Going Longer Part 2: Adapt or Fail
In considering going longer, adapting–to training, lifestyle changes, cold water, and more–isn’t just a perk that can help you get faster and be on top of your mental game, it’s a requirement. In going longer, you either adapt or you fail.
If you’ve done an endurance sport, you know that it’s common to have difficult issues pop up–crashing on your bike, getting kicked in the face during the swim, getting blisters on the run, and so on. The longer the event, the longer the list can become.
The longer you race or train, the longer you are asking your body and mind to engage in some really tough forward movement. An Ironman isn’t twice as hard as a half-Ironman, it is exponentially as tough. If you’re racing a 7-hour half-Ironman event, you don’t just need a bit more food and water than you do for an international distance race, you need a lot more, and you need to refine your calorie intake to meet the demands of the distance.
To go longer, you need to learn to emotionally shrug off environmental discomfort and deal with it rationally, because 14, 15, or 17 hours are too long to be pissed off at the heat and wind. You are required to adapt to significant structural discomfort and mental struggle. These become part of your everyday existence in training, and you adapt to move with them and not fight them.
From: Triathlon Revolution: Training, Technique and Inspiration
