Black September - Triathlon Week

sfricks · 08-21-2006, 07:08 AM

Here's a post from another forum for those of you doing Half Iron or Iron distance races in October:

The Hunt for Black September does not refer to looking for a militant organization or terrorist group. In fact your hunt for Black September has ended since tomorrow is the first of the month. Everything you have been doing for the entire year represents a culmination of training which has prepared you for what's going to happen in the next four weeks. You have spent the first five months of the year doing base building to prepare you to begin training for the Ironman. The last three months were spent primarily training for the Ironman and to prepare you for Black September.

But let me be clear, by calling it Black September I don't mean this in a negative way. Like Navy Seals who have their "hell week" (what - only one week), Ironman Triahtletes have their "HELL MONTH". Like a commando who's been in the bush for three months, you feel tired and find yourself hurting with minor injuries, aches and pains pervading your body and getting bloodied from various mishaps. The summer heat has drained you physically and mentally, but you now find yourself still faced with one month left to go in the bush. Just when you think it can't get any harder, it does. September represents the peak month of training where your volume of training will go up even more. When the only thing you really want right now is to get off this roller coaster. High on your list is to get up late on Sunday morning and have a three egg omelet with the works, sausage, hashbrowns and bacon (not to be confused with beacon from a prior post - Canadian bacon ). Yes I do feel your pain.

But there is no time to cry about it. This isn't the crying game. Save those tears for the finish line on the 20th of October. Right now it's time to take care of business. This is gut check time. Realizing that Black September is a lot harder than the race itself. Yes you read that correctly. Black September is much harder than the race because unlike the race which lasts for one day, Black September lasts for one month. But if you get through this month, the race will only be a formality and crossing the finish line will no longer be a dream. The training over the past several months has given you the physical and mental toughness to get through Black September. Trust your training no matter how tough it may get. If you begin to have self doubts, remember you have a taper period coming up and you won't be feeling as tired as you do now when the cannon goes off (or is it a gun, maybe it's a horn, perhaps a whistle …). Keep smiling and hey, let's be careful out there. : )

Tri-Hard or Tri-Harder.

hmullett · 08-21-2006, 08:29 AM

Game on! For those of us whose season isn't over, let's get our game faces on! I'm gearing up for my last month of hard work. Actually, I'm almost looking forward to it, crazy as it sounds. I can't wait to hear "Heather Mullett, you are an Ironman" over the loudspeaker as I cross the finish line. Granted I've completed a half IM 6:40, I'm ready to dance at the big dance. I'll be using alot of visualization during this last two and a half months, seeing my kids and I run across the finish line, my Mdot tattoo, my new license plate "Irnchic", etc. This is it, and there's no backing down!

Heather (tri-ing harder)

Heather