The IRONMAN is possibly the toughest competitive athletic event in the world. It takes the most difficult events to do in itself on one day and combines it with the most difficult event on another day. THEN, add one more just in case! The IRONMAN is a 2.2-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile marathon all IN ONE DAY. Having seen the New York Marathon, FINISHING a marathon is a feat in itself! BUT having to finish and finish as fast as possible after swimming and biking? That requires a strong man. Or in this case, an AMAZING woman.
Pamela Maino is one of those women. I have had the privilege of personally training Pam in the past and she is a difficult client. You couldn’t imagine how physically indestructible and mentally focused she is an IRONMAN (or in our case, an IRONWOMAN) until you’ve worked with one.
Pam explained to me that she had weighed her whole life. A full-time working mother of two athletes and wife of a devoted husband, one would never believe there was a time in life when this vibrant 41-year-old was not on top of matters. Just 4 weeks after the birth of her second child, Pam was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a crippling neurological disease. Only 28 years old at the time, Pam gained up to 200 pounds and
his health was seriously compromised. Being a nurse by training, she
Finally, he decided that enough was enough and began to exercise. An evolution that finally gave birth to an IRONMAN; Passing an IRONMAN in a marathon a few years later centered Pam’s mind, “An IRONMAN I can become.”
thought.
There were 37 marathons, quite a few mini triathlons, 2 IRONMAN World Championships and 3 IRONMAN. People laughed. There are always skeptics and now those skeptics are believers. Competing in the 40-44 class, Pam finished 2nd in her age in Brazil, 4th out of 130 in her age in another, finished in the top 5% in another, and not below the top 1/3 any.
Training for an IRONMAN is simple. In fact, you can join Pam any day you want. But first ask yourself, “Am I ready to train 7 DAYS A WEEK? Am I ready to bike 200-250 miles a week? Am I willing to spend roughly
12-15% of my waking hours training? Can I fit in the 4 hours a week of
to swim in? How about the 9 hours of cycling or the 5 hours of running? What about extra cross training at the gym? What about seeing my family? What about my full-time job?
Well, don’t complain to Pam because that’s what it takes. She does it all AND she manages to complete a 6-7 hour time for the IRONMAN bike ride and a 3 1/2 hour marathon (an achievement for a marathoner doing ONLY one marathon). “You have to dig in and want it every minute,” she says. “You have to stay focused every minute of IRONMAN. You really have to want it more than you’ve wanted anything.”
Oh, by the way, did I mention that Pam is 41 years old and has multiple sclerosis?
