Ironman South Africa 2010 Preparation:

I am getting quite a few emails lately about where you should be in your training and I know my guys and girls are all feeling the pressure of the upcoming event.

Worry not Ironmen and Irongirls, you will be victorious! Your task is easy. Think of all I have to get through before I get to IMSA 2010 and you should feel very, very calm. Here is my schedule:

5-7 Feb – training camp Ceres
13-14 Feb – Lighthouse to Lighthouse MTB race
21 Feb – Xterra SA Champs
5-7 March – Sani 2 C MTB Race
20-28 March – ABSA Cape Epic MTB Race

That’s all before I get to rest up for IMSA. I am racing all of those races. Now if I watch my weeks carefully, I should be super strong going into IMSA, but this approach is not for anyone. I have spent 3 years building mileage to be able to handle this kind of schedule, so I would watch it if I were you.

Back to you, of course. Your stresses. Let’s check where you are:

1. Can you bike 150km quite easily, around your IM intensity (not pace) and have a normal afternoon after that?
2. Can you run 25km quite easily, without too much pain?

If you can manage those two, then you are right on track. Here are some common thoughts at this stage:

1. I am slow. One of my guys said to me after our long run the other day that he felt his run sucked. I mentioned that he had just run a half marathon close to his PB in training and that he looked pretty comfortable to me. You are ALL overanxious about your form at the moment.

2. I am tired. Um… no s**t. You should be doing mega miles, and being in the hurt locker right about now. Your weekends should breeze by in a haze.

3. I need to do more. You can always do more. Even the pro who goes 35 hours a week, can do more. Its NOT about more. It’s about the quality of everything around your training. Here is a quick checklist of those:

a. Is your home life in check?
b. Is your personal life on track for non-destruction?
c. Are you managing your niggles?
d. Are you sleeping regular hours?
e. If your work life in check?

If those are all good, then you are on the right track. There is life the day after Ironman, you know. Sure, until then we are, from this day until then, going to give it our all…

But you want to make sure you have friends and loved ones around the day afterward. Many people lose those in the process.

So from here on in…

+++ Train Smart
+++ Live Smart
+++ Eat Smart

If I don’t see you until then, read my schedule, and you`ll know why.

RokThis launch is right here, I can smell it. You will know more about why I am doing this crazy schedule then.