Just short of a Decade ago my 19yo Stepson Reece passed away very tragically and his passing was the catalyst to me reinventing myself & getting fit once more. My weight had peaked at 103kg and I was not in a good place from a physical, mental and health perspective.
Reece was the catalyst to me thinking of doing an Ironman and I finished my 1st IMSA one year (2005) after his passing, in just short of 13 hrs. That little spark became a flame and then a fire within, as I began to Dream and see myself as I could become and no longer as I was. I was committed and trained very hard, culminating in participation in a number of World Championships events, including a treasured finisher’s medal at the Kona Ironman World Championships in 2012.
Kona Ironman
After 70.3 & more particularly IM 2013 (I had qualified for both Las Vegas and Kona and had every intention of going), I picked up an injury which set me back quite considerably. One of the biggest problems I seem to face, is that I am an extremist and can either be totally committed & disciplined, alternatively I am in the doldrums & tend to binge eat, or perhaps just eat what I am used to when training 3 hours/day. Also, when I am injured I throw myself into my work as a Financial Planner in an effort to compensate for the hours lost when in serious training, so training of any kind becomes virtually non-existent.
It’s a challenging transition and at one stage I was very ‘depressive’ if one can use the word in a lighter form, but I think my mind (and body) were saying enough is enough, time to slow down or to retire from this level of competition. However, being Isuzu’s Ironman Brand Ambassador, it wasn’t that easy and I certainly wanted to remain committed to them as they had been committed to me. The three months that I was in a time warp were not wasted, as not only did I give my mind & body much needed rest & recovery, but I also started thinking of my health, in particular my ability to pack on the Kilos when not training.
At IMSA in April 2013 I weighed in at under 80kg and 3 months later when my clothes were struggling to fit I revisited the scale and to my horror I was 90+. I was shocked and if I’m brutally honest ashamed that I could let myself go and it all happened at the blink of an eye, but then I started asking questions. One hears lots of talk of Carbohydrate Intolerance, so I phoned up my friend Professor Tim Noakes and asked him what he thought? He suggested a GTT test so I duly went for the Test and followed the test up with a visit to the Noakes at the Sports Science Institute in Cape Town.
Prof Tim Noakes & I at the Sports Science Institute
Thinking you may be CI is disconcerting to say the least, so when Tim looked at my results and said you are anything but Carbohydrate Intolerant, I was a very relieved man. We chatted about a variety of health and nutritional issues, about the populations excessive intake of Refined Carbohydrates, about my ideal weight and in essence I realised that I needed to up my game, if I wanted to compete with the World’s best in my AG at Kona in 2015. (One of the highlights of my visit was chatting about the 1985 London to Paris Triathlon Relay-Tim was our Team Doctor on that trip & Bruce Fordyce our run coach)
I was started to think out of the box and I was starting to Dream again after my discussions with Prof Noakes and also due to having read the book ‘Endurance Training and Racing’ by Dr Phil Maffetone, Mark Allen’s former coach. I realised that I had been racing about 4 % ‘overweight’- so yes those brave souls who asked me about my puppy fat were correct, I did have a bit of a spare tyre even though I didn’t want to admit to it. This could relate to time savings on the bike & run, which may translate into quite a significant time differential in a 70.3 or Ironman.
Just prior to visiting Tim in CT, I monitored good friend Colleen De Reuck’s performance in her first 70.3. I coached Colleen in her earlier years at University and she went on to become a great runner, breaking a few World records and going to 4 Olympics. Colleen is 49 and ran 81 minutes for the 21km at Boulder 70.3 and that performance got me thinking. As a 51yo I had won my AG at Las Vegas with a 90min half marathon and thought that was quite fast, but Colleen has raised my belief ceiling to what is possible and the need to believe I can go faster, which is what I will have to do if I want to be competitive over the next year or two.
So I’ve decided to commit to being more astute on the Nutritional side and to try and learn more, in an effort to see just what can be achieved and in an effort to look after my health, as a number of friends/clients have been affected by severe health issues recently and our health is our greatest asset. If our health attacks us, no amount of money in the world can restore our health so we need to look after our bodies from both a nutritional and physical point of view. In addition I believe I could improve my aerobic efficiency by changing my eating plan & focussing upon Nutrition.
The reason I’m sharing my challenges, my choices and my actions is twofold, firstly sharing is part of a successful training/mental method I use called Burning the Boats (see http://ironmansa.com/2013/08/22/burn-the-boats-maximise-your-potential/) and secondly, I think there are many people facing similar challenges to what I face. I still have some Dreams & Aspirations of my own, but I would like to think I may be able to help other people to transform & to dream again as we did when we were kids. I trust that sharing my inner feelings, fears, dreams, experiences, obstacles and challenges will have a positive impact upon those who are seeking inspiration or knowledge.
You are welcome to follow my progress on Twitter @alecriddle or on my facebook page entitled Alec Riddle Coach and Athlete (https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Alec-Riddle-Coach-and-Athlete/145665372127708) ! I will post links to this Blog via Twitter and FB, but you are welcome to follow this Blog, as I post weekly updates of my progress.
Next Week: The Mind Games when trying to Change!
YES, you Can, you Will, you Want to!!
The Riddle of an Ironman's Life 