Couch to Ironman Series: The Run
COUCH TO IRONMAN SERIES- The Run
How do you go from being unable to swim a lap, not owning a bike, and a longest run of 5 miles to completing twelve 70.3’s, three full ironman’s, two 70.3 world championship qualifications and running the Boston Marathon? This series of posts will pave the way.
Today we will focus on the final leg of the race, and where the race is won in triathlon, the run! In the beginning of my triathlon journey which my wife spent 2 years talking me into and 10 years wishing she hadn’t after I became obsessed, she also talked me into doing our first race together, the Crecent City Classic which is a hugely popular New Orleans 10k with usually around 20,000 runners. I remember being scared that 6 miles might be too much for me. We trained for it on our own, and I managed to run it in a 9:36 pace and I was pumped. After the race I found out that the race offered iconic New Orleans race posters with a stamp on them that says top 500 for both the men and the women and decided I wanted one of those posters. I got a coach involved around the same time as I also started racing competitively in sprint tri’s regularly and then everything changed. My wife and I did real training for the first time, and I ran the classic in a 7:49 pace the next year but still did not get the poster, and my wife did get one so now I was really on a mission. Another year of very specific training and I started hitting the podium in sprints and I ran the Classic in a 7:00 flat pace and made the top 500 by 13 seconds. That just added fuel to the fire driving me deeper and deeper into triathlon and allowing me to meet all the amazing, generous, friendly people that make it such a great sport. I continued working with my coach to do the specific work to weaponize my running off the bike as I also entered the world of Ironman. The thing is it takes very specific types of workouts to get stronger and faster as a runner, especially after doing a long, hard bike, and it also takes time and patience. Add in Ironman long course triathlon and you better be doing very specific run training to be able to run fast after a long hard bike. With the help of my coach, I put in that very specific work, and I got steadily stronger and faster every year over this period. I started racing 70.3’s and full Ironmans and as I saw results I quickly set a goal of qualifying for the world championships in the 70.3 which became a sweet spot for me. My first full Ironman was at 50 years old and I did it in 11:45 and I ran a 4:03 marathon. I started triathlon in my late 40’s and at 55 I was finally a top of my AG runner in ironman long course, and that allowed me to qualify for 70.3 worlds twice and post a sub 5 hour 70.3 at 56. At 55 years old I ran a Boston Qualifying marathon of 3:24 with a 10’ cushion. The following year I ran the amazing and brutal Boston Marathon in 3:27 and qualified again the next year. At 54 years old in the middle of a 70.3 training block I ran the Classic 10k again in a 6:42 pace and cruised to a top 500 poster. All of this guided by amazing coaches who taught me all the things necessary to run fast for a long time after a hard bike and to run 26.2 miles at paces I would have never imagined when I started. Today at Next Level Endurance Coaches we work with athletes every day to improve their running both off the bike and for run races. We start with building a strong aerobic and strength base, gain flexibility and build mental toughness. In many cases with new athletes that starts with walking, then transitions into run/walk combo, and then eventually running with great technique. After you have a strong base we design individualized, specific workouts for based on who you are and to match your goals. No matter the level of your current fitness we are in the business of helping you achieve things you can scarcely dream of now! You are not too out of shape, and you aren’t too old. My story is not unique. We have coached many athletes to a similar journey. Why not you???
Check out the pictures of my run journey from the couch to Ironman and if you want to improve your running technique, speed and, and also run faster off the bike just reach out. This is what we do at #nextlevelendurancecoaches! Check out our website for coaching bios, and all the information on us at nextlevelendurancecoaches.com.
Make sure to check our our website if you missed the swim and bike articles in this series. The 3 combine for a roadmap from your couch to the red carpet of an ironman!