Internal Mono(b)log

The taper is in full swing starting today.  My only workout today an easy swim, my last swim until Sunday.  Tomorrow is an easy run and carb loading day.

Today and tomorrow, and in general for the next few days, as my physical training drops off, my mental training comes to the fore.  A small part of this is being “good” and following my taper plan, consciously staying off my feet, keeping my pre-race excitement in check, and stretching regularly.  Yes, these are part of mental conditioning, and important, but the mental preparedness that I’m talking about is the race visualization, and answering all the “what if’s?”.

The “What If’s?” can really wobble your confidence and prep.  What if I panic in the swim? What if I drink too much salt water? What if I get a puncture? What if my bike breaks?  What if… what IF… WHAT IF?!

At this point in training you’ve done all you can. You’re at the best you can be and no amount of training cramming at the last moment will change anything.   All that is in your control has been assessed and addressed.  All that’s left is mental discipline and the chance for bad luck.

Mental discipline keeps you to your plan.  Sure race the race, but do it smartly, by your plan!  Don’t have a race plan?  Really?!  Now isn’t really the time to formulate one, but if you have to look back at your training logs.  Understand what pace/effort you can maintain for this duration event.  Don’t plan to burn your candle entirely on the bike, leaving nothing for the run.  On the day, you need to fight the excitement of the day, and race your plan.

Prior to race day, there are a number of things you should do to support later visualization exerciese.

• Eyeball the swim (swim it if you can), and especially the swim exit and T1 transition.  Are there any gotchas? Anything you need to keep in mind?  Landmarks to use for the swim.
• Drive or ride the bike route, make mental notes of distances, challenging hills, obstacles, etc.  Pre-riding the course is super-valuable if you can manage it.  Try to enter T2 as you would on the bike so you know what it looks like and where it is.
• Scope out T2, especially where the run exit is and again, if possible, walk or run out the exit as you will on race day.
• Run or drive the bike course with the same thoughts in mind: obstacles, landmarks, challenges and rewards in mind.
• Finally return to the finish and enter is as you will as a runner.  Know where it is, what the configuration is and lock the image in your head.

You’ll use all this legwork in pre-race visualizations.

Visualization is powerful you see the race in it’s perfect state.  Mentally rehearse every step you’ll go through, leave no detail out.  This is your only chance to “practice the race”.  See yourself swimming strong, see your stroke, your alignment in the water, breathing properly, good body position, etc..  Visualize the steps you’ll go through as you exit the swim and in T1.   Visualize yourself pacing yourself properly according to your race plan, taking on nutrition, drinking, visiting aide stations smoothly.  See yourself handing the challenging parts of the course with a smile and enjoying the rewarding parts with a laugh.  Visualize entering T2 on your schedule.  See yourself moving through T2 and out on the run.  Again on the run, see yourself running strong.  Good posture, good fuelling.  Strong through the challenges, resting during the rewards.  Finally, see yourself finishing, at your goal time and allow yourself to feel the joy of the day.

So visualization exercises allow you to experience the perfect day, to examine each detail and to visually practice the race.  Mental preparedness is the other side of the coin: preparedness answers the “what if’s?”

It’s completely normal to have stray distressing and distracting thoughts come through your head as race day approaches.  “What if I puncture?”, “What if I bonk?”, etc.

Some of these are addressed by your mental discipline and visualization: you won’t bonk because you’re going to follow your proven nutrition strategy using race-day nutrition you’ve tested and used in training.

Some of these are addressed by mental preparedness:  “What if I puncture?”  Simple, I’ll get off the bike and fix it. I have a spare and co2 and know how to use them both.  Sure, odds are good that my PR is gone, but I’ll finish what I’ve started.

And finally, some thoughts, are just so “out there” that you just need to laugh at them and put them aside. “What if my bike breaks?”, “What if I crash and am injured and unable to continue?”, etc. These are in the category of: “this is so unlikely I’m not going to worry about it and if it happens I’ll deal with it then”.

Yes, luck plays a part in long-course racing, not so much the good type – but certainly the bad can be there.  Broken cables, crashes, broken bikes, broken athletes.  The opportunity for bad luck definitely exists, but dwelling on it pre-race is not helpful or useful, so just put it aside.

Sorry this post has been a bit long.  The mental game of triathlon is super important.  I think many people don’t give it the time that it needs.   If you aren’t mentally prepared, all the physical training you have under your belt will melt away at the 1st challenge.

Good luck out there!