You're So Much More Capable Than You Think.

I absolutely love writing the good luck posts on our private members Facebook page for peoples challenges!

However, it would feel strange writing a good luck post to myself for my upcoming Ironman event on there.

Instead, I'll write some details incase you'd like to come and support me and how you can follow my progress throughout the day if you'd like to.

Doing the training for a full Ironman is by far the hardest thing I have ever done in any aspect of my life. I heard people saying it would be life changing and I thought no way, it's just exercise and training.

But how wrong was I! It really has been life changing.

There are so many things I have learnt. A lot about the specific training, nutrition etc of course. But more so about myself. Things that I can carry with me for the rest of my life, that I'm proud of and hopefully lessons that I can pass on to others.

On Monday 27th November, I listened to a random podcast. One of the topics talked about was how cool it would be do to an Ironman. I researched the Ironman event on Tuesday 28th November. I considered doing it on Wednesday 29th and I started training on Thursday 30th November 2023.

By the time Sunday 22nd Sept rolls around (the day of the event), I'll have been training for 297 days.

There have been way more ups and downs that I could ever imagine!

A lot members have seen me on the static bike at the gym either for a few minutes or an hour or so over the weekends and asked about the specifics of the training.

What people haven't seen is everything outside of the training....

Cramping and being nakered on my first run - which was a 30 min run.

Walking into the bike shop feeling like an idiot that I didn't know anything - I asked the ex pro bike guy "how do I change gears"!

Falling off my road bike the first day I got it with my feet still clipped into the pedals feeling completely stupid!

Getting up at 5am to be on my bike at 6am on Sunday mornings in the cold and dark.

Walking to the swimming pool in the rain in the morning.

Days where I've cried to Carly or my mom saying that I can't do it or that I'm not good enough.

Having to turn around on several bike rides because I didn't feel confident turning right at a junction.

Having to deal with setbacks and injuries and feeling time is slipping during those periods.

Too many days and times to count feeling like the last thing I want to do is train.

Training on my own in the gym for hours.

Constantly spending a small fortune on food and supplements.

Learning and experimenting with foods and amounts of foods that work for me with the volume of training.

Balancing relationships, work, family, training, nutrition, rest.

Waking up in the middle of night stressed that I'm not being there enough for others that I care about and feeling guilty for it.

Having to cut social events short as I've needed to get back to get my sleep.

There are so many more, I could go on for a while...

The main things I've learnt from this whole process....

Is that you're so much more capable than you think.

The other thing - you have to be able to adapt.

The little wins are very important (and the ones that make the biggest impact on your confidence and motivation).

The last few weeks and even now, my emotions are all over the place. I think it's because I know it's all coming to an end very soon. That I want to do well for me and make myself proud, Carly, my mom and family. To make my nephew proud to say ‘that’s my uncle’. To show you guys that it's fine to have setbacks and as long as you continue forward (even though it might not feel like you are moving forward, or you might not want to), keep going, learning and adapting. You can do it.

If you want to follow me on the day to see how I'm doing, you can download the Ironman app and when I have my bib number (next week), you can type that into the app to follow me and my progress.

Thanks everyone for keeping me accountable. Thanks to Bex for lending me her Wattbike - it would have been near impossible without the use of that.

Thanks to Coaches Matt and Jack for helping so much this year with events, socials and covering classes. I really appreciate you guys!

Thanks to Carly for being understanding all the time with me having to get up early, go to bed early (after having fallen asleep on her shoulder at 7:30pm after hours of training that day), having to eat certain foods to fuel for training, training when we've been away, and being there for me emotionally when I've needed it.

When all is said and done, when I stand on the beach on Sunday 22nd September, at the start line ready to swim 2.4 miles, ride 112 miles and then run a marathon, I know I've done everything I can do, with the resources, energy, time and money that I have. That's all I have control over and I'm immensely proud of that!

Make yourself proud.