Every now and again I approach Rob with the phrase, “So, I had an idea…” After which he looks at me half scared and half excited.

The latest idea…completing an Ironman in one week.

Originally, I wanted to do this in three days – one event per day. But, biking 112 miles in one go freaks me out. I know I can make the swim and bull through the run, but the bike is where I get nervous.

As a result of that fear, I settled on doing the thing in a week. And Rob is going to join me for it. Or, rather should I say attempt. We’re not sure if we can do it, but we’re going to try.

Now, I’m not trying to belittle those who are able to complete an Ironman in one day. Rather, I think they are insanely badass and this is my silly attempt to see what my body can handle in a week what they do in a few hours. True Ironmen and women will forever be held in extreme high esteem to me.

Here are some logistics of our Ironman in a week:

The distances: 

• Swim – 2.4 miles, or 169 laps at our local pool
• Bike – 112 miles
• Run – 26.2, or a full marathon

The why:

The dog days of summer has taken its toll on me. Staying up late, sleeping in, watching TV for a bit in the middle of each day – not the end of the world, but all things that are uncharacteristic of me. Sure, I’m still working out and staying active, but my energy and motivation are low. This challenge will get me out of bed at normal school time, moving, focused, and prepared for some other fall race goals both Rob and I have coming up. Plus, it’s our kind of crazy.

Oh, and the word “fun” has also come up a lot.

The daily plan:

Between Rob’s work schedule, lap times at the pool, and me wanting to finish this in 6 days so we can celebrate on Saturday night, we sat down this morning and sketched out a rough daily plan of what we have to do to make it happen.

We are not completing each segment in the typical triathlon order of swim-bike-run. Typically, we will start with the run to get it done before the pavement heats up, then bike, and leave swimming for last since some days the lap times are not until 5:30 pm.

Also, when it says “run: to pool” on Tuesday, that means we will run the less than 1 mile away the pool is, swim, and run home. The “bike: to run” on Thursday has us going about 2-3 miles to a trail for a jog and then 2-3 miles back home. It’s a way to fit in a few miles on each portion while getting a bit of a break from it.

Note our conversions in our planning to cut this thing to a half ironman if we can’t hack it. I cannot emphasize enough that we are ready to chop it (altogether or in half) if it’s too much.

The food:

After moving for 2-3+ hours each day, I’m very concerned about staying nourished with healthy carbs, lean proteins, and good fats. I have all our dinners planned for the next 6 nights to ensure we’re eating  well with whole foods that are best for our bodies and not giving in to how tired we are assuming we will be and just throwing a pizza in the oven. For those, like me, who geek out about meal plans:

The wise words:

This is not a challenge I would recommend for just anyone to do. I highly suggest training for it, especially if you’re not an endurance athlete. If you want to give it a try, consider doing the distances over the course of a full month. This is a week we’ve planned, both for the care of our muscles (foam rolling, listening to our bodies, being ready to call it quits), and our nutrition. We are prepared to quit if we find it’s too much.

And with the Denver sun being rather strong at this elevation, we’ll be lathering on the sunblock, wearing hats, and getting done before the heat of the day.

The following along:

I’m planning to blog an update on our distances, how we’re feeling, etc each day. What aspects would you be interested in hearing about (if any)? I will also be posting to Instagram.

If you want to see a real feat of endurance strength, follow The Iron Cowboy. The man is completing 50 Ironmans in 50 states for 50 straight days. He is truly an inspiration.

RQ: What is the latest, “So, I had an idea…” that you’ve had? 

Brooke Selb

I’m Brooke Selb, a Personal Trainer and Health Coach specializing in helping busy moms and moms to be to easily juggle mom life with family friendly recipes, and easy exercise routines to help you achieve your fitness goals that fit in with your already busy life with sound nutritional advice.