The Ironman Marathon

As you start out on the ironman-marathon you will most likely experience several different emotions.

I used to find it very difficult at times to convince myself to leave the run-transition area. After a long hard bike it often feels that finishing the marathon distance would be next to impossible. It is at this point in the race that your determination and reslove may truly be tested. This is where the term “ironman” begins to have meaning.

Remember that you are not alone in feeling this. There are hundreds of first time Ironman hopefuls dealing with the same emotions. Keep in mind that you had an intelligent swim and conserved energy for this point in the race.

One thing I learned over the years is how much our bodies can withstand and just how much we are capable of if we dare to try. Often our spirit is conquered long before our physical energy is used up.

A good example is my last ironman. At almost exactly the half-way point in the bike I had a bad crash. I lost focus for just a few seconds and slipped off the shoulder of the road. When I tried to recover the bike went over and I hit the road very hard. The last half of the bike was...