What Last Year’s Ironman “Fail” Taught Me About Training for Real Life

Last October was supposed to be my sixth Ironman.

The training had been building for months. The plan was in place, the fitness was there, and everything was lining up exactly as it should.

Except for one small detail.

Two days before we were due to fly to the race, I realised that my four-year-old twins had 86 days left on their passports. Portugal requires 90.

Which meant that after months of preparation, planning, and training… we weren’t going anywhere.

Despite this rather inconvenient discovery, we still did what any slightly sleep-deprived, slightly hopeful family might do: we got up at 3:30am, bundled two very confused four-year-olds into a taxi, and headed to the airport just in case.

An hour later we found ourselves standing at check-in with two tearful children, one very tearful adult, and the quiet realisation that this particular Ironman journey was ending before it had even begun.

Eventually we called another taxi and went home.

At the time it felt like months of effort had disappeared overnight.

But with a little distance, I realised something important: the biggest lessons from that season had very little to do with Ironman itself, and everything to do with how we approach training when life is full, unpredictable, and sometimes completely outside our control.

And in many ways, that lesson has shaped how I train — and how I coach — far more than any race result ever could.

They key is to have every key, the key to open every door. Major key, don’t fall for the trap, stay focused. It’s the ones closest to you that want to see you fail. In life you have to take the trash out, if you have trash in your life, take it out, throw it away, get rid of it, major key.

Stay focused. The other day the grass was brown, now it’s green because I ain’t give up. Never surrender. In life there will be road blocks but we will over come it. Life is what you make it, so let’s make it.

Let me be clear, you have to make it through the jungle to make it to paradise, that’s the key, Lion! Lion! Egg whites, turkey sausage, wheat toast, water. Of course they don’t want us to eat our breakfast, so we are going to enjoy our breakfast.

You do know, you do know that they don’t want you to have lunch. I’m keeping it real with you, so what you going do is have lunch. Watch your back, but more importantly when you get out the shower, dry your back, it’s a cold world out there.

You should never complain, complaining is a weak emotion, you got life, we breathing, we blessed. A major key, never panic. Don’t panic, when it gets crazy and rough, don’t panic, stay calm. Life is what you make it, so let’s make it. The first of the month is coming, we have to get money, we have no choice. It cost money to eat and they don’t want you to eat.

I’m up to something. You smart, you loyal, you a genius. You see that bamboo behind me though, you see that bamboo? Ain’t nothin’ like bamboo. Bless up.

• Every chance I get, I water the plants.
• Lion! In life there will be road blocks but we will over come it.
• They don’t want us to eat.
• Celebrate success right, the only way, apple.
• The weather is amazing, walk with me through the pathway of more success.
• Take this journey with me, Lion!

Congratulations, you played yourself. The key is to enjoy life, because they don’t want you to enjoy life. I promise you, they don’t want you to jetski, they don’t want you to smile. Wraith talk.

Major key, don’t fall for the trap, stay focused. It’s the ones closest to you that want to see you fail. Learning is cool, but knowing is better, and I know the key to success. You see that bamboo behind me though, you see that bamboo? Ain’t nothin’ like bamboo. Bless up.

I told you all this before, when you have a swimming pool, do not use chlorine, use salt water, the healing, salt water is the healing. Life is what you make it, so let’s make it.

Author

To be successful you’ve got to work hard, to make history, simple, you’ve got to make it. The key to more success is to have a lot of pillows. Surround yourself with angels, positive energy, beautiful people, beautiful souls, clean heart, angel. To succeed you must believe. When you believe, you will succeed.