This summer, the World Cup isn’t the only thing going international.
As the school year comes to an end, Normal West teacher, Rebecca Franks, goes global to become the next “Ironwoman’ of Germany.
Rebecca Franks is an LBS-1 and algebra teacher by day, but in her time outside of teaching, she dedicates hours of her life to training and running in Ironman races.
To complete an Ironman, participants compete in a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run.
In July, for the first time in 17 years, she will be racing outside of the United States.
When she used to go to Gold’s Gym, she had friends who were triathletes.
They encouraged her to participate in one, and she enjoyed it so much that she eventually worked up to being in Ironman races.
Franks competed in her first Ironman in 2009 in Madison, Wisconsin.
This summer, the Germany race will be her twelfth total.
Although she works full-time, she has been able to figure out a lifestyle that lets her balance both her job and training sessions.
“I get up between 4:30 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., then I’ll do a training session. I’ll work and then leave school and do another training session,” Franks shared.
She spends over 20 hours a week training, but has built great time management skills.
Every week, she does at least four swim workouts, three bike workouts, and three runs a week.
Her time over the weekends gets sacrificed for training.
“Pushing myself out of my comfort zone is a big part of [my motivation],” Franks stated. “For this year especially, it’s raising money for the cancer society.”
Franks shared that for her twelfth race, she will be participating in “Challenge Roth. It’s not an Iron Man-branded race, but it is an Iron Man distance. It’s a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and a 26.2-mile run. It’s known as one of the most beautiful courses in Germany.”
When asked about future advice she would give to those training for an Ironman for the first time, Franks explained that easing into it is important and that beginners shouldn’t start with something huge like an Ironman.
She suggested beginning with a shorter-distance triathlon.
“Ease your way into it for sure. Like, don’t start off with just an Ironman. Start off with a short-distance triathlon, which our community has. Practice as much as you can and don’t be so hard on yourself. Just keep persisting,” Franks noted.
As for persistance, it’s pretty clear that Franks is an inspiration to us all.
Ironman races are no light race, and to balance training and teaching is remarkable.
Franks has been balancing training for these races for 17 years and doesn’t seem to be slowing down one bit.
If you would like to support Franks in her Ironman journey, you can visit her page here.
You can also read more about her race by visiting https://www.challenge-roth.com/en/
