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Source: Paul Lieto
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Well, in 11 days I'll be on foreign soil (if you can call Canada foreign), lined up with 2,000 or so fellow athletes, all anxious to take the Lake plunge and begin the final day of this particular Ironman journey. I say this particular journey because it doesn't end at the finish line, just the end of chapter one. No matter what the outcome of Sunday's race, my endurance pursuits will go on, I'm already planning next years event.

But, today I sit at the local coffee shop enjoying a cup and my day off. Tapering is going well and a rest day is just what I need going into the final week of prep before my Ironman. Since the blogging has lapsed as the training volume and overall hecticness of life increased, I felt it time to take a moment and reflect on the journey thus far. The last six months of training and preparation have been tough, but well worth it.

The journey really began half a lifetime ago...

Circa 1990
An Eighteen year old skinny, chicken legged, kid buys Dave Scott's Triathlon Training with a dream of one day completing an Ironman. I also bought a new bike, the Centurion Ironman Dave Scott edition of course. I enrolled in a cycling class in college and began my journey toward training for an Ironman. Well I quickly learned I had no talent for cycling. My chicken legs really struggled in keeping up with other riders in the class. It was very dissapointing and I became discouraged with my inability to ride. I continued the pursuit for 6-12 months but gave up on my dream when rent was due and I had no money, so sold the bike. It wasn't a hard decision as I recall. None of my friends had road bikes, and spandex/lycra was not the attire of choice at the Fraternity.

Eight years ago...
During the mountain bike craze a group of friends and I decided to try a triathlon. Wildflower mountain bike course. Needless to say, I was hooked. I loved the race and decided again to purchase a road bike and try my hand at triathlons. But, with no real motivation to go long. I'd stick with Olympic distance races. My bad experiences on the bike earlier in my career squashed all hopes of the big show. Not to mention I was getting older now, approaching thirty and the years of basketball at the park had taken it's toll on my knees and back. Not only did I think I was a horrible cyclist, but I knew I couldn't run much further than 8 miles or so without it becoming very uncomfortable and painful.

So for several years I was happy doing my Olympic distance races, starting this website, and following the career and accomplishments of my brother. At some point along the way I decided to push my limits again and do a half Ironman. Vineman to be specific. Training was difficult and the race itself was very painful, but I did it, and it was probably one of the proudest moments of my life. I never thought I could go that distance and I had. Though I was in such pain I knew there was no way I could double it.

One year ago
The time had come to suck it up, quit complaining about what I think I can't do and start thinking about what I can. I had taken a couple years off from racing, but had continued to ride my bike and run. I had recently moved to Bend, OR to start the next chapter in my life and doing Halfs and Full Ironmans were going to be a part of that. Chris had just won Canada and in my excitement for his win I asked him to sign me up. Unfortunately he went down the next morning and did so, Oh... no turning back now.

I think I went into some degree of self sabotage at the thought of trying to complete an Ironman. My biggest obstacle all my life has been the one between the ears. I think I was looking for excuses to back out. Winter came and my training was very minimal. I gained too many pounds and began to feel really bad about what was happening. I topped out at 188-190lbs, considering my Vineman weight in 2003 was 160, this was not good.

Six months ago
Reading the journey's of other Trifuelers and having my brothers as inspiration, I finally snapped out of my self pity I can't mode and began my real journey to getting this thing done.

The journey was difficult. Ironman is hard... but well worth it. There is so much to learn on those long lonely rides and runs. I discovered a lot about myself and broke through many barriers, both physical and mental. Things I never thought I'd be capable of doing, I did. There were many painful moments during those rides and runs, but I discovered I can gut it out and the next time it's easier. I haven't become a good cyclist or runner, but I can endure far longer than I thought possible. I know I can line up along with my fellow athletes that Sunday morning and be proud because of the process I endured to get there. In my mind I've already won, I've already succeeded. The race itself is just the last sentence in this particular chapter. More chapters will follow post August 27th.

Some observations during my journey:

This isn't easy
Going from a half Iron distance to a full distance isn't easy. The volume isn't twice as hard, it's exponentially harder. During the building up phase an 80 mile ride felt twice as difficult as a 60 mile ride. And running over 90 minutes was very difficult for a long time.

The pain is worth it
I'd do it all again and will. The pain you may experience during some of the training sessions is so worth it. It's hard to explain the feeling you get when you finish your first 100 mile ride or 3 hour run. The adrenaline and excitement that overwhelms you those last few miles is almost undescribeable. You feel proud of yourself. Proud of your accomplishments. I often found myself running the last 2 miles of a 2 1/2 to 3 hour run singing along to the songs on my iPod. Having just come through some difficult miles, now I see the finish and I see my stopwatch pass 2:55:01 and there is no pain. Only euphoria.

Nutrition is Paramount
I struggle with nutrition. I've tried many times to re-program my eating habits, but find myself lapsing back to my old ways often. I'm getting better, but know I still have a long way to go to a healthier diet. What I have noticed during this process is nutrition is so critical at this distance. Poor diet not only effects your energy levels, but your mental disposition. The mental aspect can greatly impact the quality of your workouts and your motivation to keep pushing ahead. There were a couple points during the last six months were my motivation waned and my training went to hell, and for the most part I feel it was lapses in my diet that attributed to these poor periods.

Having a support group is Key
One reason I didn't succeed in my attempt at age eighteen was because there was no support group. I didn't have friends who road and it was too easy to give it up. Having my brothers, family, friends, and fellow Trifuelers to draw motivation, inspiration, and support from has made all the difference in this attempt eighteen years later.

Shaving your legs can be cool
Especially when after a clean shaving, and the light is just right, and your flexing with every fiber of muscle you can muster, you can finally see some muscle definition.

This is longest I've sat and tried to write something in a while, so I think it's time to sign-off. I'm off to Canada on Tuesday and hopefully come Monday the 28th I'll be making an entry about my survival. Bib #587.

Paul Lieto (tribro) is a middle pack age group athlete who started triathlons about 8 years ago. He is the Founder and Editor of this site, Trifuel, and currently resides in Bend, Oregon with his younger brother Matt. Occasionally I try to post in my blog. You can contact me here.