Competing in an ironman competition is something that many athletes consider doing. It’s so incredibly difficult that even the most in-shape athletes question whether they’re ready to go for it. Take a look at the following three signs that you’re ready to do an ironman. If you check all of the right boxes, then you’ll be able to move forward confidently and start training for an ironman.
- You Have the Right Lifestyle
Having the right lifestyle to train for an ironman means a few different things. First, you need to have enough time to train for this competition. It will require around 20 hours per week of training and not everyone has that much free time to spare. Also, this will take time away from your business and family, so you’ll need to be able to comfortably focus on your ironman training without having regrets.
This means that people with young children and business owners are likely not good fits for doing an ironman. It will depend on whether you have a partner who is ready to support you in your athletic endeavors, too. Are you willing to make personal sacrifices so that you can complete ironman training? If the answer is yes, then you can keep moving forward.
- You Have the Proper Athletic Experience
Be honest with yourself about whether you have the athletic experience to even consider doing an ironman. No one is going to come off of the couch and get ready for an ironman in 13 weeks. You’re going to want to be athletic already and you should already be good at activities such as cycling and swimming. If these are activities that you struggle with, then running an ironman is probably not feasible for you.
- You Can Afford it
Being able to afford the ironman is another story entirely. Understand that the fees to compete in the ironman will be around $700 and the cost of training will be even more. Many people need to sacrifice work hours to train for this event and that can cost you a substantial amount of money. If you don’t have the necessary funds to make this happen, then your ironman ambitions might need to be placed on the backburner for now.