How Training for an IRONMAN Translates to Business

For six years, Lowcountry Basement Systems’ owner, Rob Videon has had a dream. Train hard, change his lifestyle and compete in an IRONMAN.

This summer, Rob did just that. Rob has spent the past two years aggressively preparing for the most difficult, intense and physically demanding challenge known to mankind – which consists of three parts: a 2.4-mile swim, a 114-mile bike ride, and a 26-mile marathon – all to be completed in less than 17 hours.

He traded his tennis shoes for running shoes. He went to the gym and trained in an Olympic sized pool at an aquatic center which is a 45-minute drive each way three times a week for hours; pushing and kicking thousands of gallons of water out of his way. He regularly cycled hundreds of miles each week on his Shiv Specialized bike, changed his nutrition, ran some more, and did CrossFit Boot Camp three times a week with his wife, Nancy. He normally only took one day off a week while he trained– with a commitment to finish. He has been relentless.

“It was a goal I set for myself six years ago,” said Rob.  “My greatest memory was the consistency of getting out there every day and just pushing myself to another spot… another level of intensity, another level of fitness.”

Those levels came with sacrifices – lots of them. First and foremost, the change to a plant-based diet, which allowed Rob to lose almost 40-pounds and feel the best he has in his entire life. “Considering how I felt before the decision I made to make these changes,” he added, “my greatest memory now is knowing that I don’t have to feel that way anymore.”

His sacrifices have also included time, money, injuries and even his attention to the business at times. “I’ve sacrificed some focus. There were times when I’d go workout and I’d have to reboot to be ready for what I have to do as a business owner of Lowcountry Basement Systems. So, in some ways I’d say my focus and my attention here have suffered a little bit,” Rob added. Time was also a large sacrifice Rob has made towards his commitment, giving up to eight hours or more every weekend for some of the longer rides and runs, plus the nightly training routines he also has in place.

“After participating in the most recent Ironman race, I was not happy with my overall performance. It was not good enough,” Rob stated candidly. “I just wanted to finish, and that really wasn’t the right kind of idea. It should have been that I wanted to finish strong, and I wanted to finish early, not just simply get through it.”

Rob is currently looking at himself and re-evaluating, both his training and his professional life, and has come up with new, more focused goals and plans. “I want to finish the race, but not just finish it. I want to race it and not just barely get through,” Rob added. To these ends, and as part of his new commitment this year, he will include a trainer to monitor and organize his effort levels.

How does Rob relate his experience to his business, Lowcountry Basement Systems? “Just like anything I’ve ever done in life, you have to look at what result you got based on what you did in the past,” he explains. “I looked at the results from my last IRONMAN and I said ‘well I’m not happy with that, what can I change to make a difference?’” His changes include an actual written goal plan for what he’d like to achieve in the next race. “I’m going to be working more diligently and be more specific with the things that give me the best benefit… the same in business,” he comments. “When you’re running a company, you look into some areas and say ‘why isn’t this one area performing as well as it could?’ What small incremental changes can make it better?’”

It may even be multiple areas that need improvement, Rob clarified, “but as long as you keep good records and data and you have good people, you can make those small changes. Trusting our team members and then verifying how their performance is doing is a healthy way to ensure success.” 

Rob’s patience, practice, and perseverance have been a beacon of inspiration to those around him – especially those that work on his team at Lowcountry Basement Systems. Thank you for demonstrating strength, determination, and leadership. We couldn’t be more proud of you!