Achieving Sporting Goals in Life: Ironman

　　美国人认为,最具刺激性、挑战性的体育运动是“铁人三项”;日本人认为,最能体现民族精神的也是“铁人三项”……铁人三项运动在世界各地发展迅速,已经变得越来越流行。 

　　Ｔhere is an event called the Triathlon, which is made up of a swimming event, a bike ride, and a run. It can be a long duration event, and then it is called an Ironman Triathlon. This event is always composed of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike, and a marathon run, which is over 26 miles.

　　The training for this event takes a lot of discipline and a lot of time. First there is a workout each day, involving at least two of the three events. A typical training session would be three miles of running, 45 minutes of swimming, followed by another three miles of running. This would be a typical training day, and you can see that this program keeps the competitor really fit all year round.

　　As the race day approaches, the training really picks up! For example, a long weekend of training would involve 125 miles of biking on Saturday, followed by a 30-minute swim. And then on Sunday, running takes about three and a half hours, followed by bike riding for another 2 hours. This program is a really long weekend of training, but it shows the dedication and perseverance that you must have to compete successfully in this event.

　　It’s difficult because the competitor feels like all that’s happening is training and working-out. Sometimes it’s difficult because the competitor feels as though other parts of his life are suffering, especially his social life. His friends tend to get ignored because of training, and normal life seems to vanish as the big race day approaches.

　　But all of the training and sacrifices are worth it when the race is over and the big goal of completing an Ironman is finally achieved. One young competitor put it like this: When I completed Ironman, I felt great. If I could have bottled that feeling as I crossed the finishing line and sold it, then I would be a millionaire!

　　(about 330 words