Myles’ challenge: month four - Lanzarote calling! Final prep for Race Day
With less than a week to go until I head out to Lanzarote to acclimatise for Ironman on 23 May, everything now feels very real. For the last few months, it’s been about building and maintaining foundations: hours of training; consistency; just getting through the schedule. Now, it’s about sharpening up, controlling what I can, and being honest about where I’m at.
The importance of practice and preparation
I was fortunate enough to get out to Lanzarote recently, which was a bit of a wake-up call… in a good way. The thing that made the biggest impression was the wind. You hear about it, but until you’re actually on the bike, being pushed around on open roads, you don’t quite understand it. Handling the bike becomes critical - control, positioning, and staying composed when the conditions aren’t.
That trip also helped to allay a few worries I’d been having. Flying with the bike, packing it down, rebuilding it, has been playing on my mind. It’s not on the training plan but it matters - I need to be able to get my most important piece of kit to race locations undamaged.
Controlling the controllable
Training itself has been a mix. There are moments where I feel in great shape, I’m running well and even enjoying it at times (which is rare for me). Then there are moments where I falter slightly. Looking at previous race times in my age group, it’s clear how quick this field is. To be competitive, everything needs to come together on the day.
I’ve also had a slight bump in the road with my ankle. Nothing major, but enough to mean missing a session to get it checked, plus time on rehab work. It’s a reminder that things don’t always go to plan, and you have to adapt quickly without losing momentum. That probably mirrors work more than anything, there’s always something unexpected coming up at FACT3. It’s how you respond that counts.
At this stage, the focus is simple: control what’s controllable. I can’t influence anyone else’s race, but I can make sure I’m as prepared as possible for mine. That means managing effort, pacing properly, and not emptying the tank too early.
Time to start packing for Lanzarote! I’ll be back in June to update on how it went…
Author biography
Myles Hall, Learning and Development Advisor, FACT3