Myles’ challenge: month two - building habits to get to the start line
In last month’s blog I shared why I set myself the challenge of reaching the start line of the World Ironman Championships in Kona this October. At the time, the journey felt like it had only just begun. Now, one month further in, the reality of what it takes day-to-day is becoming much clearer.
One of the questions people ask me most often is what keeps me motivated to train so consistently. The honest answer is that motivation actually isn’t the key factor. Motivation comes and goes. Some days you feel energised and ready to go; other days you really don’t. The real difference-maker is discipline.
Staying disciplined: planning and consistency
Discipline is what gets you out the door for an early run when it’s cold and dark outside. It’s what gets you into the pool after a full day at work. It’s what makes you stick to the plan when your body would much rather take the easier option! Over time, those decisions add up – it’s consistency in training that means progress really happens.
In these early stages, I’m following every session set by my coach as closely as possible. That means sticking to the structure, even on the days where the motivation isn’t quite there. It might not always feel exciting in the moment, but discipline builds momentum, and momentum builds performance.
The interesting thing is that the same mindset applies just as much to my professional life as it does to training.
How do I balance training with work?
At work, I’ve always believed that time needs to be managed intentionally. When you treat time like a resource - almost like a budget - you become far more deliberate about where your energy goes.
I’m not going to lie, balancing a full-time role with Ironman training could easily become overwhelming if I wasn’t working with my coach to plan my day carefully. Training, work, and recovery all demand attention, and if they start competing with each other, something inevitably suffers. When everything is scheduled clearly, it removes a lot of the stress and decision-making - you simply follow the plan.
That approach has actually made me more productive professionally as well. Having a clear structure to the day forces you to focus and use time effectively. In a strange way, the discipline requiredfor training helps sharpen the discipline needed at work.
How is training ramping up?
Of course, the physical demands are steadily increasing as the season progresses. The volume of training is building, and the sessions are becoming more specific as I move closer to my first race of the year. Lanzarote in May is still the big early milestone, and every week of preparation now is designed with that in mind. I actually headed over to the Canaries last month for a practice run.
There’s still a long way to go between now and October, and I know there will be challenging moments along the way. But if there’s one lesson this month has reinforced, it’s that progress isn’t built on occasional bursts of motivation. It’s built on the small, disciplined decisions you make every day.
Next month I’ll share how training is progressing as the race season begins to come into view. See you in April!
Author biography
Myles Hall, Learning and Development Advisor, FACT3