way, I really didn't have any mental challenges or physical ones besides feeling a little light headed and like I was going to throw up at one point about 25km into the run which is when I started walking a bit more than just the aid stations.
Perhaps it's just because I know I could have pushed myself harder, but the whole point was to not push too hard so that I'd make it through. I don't feel like I tested my limits, maybe now I just know that my limits are mostly determined by my training?
Completing an Ironman has been a bit of a dream since I started triathlon and then more of a big goal for the last few years, leading up to this I was even planning to get the tattoo when I finished. But after completing it I feel like I didn't really train that hard and it didn't seem that hard to complete the actual event. I'm not saying this to talk myself up and I don't mean to downplay anyone else's achievement, I have no illusions of, or desires to be shooting for a Kona slot, I don't want to dedicate that much time and effort.
My attraction to triathlon and endurance events has always been "I wonder what else I can do" rather than "can I do it faster".
In short, everyone else seems very impressed with my achievement, but I'm just not and that's disappointing.
I guess the purpose of this post is to find out if others felt this way and if anyone has any insights or comments.
So I just finished my first Ironman on the weekend and it doesn't feel like much of a big deal.
Going into it my goal was simply to finish. I had a rough idea of how long it should take me, but that was mainly just so my cheer squad knew when they should expect to see me, I'd made a point of not shooting for a specific time.
In the end, my swim was right on my prediction, bike was a little faster and run was a little slower so overall I came in at a little over 14hrs which was where I expected to be.
I'd been told to expect to feel like quitting etc. during the run and I'd have highs and lows. I didn't feel that way, I really didn't have any mental challenges or physical ones besides feeling a little light headed and like I was going to throw up at one point about 25km into the run which is when I started walking a bit more than just the aid stations.
Perhaps it's just because I know I could have pushed myself harder, but the whole point was to not push too hard so that I'd make it through. I don't feel like I tested my limits, maybe now I just know that my limits are mostly determined by my training?
Completing an Ironman has been a bit of a dream since I started triathlon and then more of a big goal for the last few years, leading up to this I was even planning to get the tattoo when I finished. But after completing it I feel like I didn't really train that hard and it didn't seem that hard to complete the actual event. I'm not saying this to talk myself up and I don't mean to downplay anyone else's achievement, I have no illusions of, or desires to be shooting for a Kona slot, I don't want to dedicate that much time and effort.
My attraction to triathlon and endurance events has always been "I wonder what else I can do" rather than "can I do it faster".
In short, everyone else seems very impressed with my achievement, but I'm just not and that's disappointing.
I guess the purpose of this post is to find out if others felt this way and if anyone has any insights or comments.
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