You need to fall
Week 21/33: Falling, failing and reflections from week 20
You need to fall.
To fail.
To understand what it’s like to be on the ground.
Happened to me this week.
First time riding outside.
Didn’t think much about it because I’ve been riding indoors the last few months.
However I was quickly reminded how different it is.
Had my long ride Saturday so Friday decided to get on the bike to do a few laps so I felt comfortable outside.
Thank god I did that.
As soon as I got outside, realized that clipping into your bike while riding is HARD.
It’s not something I thought about.
Or expected.
So I started from my driveway and immediately fell twice.
Injured my ankle and bruised my hip.
Have a huge bruise on my left hip, so much so that it’s hard to sleep on that side.
Then I thought ‘Oh no.
What have I done?
Can I really do this?
Am I stupid for signing up for an Ironman when I can’t even get on my bike?’
The doubt crept in.
But I knew this was part of the process.
I’ve been through failures like this before.
Arguably bigger ones.
Failing on my Canadian board exams and not getting into residency.
Hard to top that.
But I came back stronger from that experience.
I regrouped.
Reflected.
Then went again.
Ended up leaving medicine, which was the best decision I’ve ever made.
I only got there with the failure.
So after falling a bunch of times, I turned to YouTube.
Someone recommended starting on grass, holding a tree then peddling.
So I did that.
Fell again.
But slowly got the hang of it.
Felt more comfortable.
Did a few laps around my block, making sure I could start and stop without falling.
Felt good, but still had that doubt.
How’s my long ride going to go?
Woke up at 6 the next day nervous.
Never done a long bike on the road.
Was my first time.
Was super thankful a friend joined me (shout-out to Billy).
But again, started off bad.
Came out of the parking lot, made the first turn on the light and one of my drinking boxes fell.
Almost fell as well.
Had to return to my car to leave it.
Wasn’t a great start to the long ride.
But then we were on our way.
Ended up getting to the halfway point and Billy pointed out I had flat tires.
Not one, but two.
So I did the entire 50k with two flat tires, up and down a bunch of hills.
Not the best outcome.
But I did it!
I got through it.
Felt good at the end.
Knew that this was possible.
Knew I could conquer this mountain.
You only appreciate it once you’ve fallen.
Once you’ve failed.
As Mike Tyson once said ‘Everyone has a plan till they get punched in the mouth.’
That’s life.
I got punched.
Now what was I going to do about it?
Sit down and take it?
Give up?
Absolutely not.
Needed to adjust my strategy.
To get back up after being knocked down.
There is no going back.
I’m doing this.
I’m committed to this, no matter how much I will fail and struggle along the way.
The choice is yours.
How you interpret failure is up to you.
Many see it as a setback.
Maybe it is.
But it’s also an opportunity.
An opportunity to improve.
To be better.
To progress.
To learn.
That’s what mistakes are.
They teach you.
No one learns anything in success.
You only learn in failure.
So fail more.
Fall more.
It’s the pathway to living a fulfilled life.
You need to fall.
This week in training - (Follow me on Strava here):
Swimming - 8.1k. Bigger swim volumes are starting. Good sessions this week. Sunday was a bit annoying as I went to a different pool and it was super busy. 15 people int he fast lane so couldn’t go as quick as I would’ve liked. Speed still solid and should hopefully start open water swimming soon.
Biking - 80.3k - finally outside. Not as much volume this week compared to indoor, but will start picking up. As mentioned above, fell a bunch of times figuring out how to clip in outside on the bike, but super happy with my effort on the long ride. 50k with two flat tires, including one that might’ve been punctured, in wind and rain where it was below 10 degrees. Legs felt good too the next day so was going at a good pace. Got my bike tuned up and fixed so hoping this week is much better.
Running - 30.5k - solid run week. Got new shoes this week that are different than my Brooks so took a while to get used to them. Wasn’t going as fast on the treadmill or on the track, but got outside and felt good. Did almost a half marathon (20.1k) Sunday and was at a really good pac throughout. Shoes were super comfortable with limited ankle and achilles pain on the left side. Right ankle was sore because of falling off the bike, but still got through it. Making good progress and know my marathon time in the Ironman can be better than what I did a few weeks back.
Notes from Week 20 of training:
Another big build week, especially the weekend. Missed one bike indoor workout this week as I got outside. Fell a few times and questioned myself for the first time in a while, but know I got this. Really happy with the weekend effort, especially swimming 3k and running almost a half marathon on Sunday morning all before 12.
Nutrition was decent this week. Need to get back to buying groceries and eating at home, as I was at my parents this weekend so wasn’t as dialed in. Nonetheless the nutrition during training was solid, especially with the big effort on Sunday. Need to practice it more on the bike but know I will do that over the next little while. Gut training is working well.
Solid swim sessions this week. Feeling good in the pool. Annoyed I couldn’t do the full effort on Sunday as it was super busy, but still got to 3k and felt great.
Biking was the highlight of my week, even with the setbacks. Felt so nice to be outside, even in the shitty weather. Finally figured out how to clip in, got the bike fixed, especially the tires, so should have some much better outdoor rides this week. Even with the 50k, legs felt good and didn’t push too hard. Need to dial it up, especially as we get to the 100k mark over the next few weeks, but looking forward to it, especially with the weather getting better.
Good run week. Got new shoes so first few sessions took some time to get used to. Outdoor long run was great though. Hard to imagine me just doing a casual half marathon on a weekend, but here we are. Bit of ankle soreness on the run but feels good today.
Movies - watched Mission Impossible 3 (so good) and Dead Reckoning (story was a bit corny but awesome action sequences and so worth seeing in Imax). TV shows - finished the Studio (so funny, especially the last episode) and Your Friends and Neighbours (meh).
If you look at the week, I didn’t hit my targets and missed one bike workout. Yet I feel amazing about my performance this week, especially this weekend. Saturday morning woke up at 6 am and did 50k outside on two flat tires in the wind and rain with sub 10 degree temperatures. Hard to beat that. Then woke up at 6 am Sunday, did 3k in a busy pool where I was slower than normal, came home then ran a casual almost half marathon. Finished the day golfing in the rain but my legs held up. Never thought I would be the guy waking up at 6 am on Saturday/Sunday to workout but here we are. Another good week coming up then the Olympic triathlon in a few weeks. Feeling much better about biking outside now so that event should be super fun. Excited for the next little while, especially as the weather gets better. Hard to believe we’ve made so much progress in the last few months, yet here we are. LFG!
For Sachit:
In honour of my dear cousin Sachit, my role model who sadly lost his battle to leukemia a few years ago, I’m taking on the ultimate challenge – an Ironman triathlon! This grueling race includes a 3.8 km swim, a 180 km bike ride, and a 42.4km run, but it’s more than just a test of endurance. I'll be raising money for the Canadian Cancer Society and Ottawa General Hospital where Sachit was treated. My goal was to raise $10,000 and recently accomplished this. THANK YOU to everyone who donated!!! I’ve now increased the goal to $16,000 and all money will be split between the two charities.
Your support will not only help me cross the finish line but also create meaningful change for those in need. Every donation counts and brings me closer to my fundraising goal.
Thank you for your support and join me on this incredible journey to conquer the Ironman!