It’s fair to say that American star Sam Long‘s training camp in Italy ahead of the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice didn’t get off to the best start.
Long moved out to the Julian Alps, on the Slovenian border, with pregnant wife Lara and their two-year-old son Leo in July, with the plan to escape the scorching Arizona heat so that he could steadily acclimatise and prepare for September’s showdown in France.
However early on he openly spoke of the culture shock and also revealed that he was without a bike after it got delayed in transit – and then when it did turn up, needed some work on it. Looking back now he says that actually proved a blessing and gave him a different perspective.
Indeed the transformation since then has been astonishing and it’s lovely to see the complete change of mindset from Long in his latest YouTube video, which is embedded below.
He’d said at the start of the trip that it was all about learning to be adaptable – and has been good to his word.
‘I am in love with this area’
Of course it’s all about prepping as best he can for that IMWC in just under four weeks – and he’s been working on that meticulously, right down to finishing some of his longer rides with a big descent to replicate what awaits on the Cote d’Azur.
But it’s the bigger picture which really shines through as he says: “I was kind of bored of riding my bike back home as so many of the rides were the same.
“Here it feels like I’m playing a video game, I’m enjoying riding my bike again. I am in love with this area. I feel the happiest I have felt in training for a long, long while.
“There’s training but there’s also connected to nature and here I feel very connected to the elements.
“I’m out there in the pouring rain or I’m on top of a beautiful mountain or in the sea. Or going through beautiful vineyards – there’s just so much nature that I get to be a part of and that gives me energy.”
‘I’m eating all the good stuff’
And it’s not just about the training but the recovery afterwards.
He explained: “My recovery is so much better here. Why? I think it starts with the food – there’s maybe just so many less preservatives or it’s more fresh.
“I’m eating lots of carbs, lots of pastries. I’m eating all the good stuff – La Dolce Vita – and yet my recovery is great and I’m not putting on any weight.
“I also get to spend more time with my family and it feels so good to do this. Honestly I feel the happiest I’ve felt in a long time.”
‘So happy to commit to the pursuit’
And looking ahead to Nice, Long added: “I’ve got the dream of winning the IRONMAN World Champs. And of course if it were to happen it would change some things in my life. It may change financial aspects or the so-called legacy.
“But my day-to-day life, the purpose of that is the pursuit of it, trying to get as fast as I can. Loving the grind of being out there and seeing how far I can push myself as a triathlete.
“There really is no failure because I’m so happy to commit myself to being the best I can – that is why I do it.”
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