How James Lawrence Prepared His Body for 100 Consecutive Ironmans

5 many years back, James Lawrence did the unachievable. In excess of the training course of 50 days, the endurance athlete accomplished 50 consecutive Ironmans. If you are not acquainted with triathlons, that’s a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike experience, topped off with a complete 26.2-mile marathon. The energy landed him in the Guinness Globe Data with a number of achievements that have not been touched given that. That is until eventually now: Lawrence is trying the unattainable all over again, though this time he’s doubling it. That is right, he’s aiming to full 100 consecutive Ironmans this time. “I didn’t believe 75 appeared challenging plenty of,” Lawrence tells Men’s Journal, when questioned how he in the long run came to the variety. The phrase is claimed with the no-nonsense attitude and steely concentrate that is earned him the moniker the Iron Cowboy. “And mainly because why not?”

Lawrence is at this time in the midst of the Hurculean hard work in his home point out of Utah, surrounded by his team—wife, Sunny, and five small children. We spoke with the Iron Cowboy about how he’s education, recovering, and being mentally match to complete the Conquer 100 challenge.

How ‘Iron Cowboy’ James Lawrence Prepped to Tackle 100 Consecutive Ironmans

Men’s Journal: How did the strategy of the Conquer 100 get started?

James Lawrence: I’d say I very first regarded as it two many years ago. My physique was finding to a location wherever it was fully recovered from the 50 try. I was setting up to crave a thing new—something even larger. Now that I’d accomplished the 50, doing far more turned doable. On reflection we started off to see some of the logistical and training errors we made. There were apparent points we could put into action to push the boundaries more.

What kind of a bodily toll did 50 Ironmans get on your entire body?

There was a tear in my shoulder I experienced to deal with only 5 days in. I developed extreme tendinitis in my legs, as well as foot blistering and toenail decline. I feel I shed 6 of my 10 toenails above the study course of it. I was experiencing entire body deterioration all through, but you just had to study to deal with it. You discover how to regulate agony. The most significant fallout I dealt with was wholly numb fingers and toes after ending. It almost certainly took me six months, if not a 12 months, for me to get that sensation back again. And now that I have it back, I’m able to get back out there and attempt some thing insane again.

How are you teaching in a different way to double your feat?

The preparing is wholly unique this time all over. When I was carrying out the 50, I did a ton of quantity before. I prepped for about 6 months, most likely peaking at 38 hrs a 7 days. I imagine that factored into the hindrances I started to experience in the course of the operates, like extreme muscle fatigue—ligament and tendon strain at a superior degree. I figured out a great deal from that encounter. Even nevertheless I’m performing extra, I did not add to the training. I basically took away. This time all-around I did a 4-thirty day period camp, peaking at 27 several hours a 7 days. I did a ton a lot less quantity, but a large amount more toughness training and depth function. I grew up lifting weights. I love the bench press and functioning my legs, from squats to lunges. If you are not schooling your legs tough, you don’t get it.

Did you pull again on the managing?

There was a whole lot significantly less running this time around as perfectly. The 1st time I was jogging a bare minimum of 4 days a 7 days and they were being prolonged runs even just after I’d been on the bike for a even though. Looking again that was the mistaken move. This time I only ran two or 3 occasions a 7 days, and the longest a person was three hours. That could possibly appear like way too tiny to most when you’re organizing on undertaking 100 consecutive 5-hour runs. But the purpose was to go into this obstacle as sturdy and sturdy as attainable. I didn’t want to overtrain. The plan is to handle the first 50 percent of these 100 full-distance triathlons as the final teaching method. For our team, this all gets authentic in the course of that second 50.

How are you fueling?

I eliminated gluten from my diet as substantially as I could just before Conquer 100. I also eliminated dairy, which prompted swelling in previous operates. i introduced on a nutritionist to stay posted on what I was getting in and keeping an eye on the general system. As far as in the course of, I’m consuming all-around 10,000-12,000 energy, staying with higher-excess fat, nutritionally dense food items to slash down on volume. I’ve been supplementing the diet with 1stphorm for a long time. They are the title sponsor of the task. They’ve been large with health supplements and possessing protein beverages commonly obtainable. They make confident I get the most out of the work I do in the gym.

Just take me via how you get better.

Physical therapy has became a enormous piece of the puzzle. I upped the amount of money of restoration: I do acupuncture, cupping, scraping, crimson light remedy, together with chiropractic function, and deep tissue therapeutic massage. I have a hyperbaric chamber on site from Eleve that I’ll soar into. I’ve been employing a Biostrap to observe all of my stats, and I pay back a good deal of notice to my snooze, mainly because that’s vastly crucial to almost everything else. In get to get superior rest, I use Braintap guided meditations to relaxed my neurological system and make it simpler to slide asleep. Acquiring those more minutes in when I can issue. I not long ago place in a Grasp Swim Spa with a jacuzzi in our household. On leading of the restoration value it provides, I also have the skill to do deepwater working to lower the problems on my legs. It assists me to go my legs and develop energy but not acquire any extra pounding.

You’re applying the exact training course every working day until June 8 if all issues go to plan. What are the benefits and worries of repeating the same routes?

The magnificence of this time all-around is we have eliminated the chaos of the prior problem. It was ridiculous to be traveling all all-around the region. Acquiring up to do the very same training course just about every one working day is a bit head numbing, but it also eliminates the logistical difficulties we were suffering from for the duration of the first feat.

How do you feel? Do you imagine you are going to execute the extremely hard yet again?

The complete staff is self-confident. We have a good sport system. I’m taking it one particular minute at a time, and managing just about every working day like the to start with day, but I feel terrific.

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