Four Tips for Achieving Longevity in Long Course Triathlon

150 150 Rich Strauss

EN LogoIn my last post I discussed the Life Cycle of the Age Group Ironman® Triathlete. Next, I’d like to share with you now some tips on achieving longevity in Ironman® triathlon.

# 1 – Endurance Fitness as Lifestyle

The single most important factor in maintaining your lifespan at the Ironman® distance in the sport of triathlon is to adopt the ethos that fitness is a critical component of your lifestyle. That is, you’re not training or exercising to participate in an event. You don’t go to the pool or the gym as an act in itself. Rather swimming, biking, running, and endurance training is just what you do, it’s a very important part of who you are.

#2 – Life is Too Short to Not Do Cool $+!%

…and for you, as an endurance fitness lifestyle person, cool stuff means doing cool stuff with your fitness. In fact, your endurance lifestyle builds a vehicle for doing cool stuff with your fitness — to experience the world and life from the unique perspective of your bicycle, running shoes, or Speedo (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

Ironman® triathlon then is just one of many things on your Cool Stuff List that you do with your fitness. On this list should be other non-Ironman, cool events — running races, epic bike rides, hiking trips and much more. If it sounds like fun, do it, saddling up your fitness and doing cool stuff.

In fact, one of the unfortunate products of training for an Ironman® are the missed opportunities to do other cool stuff with that fitness. That is, many Ironman® athletes get so geeked out with “my long ride needs to be X and my long run needs to be Y next week, and the next week, and the next…” that they lose sight of the fact that the process of Ironman® training is building an incredible Cool Stuff Fitness Vehicle.

Rather, put cool stuff on the calendar, trick your friends into doing it with you, call it “Ironman® training,” and just move from Cool Event to Cool Event across your training and racing season.

Go here learn more about our Tour of California Cycling Camp, the ultimate expression of doing cool stuff with your fitness!

 

#3 – Seek Out Others Who Share Your Fitness Lifestyle

Try to add a social component to your training by seeking out like-minded individuals near you who share your commitment to an endurance fitness lifestyle. Thursday night $5.25 pitchers of PBR are replaced with 3 hours on your bike on Saturday morning with your friends — with all of the fun smack talk and hammering that comes with it! Seek out triathlon, cycling, running clubs and / or masters swim workouts, expanding your Rolodex of people you can plug into, adding a valuable social component and accountability to your training. Finally, training with or like a single sport athlete for large chunks of the year is a great way to get faster through the process of getting your ass handed to you, frequently. You’ll also expand your skill set, such as learning the all-important Official Rules of the Euro Cyclist!

Go here to learn more about our team of age grouper triathletes, committed to making the most of their endurance fitness lifestyle!

 

Next: #4 — Schedule Your Triathlon Training and Racing Year Like a Grizzled Vet of the Endurance Fitness Lifestyle Ethos

 

  

24 comments
  • jim
    REPLY

    you hardly know me. how did you get me so well in this and the prior article!? i bet i’m not alone in that feeling. it’s not something i’d brag about but it does give me a calm assurance my life style is going in a good direction. i’ve been n EN member for about 4 years. tks.

  • jim
    REPLY

    you hardly know me. how did you get me so well in this and the prior article!? i bet i’m not alone in that feeling. it’s not something i’d brag about but it does give me a calm assurance my life style is going in a good direction. i’ve been n EN member for about 4 years. tks.

  • Jennifer
    REPLY

    Another great article..can’t wait for the next installment! I guess I’m bordering on the “whacko”, but I spiced it up this year with hikes and mountain bike rides and lots of honey do’s or spousal unit points!! Nice break in the mental part of the IM lifestyle!

  • Jennifer
    REPLY

    Another great article..can’t wait for the next installment! I guess I’m bordering on the “whacko”, but I spiced it up this year with hikes and mountain bike rides and lots of honey do’s or spousal unit points!! Nice break in the mental part of the IM lifestyle!

  • frank
    REPLY

    Dude, you’re reading my mind. This will be a good one to reflect on on Monday over a Wooly Mammoth Porter at The Great Dane in Madison. You guys going to be up there this year? We’ve got an EN sleeper cell of five us from Atlanta heading up there on Friday.

    • Rich Strauss
      REPLY

      Yes, I’ll be there! Please bring your friends to my Four Keys of Ironman Execution talk, Friday 10am, meeting at the Trek booth in the expo. I’ll then walk out of the expo and across the street for the talk.

      • frank bobo
        REPLY

        Hey Joe, it’s definitely on the radar. Some friends have done 6 Gaps in years past, and some probably will do it again this year. I always seem to be traveling for work at that time of year (I’d be so pro if I didn’t have a job :-)), but I hope to get the chance someday. Definitely a Fun With Fitness event!

        Rich, sorry we missed the talk on Friday (got in around noon), but we’ll look for you out at Mile 18 tomorrow! Saw you at that same spot a couple years ago at Florida.

  • frank
    REPLY

    Dude, you’re reading my mind. This will be a good one to reflect on on Monday over a Wooly Mammoth Porter at The Great Dane in Madison. You guys going to be up there this year? We’ve got an EN sleeper cell of five us from Atlanta heading up there on Friday.

    • Rich Strauss
      REPLY

      Yes, I’ll be there! Please bring your friends to my Four Keys of Ironman Execution talk, Friday 10am, meeting at the Trek booth in the expo. I’ll then walk out of the expo and across the street for the talk.

      • frank bobo
        REPLY

        Hey Joe, it’s definitely on the radar. Some friends have done 6 Gaps in years past, and some probably will do it again this year. I always seem to be traveling for work at that time of year (I’d be so pro if I didn’t have a job :-)), but I hope to get the chance someday. Definitely a Fun With Fitness event!

        Rich, sorry we missed the talk on Friday (got in around noon), but we’ll look for you out at Mile 18 tomorrow! Saw you at that same spot a couple years ago at Florida.

  • Joe Hallatschek
    REPLY

    This is very, very accurate. This triathlon lifestyle becomes the foundation from which everything is built on. It is a healthy physical, mental and social regimen that adds quality to life. Well written!

  • Joe Hallatschek
    REPLY

    This is very, very accurate. This triathlon lifestyle becomes the foundation from which everything is built on. It is a healthy physical, mental and social regimen that adds quality to life. Well written!

  • Marvin Dittfurth
    REPLY

    I have been at this for about 30 years. Sometimes I think I should back off a little and get “normal,” whatever that is. When an onslaught of injuries and detour stuff come on me as I age up (70-74 ag next year) I visit the posibility of stepping back.
    So far, I have found that I really don’t need to retire, just rest, and after a good night of sleep I am reaware that this endurance business is closely tied to who I am. I wrote a blog post on this subject just this past week.

    http://milesofthejourney.blogspot.com/2012/09/its-been-quite-party.html

  • Marvin Dittfurth
    REPLY

    I have been at this for about 30 years. Sometimes I think I should back off a little and get “normal,” whatever that is. When an onslaught of injuries and detour stuff come on me as I age up (70-74 ag next year) I visit the posibility of stepping back.
    So far, I have found that I really don’t need to retire, just rest, and after a good night of sleep I am reaware that this endurance business is closely tied to who I am. I wrote a blog post on this subject just this past week.

    http://milesofthejourney.blogspot.com/2012/09/its-been-quite-party.html

  • Melissa Gelineau
    REPLY

    What a wonderful article Rich! You guys have it so right!!
    Marvin – you are an inspiration. I’m using my first IM as a
    gateway to all things bad ass. After all this training I’ll know I’m
    capable of anything.
    Thanks again!!

  • Melissa Gelineau
    REPLY

    What a wonderful article Rich! You guys have it so right!!
    Marvin – you are an inspiration. I’m using my first IM as a
    gateway to all things bad ass. After all this training I’ll know I’m
    capable of anything.
    Thanks again!!

  • Marvin
    REPLY

    Understand completely. You hit it on the head. Fitness is the vehicle to do “cool stuff.” I am 71, and after decades of marathons and then triathlons, I cannot imagine another lifestyle for me. I am training for IMTX and took the risk Sunday to go mountain biking with my 6 and 8 year old grandchildren. There is not a lot I can’t do that I did in my 30s & 40s, except run fast…I can live with that. And a side benefit, I think, is that the fitness lifestyle mold how you see the world and how you see yourself. My mother is 100 and lives in Asst Living. I go up there regularly and see all ages of folks in all levels of deterioration….some are still going outside to smoke. And, I thank God for this wonderful lifestyle that enhances and empowers so much of my life.

  • Marvin
    REPLY

    Understand completely. You hit it on the head. Fitness is the vehicle to do “cool stuff.” I am 71, and after decades of marathons and then triathlons, I cannot imagine another lifestyle for me. I am training for IMTX and took the risk Sunday to go mountain biking with my 6 and 8 year old grandchildren. There is not a lot I can’t do that I did in my 30s & 40s, except run fast…I can live with that. And a side benefit, I think, is that the fitness lifestyle mold how you see the world and how you see yourself. My mother is 100 and lives in Asst Living. I go up there regularly and see all ages of folks in all levels of deterioration….some are still going outside to smoke. And, I thank God for this wonderful lifestyle that enhances and empowers so much of my life.

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