Today's post was going to be about the logistics of
Ironman China 2008. Instead it turned out to be a wonderful lesson in the realities of getting ready for a big race. As of Friday night, this was the schedule for my week-end:
- Saturday Morning: 56 mile bike ride along the coast and a 3 mile transition run.
- Sunday Morning/Afternoon: Research and write TriathleteMag.com post
- Sunday Evening: 1 hour beach run
I had initially planned to do a shorter but hillier Saturday ride but by Friday afternoon I was feeling a little tired so I instead decided that a flatter ride along the coast would be a better idea. I also promised myself that I would take Sunday off if I felt tired. For the past few weeks I have been doing a one hour night run on the soft sand along Santa Monica beach and really enjoying it. This is a run I would be doing this run even if I wasn't training.
But sometime around midnight on Friday I woke up aching and freezing. For the next 36 hours I alternated between being too cold or two hot. The only constant was every part of my body aching. Instead of the 56 mile bike ride and a combined 9 miles of running I would be able to log about 48 feet. Not exactly Ironman training.
Everything I had planned to do (including researching and writing) was put on hold and I focused on just getting through the day and night. I had the flu. Among the many lessons learned this weekend that are relevant to Ironman racing:
- Get a flu shot when they are offered. This year the Arctic Winter Games officials went so far as to request that all athletes attending next year's games vaccinated against the flu stating the obvious, "No one wants the flu during games because then you can't compete."
- You can't plan on when you will or will not get sick. Ask the pros in Hawaii like Faris Al-Sultan and Norman Stadler.
- Expect that you will get sick during the season and don't be in denial when the symptoms arise. In the U.S. alone an estimated 25–50 million people get the flu each year. That's one out of ten to one out of five. Since triathletes are constantly beating up our bodies we shouldn't be surprised that we are more susceptible to catching communicable diseases.
During the 2006 triathlon series I was guilty of both over-training and being in denial about being sick. The result was that I traveled to Ironman Arizona without really knowing if I would be able to race. Fortunately a friend of a friend got the team doctor of the Arizona Cardinals to see me. Unlike most general practitioners who will (wisely) tell sick patients that then need to rest, a doctor for professional football players understands when the sick person across from them is telling them that he "absolutely, positively must run on Sunday!" When I look back at my training log it is so obvious (Monday "tired when woke up", Tuesday "Tired all day"; Wednesday "Bad Workout"; Thursday "Sniffles"; etc.) but when I was living it I just kept thinking I needed to get to bed a little earlier and everything will be okay. Soon I was very sick and very worried and had squandered the time I had to get better.
The point of all of this is that if you sign up for an Ironman you are going to probably put 6 months to a year into training for this one day. Besides the fun stuff like swimming, biking and running, it's important to do the behind-the-scenes stuff like flu shots, rest, stretching, proper nutrition, etc. Being in the greatest shape of your life doesn't mean much if you are on the side of the road puking your guts out, just ask Norman Stadler.
As we get closer to Ironman China I will talk to health experts on specific strategies for not getting sick once you are in-country. And speaking of China,
Doug Binns a long-distance runner and friend who moved to Korea from the United States has been doing recon on the race venue. He tells me that Hainan, where the race will be held, is known in Korea for inexpensive massages (90 min for $20) and inexpensive golf! More later.