46 weeks ago I was challenged to enter the 1st Official Ironman world championship qualifying race in The Woodlands, Texas USA. Having visited Detroit in 2009 (studying the GIFT Mentorship programme) my invite came for another student Markell Lacey (Strength and Conditioning coach, Swim Coach, Personal Trainer) who lives in nearby Sugar Land.
I hadn’t been training for any events or had ran anything near to 10k in weeks so before taking the challenge I did a practice run for 30 minutes and made the decision based on that run.
For the record, I had never swam more that 20 lengths of a 25 meter pool at my health club, Ran further than 9 miles or cycled on a road bike ever.
Rising to the challenge I quickly entered before the race became full and began reflecting on how what a few clicks of the keyboard and a laugh over a beer had became my official entry. I had no idea what I had just done.
Previous to this I had made rash claims that marathon running was just accelerating the aging process upon your joints, is great for mental strength and terrible for our bodies and something I would rather never do. The exact quote was “I’d never run a marathon, it’s a waste of time. If I was to run a marathon I’d just do an ironman and tick all of the boxes on one day. Then nobody will bother me again” – timed at 6.38am before my indoor cycling class with a room of people who were all training for their first marathon (what a terrible, terrible trainer I am)
So 46 weeks had to begin somewhere. I had a few decisions to make:
Who should I ask for advice?
What diet should I follow?
Where do I get a bike?
How do I learn to swim?
What is the temperature in Texas?
The list goes on and on…
So I did what I always do, thought that I would just figure it out for myself. Then I can learn, practice and mastermind my own training. I planned a video blog, wrote to the papers and went to the local triathlon shop and spent a ton of money that I didn’t have. I entered 3 sprint triathlons and 2 Olympic triathlons. The triathlon season was coming to an end so lake swimming was going to be a problem all winter. In fact, I soon realised the whole training programme was going to be a problem. Everybody was stopping for the winter, I was just starting. That means: training alone, training indoors, training in the snow and ice. All the opposite to what I would advise. There was very little functional carry over to my end goal.
I started a sponsorship page. I had two good causes. My Dad who is suffering with motor neurones disease and a former student of mine that had Bone cancer at age 16. These were my motivation.
My diet was simple. Mainly paleo consisting of meat, vegetables, fruit and certain times but not often, fresh waters, as organic as possible, cooked as best as a single guy can, planned to suit my lifestyle and rotated daily.
Training started with base fitness for 3 months. Anything fitness related I never said no to. This included an 8 mile run with a client followed by 90 minute football match. Teaching classes back to back, going to the gym for 2-3 hours. If it was fitness, I did it.
At this point the weather did reach 25-30 degrees. So this was the only heat training I was going to do. 43 weeks away from the event.
By Christmas 2010 I was alcohol and junk food free. Injury free and had been to 4 open water swim sessions. My local health club had 3 swim sessions a week. This consisted of a coach giving us drills and time limits that we followed for 1 hour. Fortunately for me the participants had completed triathlons before and the coach was a friend. With some stroke advice and words of wisdom the guys prepped me with enough information for me to get by. It was a simple deal. They told me what swimming should look like; I took care of the actual training, conditioning and biomechanics. Within 3 months I was swimming with them, beating most of them and sometimes wearing a t-shirt at the same time. They didn’t know why or how, I just gave them credit for their advice and notes that I must be a fast learner. 2 of them soon became personal training clients, the rest my cheerleaders.
Cycling was my next focus. The weather towards Christmas was typical. The worst winter in the UK for decades! My bike wasn’t carbon and despite my efforts just wasn’t giving my enough speed. So I changed to a much more expensive bike. Wanting to know more about cycling and by being inquisitive at a few meetings I landed a trial for a new position as a presenter for a company called Watt Bike. I came, saw and conquered. They wanted me to help produce a cycling specific programme and teach people how to use the most scientific bike I have ever seen. Being not even an amateur cyclist and just a guy with a dream, watt bike introduced me to their sports scientist Eddie Fletcher. I spent 2 days asking questions and learning as much as I could from him. Although a guy with 3 degrees and a list of pro athletes as long as my grocery list for clients all over the world, there was a heap of knowledge that I had to learn. He broke it down into 4 components. Balance, heart rate, RPM, Power. My main screen on the newly acquired training bike I had gave me all of this every time my foot touched the peddles. Get this right and your technique will be displayed as the most efficient, scientific way possible. Great – I’ll spend the winter in my garage then. So I did.
My running was never bad. Although I never ran further that 6 miles because football didn’t require me to. I ran too far too fast and my knees didn’t like it. I ran 20 miles in my longest run in November and hated every step. In December I had the Luton marathon which was cancelled due to weather and I was over the moon. I spent Christmas and New Year resting, foam rolling and stretching. I even made my own recovery and integrated stretch programme that I considered sports specific, multi planar, mobilising and developmental for my body. After 2 weeks my body was recovered, more flexible, fresh and recharged. My running was faster, further and recovery rate improving. Fast.
Post Christmas was time to put things together. I averaged 4 hours per visit to the gym. Trained for 15-20 hours per week and worked on a system of:
1 week intervals
1 week long training
1 week putting together the 3 disciplines and strength
1 week recovery and development
Work permitting this was my loose structure for training. If my body couldn’t take it. I stopped. Reset, started again.
These are the top 5 pieces of advice given to my during my training by ironman finishers and high level coaches that I successfully chose to outright ignore:
1. Carb load. Eat pasta, rice, potatoes and rice daily, stock up on energy
2. Swim like a triathlete not a swimmer – use your legs as little as possible and save them for the bike and run
3. Work through the pain. After all, that’s what will happen on the day so train for it now
4. Weigh yourself. Do the distance. Weigh yourself. Work out how much weight you lose to convert into electrolyte, salt and hydration levels needed for the race
5. Train in a sauna or turn your heat up in your house to get use to heat training
Well done. These all get entry to my book. “The world of fitness discussed by rumours in a pub”
They get top priority next to other world famous comments such as
• Eat 2 bowls of cereal to lose weight
• A balanced diet is following a food pyramid
• Train for sport by laying on the ground
• Anything is better than nothing
• After training reward yourself with a take away
And my favourite
• Do 3 sets of 10
Let’s regain focus. To summarise my training in a quick snap shot; I never got to run 20 miles again. After my pain in November I only ran 16 miles in the Derby Kilomathon race and 13 miles in a few few training runs. My furthest bike ride came 1 month before race day, an 80 mile road race in Northampton on a cold, windy Sunday morning. I had to upgrade my bike to a size that was “too big” for me because it wasn’t comfortable. Cycling shops were more interested in what my leg length was and never considered my wide shoulders. So when I cycled I was uncomfortable. My longest swim was 2 miles and a 3 mile charity swim that I did in chunks to allow me to have a rest and drink. The hottest weather I trained in was 30 degrees. I went to Club La Santa in Lanzorate in September 2010 for international aerobics week. I trained 3 times per day. Got lost on a bike ride and didn’t drink enough fluid at all.
Staying mentally focussed we lost Donna late April but a final call to the local press got her a phone call from JLS that sang to her down the phone, tickets to their concert, west life tickets and local stardom for a few weeks. Thanks JLS for the flowers at her funeral as well. Guys I’m sorry I can’t join the band. One Marvin is enough for anybody.
Dad had a few falls on the stairs and we had a PEG fitted to help with feeding. The chair lift was a great training aid for me after long days and also helped my mum get things up the stairs. Pure functional.
I travelled to Texas 1 week before the race. I took my bike, rented a wetsuit to be delivered to Markell’s and wrote down my 3 favourite songs and bank details for my mum in case I got it all wrong (true story)
When I arrived I spent the build up walking around the local area in the sun. Swam at the local pool and shopped at Hollister that had a 40% sale. Thursday we visited the woodlands (45 minute drive away) for a race briefing, registration and to collect timing chips. There were 2700 participants.
The tension grew and Thursday night I stuck to my promise and waxed my legs for charity. Most triathletes also do this in case of bike accidents and for “aero dynamics” when swimming. So to look the part and for fun I took the plunge.
Friday morning we took our things to the race area. Signed our bikes into transition, gave in our clothes for each transition area and looked at the course map. Reality was nearly hitting and Markell briefed her clients. This was her 4th ironman and she is a local hero in Sugar Land. Although I was in good hands I was pondering what time I should be aiming for. 14 hours is respectable, 13 hours is a good effort, 12 hours and you have done amazing, 11 hours and your beating some pro’s, 10 hours I’d need a drugs test after.
On the bike at 56 miles (half way) and on the run you have a special needs food bag. This is your chance to put anything you like in your bag and do whatever you like. Set up a picnic, take a rest, and remember what food tastes like. I decided to put all time classics in mine. Peach circles, Oreo biscuits, gluten free pretzels (salt) and a few energy bars. To save the intensity of this pressured story. On the bike I dropped everything and on the run I felt sick. So it didn’t matter anyway. Waste of time.
On race day I walked all of the way to the start and forgot my bags so my warm up was running back to the hotel in a mad rush. At the start line I got back for the American national anthem and a helicopter passed over that made me feel like I was going to war. Entering the water for some reason I started crying. Still not sure why, just the overwhelming feeling that the time had come. I panicked about my goggles but before long it was too late and the final 2 minutes was here. Ozzy Osborne – Ironman started playing and the water push started. 3, 2, 1, and a gun that was it.
The swim was terrible. I was kicked in the head, pushed under, swam over, pulled back and punched. All standard of a triathlon. I gave as much as I received.
We had a choice of wearing a wetsuit. The water was warm enough but wetsuit entries wouldn’t be able to qualify for world championships. You must be mad if was ever going to make it but I chose not to wear one because Markell didn’t and I wanted a fair and square competition. 2.4 miles. 1 hour 20 minutes. Hated every minute.
The transition area is a large tent. One for males and one for females. I ran in, got naked, put on my bike things and trotted off.
The bike was magic. 5 hours 20 went very fast. I hammered my legs, got cramp in both quads and passed Markell at 40 miles. I averaged 20-25 miles per hour and didn’t have any trouble with punctures or time penalties for drafting (cycling closer than 4 bike lengths to the person in front)
I wet myself 15 times. But it was a sign of hydration so I was happy with that.
The run transition was tricky. My legs were like jelly and I just wanted the race to be over. The sun was getting hotter and humidity made people standing still faint and be sick. I spent 2 minutes in transition and got the show on the road
26.2 miles of red hot heat. Horrible. The marathon took me 4.5hours and I couldn’t run any faster than the set pace I was at. My legs wouldn’t allow me anymore and in my head I just thought – get to the next drink station (1 mile) I had 2 energy gels on the whole run and was totally unaware of the skin that had rubbed away from my shorts (between my legs) and my back from the belt I wore with gels in.
The last mile is nicknamed the “smile mile” you are going to make it and the feeling of thousands of people shouting and screaming at you gives you the biggest boost ever. Coming up the final stretch the commentator shouts out your name “Marvin Burton – You are an ironman”
Crossing the line is amazing. 2 people held my up, 1 out my medal on and another took photos. I was escorted for a few meters and then left to ponder my life. I spend 1 hour walking up to anybody with a finisher medal and shaking their hand, shouting people over the finish and eating. I got slower and slower at walking. From the finish line to my hotel room it took me 3 hours.
That night I had a mixture of cold sweats, sickness, diorreah and drank enough water to sink any ship. Apparently this is normal for after an ironman. The only think I regret was not going on a drip to help my fluid levels restore quicker.
I have no idea if I will take another ironman. The sacrifices have been huge for the last year. But… if there is something that you think I might be interested in please could you forward any suggestions to me please.
info@marvinburton.com
Since the race I have had lots of people saying they are going to try a triathlon. I would say go for it. A sprint triathlon will only take around an hour and is great for first time triathletes. It’s the fastest growing sport in the world. As fitness professional I think we all need to know about growth areas and niche markets. Well this market is a very affluent and performance based area. Have a go. Try something different.
Thank you for all of the messages of support. Until we meet again
Marvin Burton – Ironman
