Tackling your first marathon can be an overwhelming feat. Events of this distance or duration take as much metal strength as they do physical strength. After mile 20, the run becomes exponentially more difficult for various reasons. Your brain becomes overloaded with messages from your body. The best type of luck is good preparation. To help you prepare for your first marathon consider the following guidelines.

The first 20 minutes after a workout are the most critical in terms of recovery. It is the time when your body begins to rebuild itself by repairing broken down muscles and restoring glycogen supplies. The “gates” are fully open and your body’s ability to absorb nutrients and restore energy levels is at its optimum. To expedite your recovery, try mixing a recovery shake.

The holiday season is here. It is probably the most difficult time of the year to focus on training because we just want to have fun, eat a lot, enjoy the holiday spirit, and the company of our family. When we do choose to train during the holidays, time appears to be at its bare minimum. There are hard core athletes who hope the holidays mean time off work and more opportunity to train. No one will argue the direct correlation between race results and the amount and quality of training. Hence we act like Pavlov’s dog when a day off work is near. Let’s not forget other important aspects influencing your results that may be founded more on theory than fact. While training can be measured and its results statistically correlated to your performance, the support of family is immeasurable. So how do you achieve work-life-train balance during year end holiday? How do you control the nervous crack-addicted-like itch to jump on your bike? Here are few suggestions to help balance training, family, and the holidays

The first two decades of the fifth century B.C. marked one of the great turning points in world history. These were the years of the Persian and Greek wars. The powerful Persian Empire in 546 B.C. extended from Asia to Eygpt to what is now Turkey. This great empire built the first Suez Canal which linked the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea. Greece on the other hand, consisted of a scattering of independent city-states, called poleis. These early city-states spawned the democratic ideas that have persisted into modern times. Athens eventually became the largest and most prosperous polis. Another Greek polis, Sparta, was not so democratic. They kept their kings and maintained a conservative, regimented society built around military training and the art of war.

Short Version: If I ever suggest signing up for another Ironman, someone please shotgun my laptop so I can't. Thanks for reading.

- Tony

Extended Version:
Initially, I told myself I would not write a race report this time. However, I can’t help but mention how warm the Canadian hospitality is and the beautiful countryside. Someone on the run changed and left their clothes at one of the aid stations. The next day, the owner of these clothes found them washed, dried, and neatly folded at the lost and found booth. Surprised? Don’t be. This is a great example of the experience you will encounter in Canada. Warm hospitality, a beautiful course, and great volunteer support are some of the reasons I’ve done Ironman Canada three times.