I’m training for an Ironman!
My exciting, and slightly terrifying news is that I have finally pushed the button and booked my Ironman. Actually I pushed the button back in July but what with our trip to the CrossFit Games (as spectators, obviously!), the 24 Hour Hour Wodathon at CrossFit Iron Duke (which raised over £5000 for Mind, the mental health awareness charity) and a few other things I haven’t really had time to get my head around it.
What this means is that in the summer of 2020 I will be attempting to swim 2.4 miles, cycle 112 miles and run 26.2 miles within 16 hrs and 50 minutes.
To do this I will have to overcome just a few challenges and a few of these are:
1) I have never swum more than a mile in my life
2) I cannot descend on my bike for toffee as it scares the living daylights out of me
3) I am not confident being clipped in to my bike
4) The 2 times I have run a marathon in my life I am always left wondering how the bloody hell anyone manages to do an Ironman.
5) I haven’t done a triathlon of any sort since 2014
Despite all this, and more, I am so up for this. I am under no illusion that this will be the toughest thing I have ever committed to but this is what being a Bad Ass Bear is all about. Being bad ass doesn’t mean you are the fastest or the strongest. It means you commit to something, you show up, give 100% of yourself to your training and challenge yourself every damn day to be a little bit better than yesterday.
The interesting thing (hopefully) is that I won’t be training for this event in quite the usual, traditional way. I will do the obligatory swim, cycle and run training but if I have to just do that from now until the event I will go flipping nuts.
Therefore, I will be working with my ever patient, inventive and some might say (but not me) sadistic coach, Kerry Cooley – Owner of CrossFit Iron Duke. I have given her carte blanche to come up with more “interesting” ways to build the power, strength and endurance required to get me to that finish line. To give you a taste of what I’m in for, when I first sat down to discuss all this her first idea, with no hesitation whatsoever, was 400m sled pushes teamed with 400m runs (note – this hasn’t happened yet as we are still waiting for my cracked/broken rib to heal).
I will be updating this blog weekly with my training journal so if you want to see the sort of things I’m up to and follow my progress then this is the place to be.
Wish me luck… this bear is gonna need it!
Dedicated to endurance, particularly in extreme events like Ironman, OCR and Ultras, Liza stands out not just as a coach but as an emblem of determination and tenacity.
With a reputation for moulding winners and transforming raw potential into prowess, Liza is the top pick for those aspiring to reign supreme in their sport.
Liza’s coaching philosophy centres on the power of the mind. Her five pillars – Control the Controllable, Find the Positive, Focus on You, 100% Effort, and Extreme Ownership – guide athletes to both mental and physical excellence.
Whether you're just starting out or vying for the gold, Liza ensures your hard work delivers results. Train with Liza and unleash the ultimate athlete within you.