S4 E2 - "I Started Ironman Training at 51" - Donna McConnell on Resilience, Ageing & Refusing to Disappear

What does it take to start training for an Ironman triathlon in your fifties - and actually cross the finish line?

In this episode, Alex sits down with Donna, known on Instagram as The Iron Empress, a midlife endurance athlete who discovered road cycling and triathlon later in life and used it to completely reframe what ageing looks like. Donna shares how she went from city commuter cyclist to Ironman finisher, why she refused to make her age the narrative, and how watching her father's health decline in his fifties lit a fire in her to stay mobile for life.

In this episode, we cover:

• Starting triathlon at 46 and taking on Ironman in her fifties
• How menopause affected her training and recovery - and what she did about it
• The role of strength training, nutrition, and low-intensity work in managing joint pain
• Training your mind for resilience (the "fourth discipline" of Ironman)
• Body image, body shaming in cycling culture, and why she refuses to seek external validation
• The confidence gap women face - and how visibility on social media is changing that
• Why she believes women are built for endurance - and should be doing Ironman in their 20s
• Her advice for anyone with a limiting midlife mindset: be confident in being a beginner

Find The Iron Empress here.

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