Biokinetic Blueprint: Surviving the Sufferfest: A couple of thoughts about endurance sport

My background for ending up doing endurance sports is one that many people have heard of, and it's become a natural progression these days. I played many sports as a youth and excelled in many of them before deciding to stick to rugby and cricket in high school, where I made the 1st team and provincial representation. University led me down the rabbit hole of playing provincial rugby and 1st team club rugby. The bravado of our national South African sport, with muscle-bound, gym-induced, raging hormone males was great during my twenties, where a lot of excess testosterone needed to be blown off. However, it is well known that rugby players' careers are short-lived for the obvious reason. It is a contact sport, and injury is an inevitable part of the game. Unfortunately, this is where I fell short on the rugby side and inevitably where my introduction to endurance sport started. Let the suffering begin!

The next month of blog posts is going to give insight into some of my favourite endurance sports and what the ins and outs of each sport entail regarding some common injuries. There will be some pitfalls of some hard-learned lessons and what is happening in the current industry with regard to injury avoidance and prevention.

Finding My Way:

So, I entered my first race, as that is the standard thing to do, to give yourself a goal, become immersed in the endurance sport of your choice? Or is it the right thing to do? Most people then look to something everyone is doing and has done. Well, how hard can a 3.9km swim, 180km bike ride, and 42km marathon be if so many people have completed it? I think this would be mistake number 1 on the all-time mistakes to make. Step by step should be the progression and very much so in this regard. Finding my way in this endurance jungle of opportunity is daunting and can be very intimidating.

Starting Small:

The ultimate and best piece of first advice is to start small if you have never dabbled in endurance sport. A club or coach is never a bad place to start. The clubs generally have very good coaches who can cater to all types of athletes and have been around the block when it comes to endurance sport. Having a fellow sufferer with you and training alongside you is not a bad idea either. Having these like-minded individuals creates some camaraderie and someone to share this immersion! Starting small means doing something that may push you a little in terms of fitness and endurance but is not beyond you in terms of technicality and ability.

Setting Realistic Goals:

If it is your goal to do a full Ironman eventually, then putting together a roadmap of how to get there is a good start. Sit down with your coach/friend or yourself and have a conversation about races to enter for build-up to the event, what your weeks will look like from a training/rest/recovery/work balance. These fundamentals will put all the building blocks down to you not only having the adequate amount of fitness and strength to achieve the goal but inevitably enjoy the process and the race.

Endurance sports can be lonely, they are difficult, and they require mental fortitude. It's generally you against the race. It will be the most challenging thing you do; however, one of the most rewarding and gratifying in the same breath. Rather prepare well or prepare to fail well!