Well (deep thought, I know), I made it. I decided 5 years ago to finish an ironman. I started with a sprint triathlon in 2011 and finished with 140.6 miles of swimming, biking, and running in 2015. It has been a wild ride on the road with setbacks and forward throws. I wanted an outline for anyone who wants to finish an ironman how I did it and how to achieve it.

First, you have to decide right now that you are going to finish. Sure, it may seem overwhelming or crazy to think about covering 140.6 miles, but you have to start at the beginning with an unwavering determination that it will finish. Once you have that resolution in place, then it will be over.

Second, you must set realistic annual goals. I do not agree with an individual immersing himself in the sport of triathlon and trying to complete an ironman in one or two years. This is a long-term process. Sure, if you’re already in phenomenal form from another sport, you could certainly complete an ironman. Anton Apollo Ohno, the Olympic skater, completed an ironman not long after he started training, but had the experience of skating at the Olympic level with him. You should set goals for what races you will do, what type of equipment you will buy, and how far your longest distances will be each year. By separating the accumulation of your races into annual sets, you will maintain that already determined goal of finishing. For example, I ran 5km in 2010, then went to my first sprint triathlon in 2011. I ascended every year to do an olympic distance race, then finally it took two years to finish 3 half ironman races before tackling the full ironman. Certainly, I would have liked to run more, but with lack of time and funds, this was not possible. I feel that the accumulation of distances over time really helped me in practice and in preparation for the races.

Third, you need to gain knowledge about your own body and about racing. In each triathlon distance there are specific challenges. As I began to progress further into longer distance races, I realized that I needed to focus on a nutrition strategy to help me get through those long running hours. The banana diet before the sprint race was not enough nutrition. This was a long process of trial and error to get to the point where I felt completely nurtured throughout my ironman. You also need to gain career knowledge. You need to know the rhythm and the transitions. All this knowledge accumulates over the years of development and competition.

I believe that with these three aspects of triathlon you can achieve your goals. You will set benchmarks in training and be able to tackle the daunting task of the ironman. Remember, the way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. These 5 years have been incredible and I hope to improve my times and be faster each year ahead.