It takes a long time to get good
by Matt Erbele

For some, longer than others… (not that I claim to be good, just better than from where I started)

My ironman journey could best be described as failing forwards (sometimes failing backwards, but the general trend has be forwards). I’ve probably made more mistakes than most people and sometimes it took me a while to learn from them. Fortunately for me, life has a way of presenting the same lesson until you learn it. For my first 3 races I was way overtrained. Recovery was not in my vocabulary. For race #1 I kept the same running program that I used to train for a marathon and just added biking and swimming onto that. For race #2 I trained even harder and did worse. Race #3 was 6 weeks after race #2 and I should have never done it, but I wanted redemption after the previous race.

By the time race #4 rolled around I was burnt out. I really only did it because I had my plane tickets purchased before I even did race #2. It was two months after #3 and my run training consisted of a few short runs and a marathon the month before (which is still my open marathon PR (3:52), also the last open marathon that I’ve done). I was obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed back then. After #4 I decided that Ironman just wasn’t for me and that it was time to choose something else. I finished with a PR of just over 13 hours.

Luckily for me, Pele (the Hawaiian goddess who lives on Kona) had other plans. That spring I got into Kona. I did learn some things from my relatively good performance in race #4 and decided to back off of the run training a little bit and focus more on the bike. Recovery did exist, but I still did most of my workouts way too hard. All of my training didn’t do nearly enough to prepare me for Pele’s wrath. I was not ready for the heat and humidity and it also happened to be one of the windiest years ever. I finished in a disappointing 14:34, but I was again hooked on Ironman.

In the off season I developed a hernia; rather than do a race the next year on limited training, I decided that I would recover properly and do a spring race the following year. I knew it would be challenging to bike outside over the winter, so that summer I did a lot of biking. In the fall I started running a lot. I developed a neoroma in my foot, so that curtailed the running somewhat and I became a swimming fool. It ended up paying off in the swim as I set my swim PR of 55:49 (15 minutes better than my previous PR) in race #6. The bike went well until about mile 80 at which point my lack of time on the roads (I had done a few 6 hour trainer rides) caught up with me and my back started to tighten up. (I also think that I may not have set up my bike exactly right when I put it together). By the time I got to mile 2 of the run, every step was pain. I ended up finishing another disappointing race, but this time I hadn’t had my normal meltdown and could see some marked improvement.

Race #7 was later that summer. After my back problems in #6 I added yoga to my workout routine. It was also around this time that I became a Gordo Byrn (http://www.coachgordo.com/gtips/index.html ) follower. My workouts got longer and slower but also I focused more on recovery. I had very high hopes for this race, but I biked too hard and ended up walking most of the marathon. The next summer I went to a training camp with Rich Strauss (http://www.cruciblefitness.com/etips/index.htm ) and learned a lot about race pacing. Race #8 that fall was very hot and I ended up with another poor marathon. I did Race #9 two months later and finally broke 11 hours. The next year I increased the mileage and focused on my nutrition. In #10 I finally felt like I raced at my fitness level, I set a new PR and a new marathon PR (even a few seconds faster than my open marathon a few years prior) Only 6 minutes from qualifying!

I took a couple of weeks off and then began training like a madman for a race 11
months away. Along the way I signed up for Epic Camp New Zealand (http://www.epiccamp.com/newzealand06/index.html ). I was scared going into that. Doing that opened my eyes to what big training was and to what I could really handle. I went into #11 in the best shape of my life and set a PR of a whopping 6 seconds and was 22 minutes from qualifying. I was disappointed with not qualifying, but happy with my race performance. Race #11 was harder than #10 and I actually went up in the overall standings from 85 out of 1000 to 77 out of 2000. Unfortunately, the fast guys in my age group all showed up (they always do).

The rest of that summer, I basically spent training because that was what I enjoyed doing. Six weeks before IM Wisconsin I obtained a slot at a local ½ IM. I knew that
qualifying was a very remote possibility due to my lack of focused training, so after talking to Gordo and KP (Kevin Purcell http://www.coachkp.com/) I decided to focus on executing the perfect race. I ended up with a new IM marathon PR of 3:38:30.

That winter I decided it was time for a break from Ironman. (actually I decided to take a break from work, but that also entailed a break from an environment conducive to Ironman training) I still enjoyed the training and qualifying for Kona is still a goal, it just is no longer my number one goal. Prior to race #10, qualifying seemed impossible, those other guys were way too fast. After races 10-12, I know that qualifying is a possible reality, but I also know that amount of time and commitment that it will take. Currently there are other things in my life that are more important to me. I know this might be seen as giving up by some people, but as the saying goes, the people who care don’t matter and the people who matter don’t care.

That brings us to the present time. I will most likely do another IM, but it hasn’t worked its way high enough on my list of goals yet. I am currently enjoying the occasional trail ultramarathon and helping others achieve their goals.

There are a few things that I have learned along the way. Ironman is much more
than swimming, biking, running. At a minimum it is:
1. Swimming
2. Biking
3. Running
4. Nutrition (daily, in training, in racing)
5. Recovery (massage, yoga, sleep)
6. Race Strategy
7. Race Execution
8. Training plan
9. Training execution
10.Supportive friends
11.Having fun (that is why we do this even though it is easy to lose track of after another disappointing race)
12.Being grateful (learn to appreciate the small improvements you make, it is way too easy to beat yourself up when things don’t go as planned)

The hardest thing for me to learn was the race strategy/execution portion. It is really only my last three races that I feel I have performed at my fitness level. So for those of you who have walked large portions of the marathon and have never felt that you have “raced” anywhere near to your potential, here are my tips for racing.
1. Do your own race
2. Never forget #1

Swim – Go slow. You want to use the best technique that you can and expend the smallest amount of energy. The 10 minutes you save by going all out will be lost very quickly when you start walking the marathon.

T1 – Now is not the time to spike your HR. You did a good job of staying relaxed during the swim, don’t blow it now. Move purposefully through transition. Be quick, but don’t hurry.

Bike – Start out slowly. The people blowing past you out of T1 are either faster than you are or will be slowing way down later on. The purpose of the bike is to fuel for the run. Make sure to avoid power and heart rate spikes on the hills. The bike is 30 miles very easy, 30 miles easy, 30 miles steady, 22 miles of keeping the same pace as the previous 30 miles.

T2 – Time to get to the marathon as quickly as possible. It’s better to be out walking on the course than sitting in T2. The longer you sit, the harder it is to get going.

Run – First 6 miles easy. After that hold the pace as the effort level increases. Walk the aid stations and make sure to get enough fluids. The race really starts around mile 13. Do you run through the pain or give in? This is the time where you can pass a lot of people.

Everyone can do an Ironman marathon within an hour of their open marathon time, until you do that consistently, you haven’t really learned how to race.

As I reflect on my Ironman history there are many things that I will do the same and
a few things that I will change.

Things I did well
1. Big Bike miles
2. Recovery (massage, chiro and yoga)
3. Nutrition
4. Good friends and training partners

Things I need to improve
1. Recovery (enough sleep, fewer junk miles)
2. Swim technique
3. Running Speed

It’s always easy to come up with grandiose training plans in the off-season, but until I decide to make a comeback and am back in full training mode, it is hard to say exactly what my training will look like. I think the biggest change I will make in the future will be getting more feedback from experts. I will spend some one-on-one time with a swim coach and hire a triathlon coach. I think I’ve gone about as far as I can with the big volume approach. While I think I would still continue to make some improvement using it, I think trying out some new things would be beneficial to me. Many people have influenced me in my Ironman journey. In addition to those coaches listed above (Strauss, Gordo, KP), there have been numerous books and countless training partners. There is something to learn from everyone (even if it is only what not to do). Learning from the mistakes of others is much less painful than learning from your own (which is probably why it usually isn’t as effective ☺). Having good training partners is invaluable. I have always been very blessed to have other people who will spend their weekends suffering with me.

One of the questions I get asked is how to avoid burnout and keep the right attitude. I’m not really sure how to answer that; pretty much the whole point of Ironman training is to get your mind and body used to performing under stress when mentally and physically exhausted. The dictionary defines burnout as exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration. I have yet to meet anyone who hasn’t felt burnt out at some point during their Ironman journey. I would suggest doing your best to minimize the sources of stress in your life and making a list of why you are doing all of the crazy training and reread that list daily. When the burnout comes, just remember that this too shall pass and keep moving forward (which is also good advice for the pain around mile 10 of the marathon ☺)