BLUF: Truly, anything is possible. I wanted to share my experience training for, and finishing, my first Ironman races.

🏃‍♂️ Background

I would consider myself somewhat of an athlete. I am 29M, 6'2" and about 225lbs. I was as a D1 track and cross country runner and specialized in the 800 so I have experience and am comfortable with with long runs around 12-16 miles. This was almost 10 years ago, and since graduating, I've eased off the athletic pedal (for context, I was racing around 185lbs back then). I sporadically go through training phases focusing on different areas (powerlifting, F45 functional fitness, some time on a Peloton, rucking, running off and on, etc.), but I have never been one to do any consistent endurance training. I have run a single marathon in just under 4 hours back in 2024 with only about 4 runs in the month leading up to the race. I would say I am an okay swimmer, but I've never had any real training, and I had absolutely zero experience biking.

🚴‍♂️ The (Unstructured) Build-Up

Late last year, I decided to start training for a triathlon. I was moving down to Florida, heard they were big down there, and thought it would be fun. I was getting back into running and started swimming at the local pool for maybe 2 months or so before moving. Once I got down to Florida, it was just running, as I couldn't find a reliable pool nearby. Come December, I finally found a bike on Facebook Marketplace and picked up an indoor trainer. I didn't want to ride out on the roads as I wasn't comfortable and didn't want to get hit by a car.

From January through April, almost all of my training was running and biking on the trainer with the occasional strength training. I was getting comfortable going long distances on the trainer, doing maybe 1.5-2 hours. I knew I wasn't the strongest or fastest, but once I got into my comfortable groove, I could keep going for a while.

🤔 The Crazy Idea

At the beginning of the year, I had signed up for the Florida Gulf Coast 70.3 on May 9 since it was just down the road from me. I knew the swim would be a totally new experience as I had no open water swimming experience and no actual road biking time. However, I knew if I could finish those two, I could will my way through a half marathon. As my unstructured training continued, I started gaining more confidence on the bike. I had found a pool nearby, but the hours were pretty bad, so I wasn't going consistently.

During my training, I completed a 3-hour ride on the trainer and felt great afterwards. This gave me a rush of confidence and piqued my curiosity: if I could ride for 3 hours, could I ride for a full 140.6? In the spur of the moment, about mid-way through April, I signed up for Ironman Jacksonville on May 16. All my friends and family thought I was crazy, but all I could think about was, "Let's see what we can do."

Leading up to the race, I would say I had maybe 5 swims total since the beginning of the year with my longest swim being about a mile in an hour last fall. I also only took my bike out for a real ride outside once, going for about 90 minutes. Running was the most consistent training I was doing, but my longest runs were about 8 miles a few weeks ago and a casual 13-miler in February. Nothing anywhere close to a full marathon. I was unsure how the events would go, but I was confident in my ability to push myself through most obstacles.

🌊 Race 1: Gulf Coast 70.3

The day of the 70.3 called for choppy water and rain, so the swim was cut to about 800m. Thankfully it didn't go any longer because that was probably one of the worst experiences I've ever had swimming. It felt like I was drowning, I couldn't focus on my breathing, and I spent half the swim on my back jellyfishing. A grueling 17-ish minutes before starting the bike.

For it being only my second-ever bike ride outside, I really enjoyed it. I was cruising at my desired speed, making good conversation with others, and finished in about 3 hours. I recognize that's a bit on the slower side, but again, I met my expectations considering all the newness and had a good time. Then I jogged it in for just under 2 hours for the half marathon in a torrential downpour that started during the run. Overall, I finished just under 6 hours and was happy and eager to see how the full 140.6 would go. I spent a few days recovering (active recovery walking around Disney World for a few days to celebrate) and got a single 3-mile run in on Friday before the full.

💀 Race 2: The Full 140.6 (One Week Later)

The day of Jacksonville, I was once again nervous, especially given how the swim started the week before. I jumped in and this swim was butter smooth. I finished in just around 70 minutes (granted the current did most of the work), had very controlled breathing, and aside from continuously drifting off course, I really enjoyed it while setting a PR in longest swim.

Now comes the darkest part of it all. I knew the bike would be the biggest factor, but I could not have been any less prepared for the dark place I went to on this one. Around mile 25-30, I was already 2 hours in and facing the daunting 90 miles ahead of me. My pacing was slower than anticipated and I will never know if it was due to my body still recovering, the road not being as fast as Panama City, or the wind. Either way, I chugged along at around 14mph the entire time.

The first 50 or so miles weren't bad as there were folks completing their second loop of the course nearby, but once I turned for my second loop, I was in no man's land. I hardly, if ever, saw anyone nearby, and the hours crawled by. Miles 50 through 80 were agonizing as this was the farthest I have ever ridden beyond 56 miles a week prior and I was alone with my thoughts as the fears started creeping in if I would finish in time. I had made the cutoff time for the second loop with about an hour buffer, but that window slowly started closing. I was taking small breaks at aid stations to ice down, refill, and stretch a bit. I also took time around mile 70 to stop and help an athlete who was suffering from heat exhaustion. I gave her spare water and called her an ambulance, which used up maybe 5-10 minutes. Once I made the turn at 80 miles back towards the city, I started to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The wind was at my back and I started moving again. I had maybe a 15-20 minute buffer before I had to be back at transition to start the run. I ended up finishing just over 8 hours which absolutely blew my mind what I had just accomplished that and my body was in the saddle for that long and I just doubles my longest ever bike distance on my 3rd ever outdoor ride. I was nervous, but the confidence was growing that I could make it.

Once I made it back, I started the run, and that's when the confidence that I could actually do this started building after each mile. For the first 8-mile loop, I was shaking the legs out and jogging/shuffling most of it. Come the second loop, I knew I would finish barring any unexpected injuries, so I played it very safe and walked/shuffled most of the second and third lap, taking in the experience and talking with other athletes. There was only a minor panic when I heard someone talking about the cutoff time to start the final lap and when I had to finish the race. I thought we had to be done by 2 AM but was unaware of the 17-hour rule. However, once I started the final lap, I knew all I had to do was be faster than a 20 min/mile pace. I ended up finishing right around 16:30 and was declared an Ironman.

🏆 Final Thoughts

Overall, it was a humbling and incredible experience, and I definitely learned a lot about myself and what I am capable of. All things considered, I'm suprised I limped off with only a knee that feels like it's about to pop and general soreness. Sure, I could have had a more structured training plan and attacked this better, but my biggest takeaway was to just keep pushing. I was nowhere near being a fast swimmer or biker, but as long as I kept doing what I was doing, I only had to beat my own mind to finish.

I am grateful for the experiences and the folks I met during my races. I am unsure if I will ever do another full (maybe a half if I get bored enough), but I hope that this ramble serves as an example that you are more capable than you think you are, and the biggest hurdle is often yourself.