Who is Yoyo?

Is it possible to be a born again virgin?

A few years ago I was talking to a female friend of mine and she was telling me how it had been so long since she's had sex, she was basically a virgin again.

How long? Two years.

As I sit here, one week out from my fourth Ironman, I wonder to myself 'Am I an Ironman virgin, again....?' It's been two and a half long years since my last Ironman race, a soul-cleansing experience of personal demon facing on the streets of Busselton in 2005.

It seems such a distant memory now, as thereafter a long and winding path of injury and illness has brought me to where I stand now - Two weeks out, fit, healthy and strong. 'You've done it all before' I tell myself, but still in the back of the mind there is that nagging feeling that time has diminished the memory of the suffering that awaits.

In this sense, I feel that I can really relate to all the true Ironman virgins lining up this year. I remember fondly the nervous anticipation in the weeks leading up to the race, the fleeting moments of self-doubt 'have I done enough..?' 'Can I really do this...? I must be crazy!'

Whilst I don't have any of those sorts of thoughts going through my head this time around, I definitely do have a 'new' feeling surrounding all of this. It's like a case of prolonged dejavu - it all seems so familiar, like I’ve been right here before...another time, another place.... but it lasts weeks instead of minutes.

There's a lot of free advice available out the triathlon world, some of it decent, a lot of it very average. I don't want to give any advice to all you first timers out there, just maybe a few suggestions to do with what you please....

• Chill out and relax. Take a moment to thank those around you that have supported you over the past months/years.
• When you get to Port Macquarie, feed off the hype, but don't get absorbed by it. Don't be the super-serious prick who can't crack a smile for 4 days prior to the race.
• Take it easy on the first lap of the bike. There are going to be all manner of competitors and participants going past you at Warp Factor 5. Play it like a big marlin...let 'em run with the lure in their mouth. Set the hook when you hit T2 and start reeling them in.
• Enjoy the day; you're achieving something remarkable.

I liken the last 4 weeks of an Ironman prep to the blue flame of a Bunsen burner. For months prior the base and threshold work has been done on the orange flame and now, the sharpness comes as the taper begins and the flame starts to turn to it's hottest blue setting, the point getting sharper and sharper.

One thing I remember from 'way back then’ is how tired I was in the lead-up to my IM's. It's one of the main things that sticks in my mind - constant exhaustion. This season I have not experienced this at all, and I put this down to 3 things.

1. Heavy supplementation during base work phase with Vitamin E, Fish Oil and CoQ10.
2. Buying a coffee machine for home and having an espresso before each morning session. In doing so I was sharp, alert and mentally focussed right from the beginning of every session instead of dragging my knuckles for the first 30 mins everyday. I think if you asked AP, this would probably be one of the most noticeable differences with me this season, compared to previous ones.
3. In the last 4 weeks I have been using elagen supplement products and they have been sensational. It's a complete regime that comprises of Elagen Sport in the mornings before sessions and Protec8 (antioxidant), Immuno29 (high potency multi), Olive Leaf extract and joint formula in the evenings. I look around the squad and see a lot of tired eyes, I hear of tired sessions, poor recovery. I have not been experiencing that.

Over the years it seems that Ironman Triathlon has somehow become 'more achievable', or perhaps somehow the mysticism that surrounded the "super human" act of swimming 3.8k, riding 180k and running a full marathon, all on the one day, had diminished.

But perhaps this is the result of being on the inside, looking IN somehow...? From conversations I’ve had with a few non-triathlon people lately, even very fit athletes of different sports, there is an air of amazement when it dawns on them not only what we put ourselves through on raceday but also what it takes to actually get to that startline ready to compete.

There is a decent amount of "Holy Shit" factor, when they realise that the IM's we do here are the same distances as "that crazy triathlon in Hawaii..."

People are amazed, even if they can't understand what it's like...what it takes. It such a long day that can seem to pass so remarkably quickly, or perhaps for some, excruciatingly slowly.

There will be the good, the bad and the downright ugly out there....but regardless the achievement is the same, particularly for first timers. No pressure, no expectations, just get out there and have fun.

I'm a born again IM virgin and that's exactly what I'll be doing.

See you there

YoYo