Training for the Ironman takes work and iron will
BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer
Preparing for Ironman takes steel resolve, and Dan Fishman can attest to that. Despite past heart problems and the demands of a family, the Old Bridge resident has dedicated himself to the challenge of competing in the Ford Ironman USA Lake Placid triathlon.

ERIC SUCAR staff Dan Fishman, 35, of Old Bridge, will compete in the Ironman triathlon in Lake Placid, N.Y., in July.

Fishman trains with strenuous workouts twice daily, dedicating between 15 and 20 hours a week to readying his body for the July 20 event in New York.

"I don't think I'll believe it until I'm done," Fishman said. "It'll all come together."

By the time Fishman and more than 2,000 other athletes are done, they will have swum 2.4 miles in Mirror Lake, biked 112 miles through the Adirondacks, and finished up with a 26.2-mile marathon marked by plenty of hills. These feats of athleticism must be completed within 17 hours - from the 7 a.m. start to midnight.

"We made a really dumb decision last year to go up to Lake Placid to watch the Iron Man," Fishman, 35, said. "I signed up the next day."

ERIC SUCAR staff Dan Fishman rides his new bike near his home in Old Bridge last week.

Though Fishman jokes about the daunting nature of the event, his dedication becomes clear when he reveals his schedule.After waking around 5 a.m. for a morning workout, he sees the kids- D.C. (Daniel Cole), 4, and Sophia, 2 - off to school. From there, it's off to work for Fishman, who puts in full-time hours as an account executive with a technical consulting firm.

After dinner, it's another bout of exercise, then Fishman gets a much deserved five to six hours of sleep before starting the cycle all over again.Weekends are not downtime for Fishman. He uses the days off to take five- to six-hour bike rides, following up with one-and-a-half-hour runs.

Fishman is a member of a triathlon club based in Brielle, which has more than 250 devotees. He also praises the value of spin classes at the gym for winter training. Often taking two classes in a row, Fishman said he would stick around afterward for a couple more hours of pedaling.

The rigorous training began last summer, and Fishman hired a coach in December. In the past year, he has dropped 50 pounds, he said.

"There's a joke that says, 'If you're training for the Ironman and you're still married, then you're not training hard enough,' " Fishman said.

Not only is Fishman still married to his wife, Amy, she serves also as both his staunch supporter and inspiration. She seems pretty inspired by her husband, too.

"He went above and beyond," Amy said. "He puts his family first. He's amazing. He's just the father of the year."

Also an athlete, Amy was once known by her husband as the "Queen of Naps." While suffering post-partum depression after D.C. was born, she was in New York with her husband and they happened to cross paths with the New York City Marathon.An epiphany struck whenAmy saw a man in a wheelchair competing in the race.

"She said, 'Oh my God, I have to do this,' " Fishman said. "She motivated me to start running."

The two have been taking part in marathons together for the past three years, he said.

Fishman also seemed like an unlikely athlete at one time. From the time when he was a 5-year-old growing up in Sayreville until his junior year at Ursinus College in Pennsylvania, he had Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. The heart condition causes bouts of tachycardia, or fast heartbeat. According to Fishman, at times his heart would be going at about 250 beats per minute while his body was at rest.

He underwent seven heart surgeries, spanning from his senior year in high school to his junior year in college before the condition was corrected. Clearly not one to sit around, he dove into competitive swimming.

"I was good to go. I just pushed through it," Fishman said. "I knew my limits."

Years later, he is still pushing himself. Fishman said family support for his upcoming endeavor is abundant. D.C. and Sophia encourage their father, cheering him on with their enthusiasm for the Ironman event. Amy is excited, too.

"They're pumped," Fishman said. "They had t-shirts made and everything."

If Amy had her way, she would be competing right there with him. Their feats will have to alternate years, however, as the grueling hours of training can only be handled one at a time while raising a family, Fishman said.

On Sunday, the couple participated in the EagleMan Half Ironman Triathlon in Cambridge, Md. That event challenged athletes to go half the distances required by the Ironman triathlon.

Fishman finished the race in just over six hours. If that performance was any indication, his completion of the Ironman looks good.

Another source of support comes from Fishman's company, Edison-based Tekmark Global Solutions. Supporters of fitness, the company not only sponsors a triathlon team, but also pays for gym memberships for its employees, Fishman said.

"There are a number of motivating factors," Fishman said. "They sort of all came together. I'm lucky."

The Ironman competition was born in 1978, when Navy Cmdr. John Collins, a competitive runner, and his wife, Judy, conceived it in order to settle an argument. After a running race, athletes were debating who is the fittest- runners, swimmers or other athletes. In order to answer the question once and for all, the couple put together the first event, with only 15 participants.

Ironman's popularity today is indisputable. According to the competitionWeb site, this year's event sold out within minutes of opening for registration.

Spectators can still check out the action, however, and perhaps catch the fever as Fishman did last year.