Constantinos completes Iron Man Challenge!
Iron man 70.3 was a success! River Meuse was over-flooded and had strong currents which meant that swimming could not take place. That was sad news for me as my swimming is solid (coming from an island and all).
Instead they substituted swimming with a 5.6km run, followed by a 92km cycle and a 21.9km run. My times were: 27 mins, 2:55 mins and 2:05 mins accordingly, summing up to a total of 5 hours and 27 minutes for the whole race. I am quite pleased with my performance given it is my first triathlon ever. Cautious of one of the purposes I was running, I also made sure my heart rate did not exceed 170 (zone 3).
The race itself was an amazing experience – words are inadequate to express the emotional rollercoaster I went through. All I can say is that the last 10km were not pleasant as I had to embrace the suck and keep going. Body had given up more or less and my mind kept me going. In today’s world of constant distractions it feels weird when we have to face ourselves. The 6 hour struggle against my self where I had nothing else other my thoughts and my breath was truly insightful.
Now I have taken some time off to recover and spend time with some friends who came all the way from the US to visit me. We are on a train to Paris currently, then London and lastly Greece/home!
By virtue of being a lawyer who also embraces and enjoys athleticism it, I quickly empathised. In addition, I have some close friends who were diagnosed with heart issues at a young age but, thankfully, they were diagnosed early and were able to overcome those issues. I wish everyone was able to do this but as one would expect people are not very aware and avoid testing because of the costs associated and also of the fact that everyone is thinking “what are the odds”.
I did not have the privilege of meeting Dan but I am grateful that I met his brother Ian. I am extremely appreciative to Ian for inspiring me professionally while also espousing my sports background. Having said that it would be unthinkable not to express my gratitude towards my family and friends who are always beside me, supporting me when the going gets tough.