Burn out post Ironman

[lhbackcountry]

I've been doing a lot of Biking over the last couple of years. Leadville in '23 and '24. A bunch of other marathon length events. Sea Otter, Unbound, and Leadville in '25.

I have only been on road bikes / did few crit races. How is leadville / sea otter etc?? I watch those races on YouTube and thought bout it but seems like I’d have to switch up bikes completely for it // prep for totally different level of racing

this may be the next goal!

 

[lhbackcountry]

Laughter and adventure, done in conjunction with faith, is what works for me. Easy to say, little harder to do. Great friends are irreplaceable for this. Give yourself some credit and at the same time laugh at yourself a little bit.

Never miss an opportunity to be a kid again.

 

[Brendan]

I have only been on road bikes / did few crit races. How is leadville / sea otter etc?? I watch those races on YouTube and thought bout it but seems like I’d have to switch up bikes completely for it // prep for totally different level of racing

this may be the next goal!

You do need a Mountain Bike. Unless you're a really, really competent MTB'er don't believe anyone who tells you they're not technical, not MTB races, and more gravel races. That's not to say that you can do them perfectly safely coming from Road / Crit (plenty of people do), but the big descents especially deserve your respect, and you'll be more comfortable and faster on a full suspension XC Bike. Training is training, but you'll want to spend time on dirt getting to be a better bike handler. (Plus, Mountain Bikes are fun!)

If you're doing it for fun, run what you brung.

You're too late for Leadville this year unless you find a charity / fundraising spot. And, it's tough to get into regardless. But, plenty of other great XC and Gravel Races / Events across the country. If I had to pick one bike, I'd get rid of Road and Gravel and Keep the XC, it's surprisingly capable with fast tires.

Some Leadville stoke For you for a little look at the PowerLine Descent, and then the Singletrack with some views of the mountains:

If you decide to head that way, shoot me a message, happy to help.

 

[WV Mountaineer]

So i made a goal about two years ago to get back in shape and decided my midlife crisis goal would be a full Ironman bc hunting doesn’t take enough time as is. Well fast forward and i completed it and two months later lost all progress i made in basically 20 odd months. Sobriety is back on the struggle ( i blame family, holidays, and mostly myself ) and curious what has worked for y’all to snap these lows

Santa ( my therapist) said I’ll get a new lefty 223 tikka if i open up to friends.

Find God. It’s the goal that keeps on giving.

 

[Shepherd]

So i made a goal about two years ago to get back in shape and decided my midlife crisis goal would be a full Ironman bc hunting doesn’t take enough time as is. Well fast forward and i completed it and two months later lost all progress i made in basically 20 odd months. Sobriety is back on the struggle ( i blame family, holidays, and mostly myself ) and curious what has worked for y’all to snap these lows

Santa ( my therapist) said I’ll get a new lefty 223 tikka if i open up to friends.

Congratulations on your Ironman finish! That's a big accomplishment and something you can take pride in. It should be something you can look back on as a big lifetime achievement and a source of strength.

That said, its common to have a big letdown after achieving a big goal like that. It happened to me as well. There can be a big void after working so hard on something and then achieving it. Filling it with other races or events can sometimes leave you in a similar situation later on if these things do not match what you value in life.

But you have underlying issues that should be worked on as well (as you probably are) - you mentioned sobriety and there's probably other things. IMO you should pursue continued work on those things. Therapists, group therapy, life coach, meditation, Reiki, yoga, etc. could be possibilities.