In 2013 I managed to finish my first long distance Triathlon (known as IronMan) in Barcelona. On October 6,2013, I was able to swim 3.8km, bike 182km and run the 42km marathon in 11 hours and 45 minutes of the increasingly famous IronMan Challenge distance triathlon in Barcelona (Bought by the IronMan brand a few years ago)
The challenge of finishing an IronMan came to mind a few years ago when I managed to finish my first marathon. Since then I have combined training from the three disciplines participating in numerous cycling, running and triathlon events.
After 4 more marathons (with my best time in the Barcelona Marathon 2013 with 3 hours 37 minutes), 20 Olympic triathlons and 1 half I decided to try the IronMan... and everything went very well. Although in April 2013 I had a very good base after having done the Barcelona Marathon, it wasn't until summer, spending 2 months in Ethiopia, when I had the idea of trying it. Seeing that Messi is not idolized in that country, but Gebreselassie, I started training at an altitude of almost 3000 metres in Addis Ababa. When I got back to Spain again and after testing in Olympic distance and half, I decided to give the last squeeze to be ready for the Iron Man.
The last few weeks have been tremendous in terms of training. The hard part is not the volume, but the dedication time that reached 35 hours a week in the previous 15 days. 150km bike rides with 15km of later race were common, which means getting up early to leave the work done before going out to train. In the end, the most important training is psychological. Train you to stand strong mentally for hours and hours.
As I read somewhere: The IronMan is training. You're gonna get the medal at the tryout. And it really did. Although hard, the day of the test was quite bearable thanks to the fans and good organization. Although I had some misfortune with the deluge of the road segment that made me prick and have to change the bike camera in the midst of torrential rain, at the end I almost thanked for that pause to rest a bit. The stretch between km20 and 30 of the marathon is also quite uphill when it is already dark. But in the end, when you get there you see that you have achieved it and it is really a great satisfaction. The similarities of IronMan training, with entrepreneurial living and life in general are enormous, and the learning you get from it as well. Learn how to reconcile work, family life and training. Learn to outdo you. Learn to suffer, to resist. A test that before doing it seems epic and unattainable, but once finished, it is quite demystified. The investment in time and sacrifice is very great and I still don't know what to answer when they ask me: Is it worth it? The answer is inside you
My face after 12 hours in an Iron Man