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Showing posts from July 23, 2017

Ironman success - what is it?

Oh that feeling of crossing the Ironman finish line. The hurt, the suffering, the doubts, the struggle.....that finish line experience makes it all worth it. For most things in life, we are not judged by what we start but by what we finish. Most Ironman athletes would agree that there's nothing more fulfilling than crossing the finish line after covering 140.6 miles. As it relates to defining a successful Ironman, what is it?  Is it a kona slot, a podium placement, a specific time, not bonking or suffering from GI issues or simply crossing the finish line? Is success an outcome, like a time, place or pace or is it something more personal? I don't know any athlete who aims to have a "bad" Ironman race. We all want to experience success on race day and most of the time, we hope to feel good all day, with good mechanical and physical luck. Certainly, this is why we train - to feel prepared for a good race. Although every Ironman athlete will have his/her own d...

Ironman Lake Placid - quick recap

Karel is a "make no excuses, make things happen" kind of guy. He has carried this motto through his life and this mindset has helped him overcome so much in sport. Karel is not one to make excuses, complain or blame others when things don't go his way. Regardless of the situation or circumstances, he doesn't spend much energy on things out of his control, he always keeps an open mind and he will be the first to tell you that he will take responsibility for his choices and owns-up to his decisions. He also admits that he is not perfect and he does make mistakes. As it relates to sport, he competes for himself because he loves competition. He's not afraid to fail and he doesn't worry about what other people think of him. Excuses are a way to avoid failure. Karel doesn't dwell on the past or think "what if" but instead, he looks for the opportunity, the possibility or the chance that things go well, even when he's not destined to suc...