Lionel Sanders is a man on a mission and fired up for his IRONMAN World Championship bid after finally lacing up his running shoes again.
The 37-year-old, a two-time silver medallist at the biggest full-distance of all, hopes to go all the way in Nice this year – that despite having to shut things down for weeks through injury.
Sanders has only competed twice this year, winning on both of his IRONMAN 70.3 starts in Oceanside and St George.
But he has been hampered first by a gluteal issue, which he believed was caused by the diet-related condition known as Relative Energy Deficiency, or RED-S.
“Finally starting”
Then he suffered a sacral stress fracture – a hairline crack in the sacrum, a bone at the base of the spine, which is usually caused by repetitive stress rather than a single injury.
But nothing could force him to give up on his dream of winning the world championship crown on the French Riviera – even though he admits his current injury issues are likely to prevent him from taking part in any kind of warm-up event.
The good news is that Sanders is finally out there training again, putting in the miles as he plots a way back before September’s big showdown.
In an upbeat post on his Instagram account, he revealed he is back in action and pain-free, saying: “Off running for 9 weeks, but finally starting the return to run program.
“Today was 8 rounds of 2.5min jog , 3.5min walk between. No pain, and feels amazing to begin the process of working towards some goals again! #nolimits”
Make no mistake, Sanders is going to have an uphill battle to be competitive against a stacked field in Nice who will have the advantage of significantly more warm-up time than him.
But he is set to give it a go, and admits that being out injured has helped him focus on something many athletes take for granted – sleep!
“Better quality”
In another update last week, he posted: “Being injured has shifted my focus. The number one thing I’ve prioritized during this time is sleep.
“Same bedtime every night, longer duration, and better quality. Over the last eight weeks, I’ve averaged 8 hours and 8 minutes of sleep per night. @whoop has been a big part of that: tracking trends, showing what’s working, and helping guide recovery.
#nolimits“
Sanders is also lifting weights again, something he hopes will benefit him in the long term.
“I want to keep my strength”
He said: “I’ve dabbled in strength training probably five times in the last 15 years, and it’s never really stuck. But this time feels different.
“I started back up because of the sacral stress fracture, but I’m realising how important it is-not just for bone health, but for aging and staying strong overall. I’m 37 now and I want to keep my strength for the long haul. This time it doesn’t feel like a phase. It feels like something I’ll keep doing for the rest of my life!”
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