Disappointment.  That is one word that most people would rather not feel after finishing their race. Yet, it happens. But, why? What is happening out there on race day to cause some people to feel bad about their race? Now sometimes there are things that happen beyond anyone’s control, like a cancelled swim leg of a triathlon, or a weird mishap that result in twisting an ankle or something. But, beyond the unavoidable, how is disappointment avoidable?  Let’s take a quick look at that as the race season is coming full swing since the negative race experience usually comes due to a shallow, wrongly focused, and /or ill-timed race goal.

Pick a goal with some POP to it

That means to pick a goal that really means something to you and helps get you motivated to not only train, but to actually reach the goal during the race when the going get really tough. My favorite definition of endurance is “to hold firm within oneself”.  So, what are you holding firm to? That is the most important question any athlete of any age or level should know the answer to.  What’s it all for? Do you really care about what you are doing? Does the place, time or event matter enough to you to have that goal propel you through the turbulence times that come predictably and try to loosen your grip? So, the next time you decide on a goal of some kind, then be able to picture yourself  passionately holding firm to that driving force from within. If that is hard to imagine, pick a different goal that POPS out at you, grabs you and that you just can’t shake because it means that much to you.

Bring reality into focus

Be honest with where your current fitness is at or what your current life demands take out of you.  If you want to make a time prediction, then do some workouts before the race that may help you understand where you will actually be.  There are tons of pace charts and workouts that will help you know more about where to set the time goal if that is what matters to you.  And then you have to take into consideration what your life stresses are. It is okay to be at peak race fitness some years and not in others based on your how your life is going outside of exercise.  Be okay with altering your time goals if you just know that you are not ready to emotionally or physically give what you have in the past.  If you can’t handle that adjustment, then stay home.

This is also true about place goals. Reality is that you cannot control anyone but yourself in a race. So to say that you want to be top 10 in your age-group or top whatever can sometimes set you up to fail. This happens most often when people have done small events and then move up to bigger ones with more competition and have no idea what kind of competition is really out there. Now, I am not suggesting that picking a place goal is obsolete, but to really make it stick and not be disappointed, then consider getting to know better those you race against before making judgment. There are a lot of fast fishes in the sea and they may or may not be swimming in your school on race day.  Therefore, as you get to understand who is around, you may be able to broaden your goal to different scenarios like being top 5 in smaller races, but being happy with top 10 in bigger ones.

When the time is right, go for it.

What’s the rush? Too many people trying to go too far or do too much in a race too soon. Slow down!  Don’t speed up progress so fast you end up crashing in bright red flames. The daily exercise grind should be happening the rest of your life so let the bigger, faster, longer races come in their own time, not your time.  I have heard this best described as picking a goal that helps you establish a feeling of flow. Your next goal or race should be something that get you excited, fits in your life, challenges you, but doesn’t overwhelm you. If you keep all your athletic pursuit inside of the flow parameters then you will find that happy medium between pushing yourself without the race(or life) pushing you back.   Getting yourself into the right flow of things well set you up nicely on race day to accomplish the goal that is completely and totally within your realm to reach at that time

Rethink

Now is the time to rethink your race goals. When you do this, ask yourself the following, Does my goal really grab me? Is it realistic? And is it time to do this? If you answer no to any one of these three, then adjust your plan. You need to say yes to all 3 questions in order to put yourself in the best and most gratifying position possible on race day.  And if you answer the first two with a yes, but not the last, you are in good company. Sometimes you know you are passionate, you know you are capable, but you must be patient. Racing isn’t everything. Always a good thing to remember when you get to the starting line anyway.

What to say to yourself during the race–Race self talk article

“In the beginning, it’s hard to understand that the race is not against others but against that little voice in your head that tells you when to quit.” Charles Brenke

After all the preparation in training, the time comes to pin on the race number and herd yourself into the corral that leads to the starting line.  With a lump in the throat and a knot in the stomach, the starting gun finally is fired. And you are off! But, now what? What are you supposed to think while you go all that way? What is your plan when the going gets tough or something goes wrong? And most of all, are you going to really make it to wherever you are going?

The above questions are pretty common ones that run through an athlete’s head. So no, you’re not crazy for thinking them. And yes, there are ways to calm the troubled mind. There are many strategies that one can use to stay in the mental game. One of the most simple is to decide ahead of time what it is you ARE going to think while you are out on the race course.

You can choose what to tell yourself even in the worst of circumstances.  You just have to take some time before the race starts to actually imagine what your weaknesses are, what situations might come up to disrupt your experience and decide what to say to yourself to get through it all.  The key is to pick very simple phrases or sets of words. These predetermined thoughts should always be positive, focused on your process, focused on you operating in the present and helping you make progress. Below are some examples of some phrases or key words that you can use:

“Relax, breathe evenly”

“Make it as fluid and easy as possible”

“Run tall, lean forward, push”

“I will endure the discomfort. Be relaxed, be patient”

“I am not afraid”

“Eat enough, drink enough, do it now”

“I can race in these hard conditions, stay calm, be patient”

“Be a warrior”

“I am always moving forward”

“I can do it, I am tough enough to make it”

“I am here and I am finally free to be everything I have wanted to be.”

Plan ahead, face your fears and pick what mental phrases will work for you. All the emotional effort is worth it because it is like the opening quotation says,  “In the beginning, it’s hard to understand that the race is not against others but against that little voice in your head that tells you when to quit.” And knowing YOU, YOU are not a quitter!

Ah yes, the predictability of the normal routine, the well traveled path and revisited goals.  Humans are creatures of comfortable habit for sure. I can’t say that it was an easy decision to move the “flagship” Highland drive SLRC location after 15 years of yearly growth. But, we were in need of something different. We were holding ourselves back and our vision for the running community back too. While some may cringe at the thought of rocking the boat that seems to float just fine, we figured it was time for a new motor.

And isn’t that how life goes on many levels? In order for us evolve as people in life and in sport, we have to find ways to create turbulence in our lives. Although, most of us might say we have enough turbulence already! Then, how about letting that massive mixing stir up a part of ourselves we never knew existed or dared to find out? Just let all the concerns go  and embrace the opportunity to become something more. At SLRC, we know its scary. You MIGHT lose something in the process, but MAN its well worth the risk(because you probably will only make gains and not lose anything except your fear).

Change in Sport

Since this site is focused on running and such, it seems appropriate to examine the possibility of self imposed change in your athletic life. At SLRC, we have heard hundreds of remarkable stories from all of you especially regarding your first taste of the fitness journey. How cool, how inspiring! But, have you ever thought, now what? I know I have on many occasions. But, that is not a bad thing. This is where a change in focus, goals or long term plan can dig out of you a dormant strength, trait or passion. So what are the options? What kind of changes are reasonable? FOR SURE, it is not always going longer or doing more, although sometimes it may be. Here are some ideas on what kind of changes help to challenge and recharge people while they make their way in the athletic jungle. But, BE CAREFUL, there are lions out there! They come in the form of overtraining or rushing a quest for fitness when life’s other commitments come calling. And trust me, that lion will eat you whole, poop you out in a mangled mess and not think twice.

When you are ready for a change, try the following options:

• Go shorter and faster. It is exciting to go from marathons back down to a 5K or 10K training plan. This direction does not make you less of a runner, but it will make you faster! Same goes for Ironman. Its okay to go back and do sprints again. I promise that the race number slathered on your arm still looks cool.
• Hire a coach.  Nothing like putting your life in someone else’s hands. But, be careful to pick one that you are comfortable with in personality and attitude.
• Go off-road Sick of the roads?  Head to the mountains. Running, biking and triathlon all have trail options.
• Do a Triathlon If you haven’t had some of that Kool-Aid, its pretty tasty and a fun way to train.
• Learn to swim Triathlons or not, swimming is a GREAT sport. Totally “fun” for the brain since it’s very skill and technique oriented and BOY does it ever help to get off your legs 1,2 or 3 times a week. Just don’t quite when the 11 year-old girl in the lane next to you swims faster than you…while she’s warming up. We should have ALL started younger, you’re not the only one!
• Add strength work Especially from Oct-March, this will really mix things up and wake muscles up you never knew existed.
• Pick a race somewhere exotic location, location, location…recovering on a beach…you get the idea. Keeps training exciting up until, thats for sure.
• Take a season off If you are not excited, then don’t force it, you and your body probably needs a break. Do you really have to do the same marathon again? Wait for the races to come to you emotionally. That means you are ready to give it a go.
• Do an adventure race That should mix things up a bit!

So what are some of the changes you have made? Any from above? Something different? Are you considering making a change, but still a little nervous?  Come on, throw it out there. Tell us what has relit your fire!

But, right after their waves left for the run, the sprint triathletes, were then warned that they had only about 5-10 minutes to also do a 5k, Sprint bike and another 5K. Poor things, twice the run, than what they were ready for. And that is a pretty tall order for some of those people not expecting or ready to run that far.

Now, I don’t know how everyone felt about the situation. I am sure there were a variety of reactions ranging from disappointment, to frustration, to I don’t care I just want to do something and get this race going. For the most part, endurance athletes make the best of the environment especially since everyone at the event has got to deal with it too. But, what about me? What was I going to do? My “A” race, Hawaii 70.3, is only in 3 weeks and I really needed to do was only the original plan of a sprint tri. That was it, all I needed was a little over an hour of threshold training and definitely not spend anymore than 20 minutes running hard. I had way too much training left to do and couldn’t risk running any farther than a 5K and taking too long to get recovered. So, while I was cool with doing no swim leg, now they threw out a double dose of the 5K leg. ARGH! The best laid plans of mice and men!

So what’s a girl with a goal to go fast in 3 weeks for a half ironman to do? Well, I had already looked around me earlier in the morning and realized that it was hot, windy and the bike course was really hilly. Just. Like….Hawaii 70.3! So I thought to myself, “Hmm…I really wish I could just do my last long ride today rather than the middle of next week. I have been inside on my trainer for all my long rides so it would be nice to get adapted to being out. And that’s what was on the training plan to begin with for today, not a race. BUT, I am rested for this race and still hoping to get in a race effort before I go. Even if the conditions aren’t great and I don’t swim, then it will be a great lactate day with just the right amount of work to recover quickly from so I can do long stuff in a couple of days.” I was TRYING to be positive and then got blown over by the announcer’s proclamation of the new double the sprint 5K run plan. I think all the other sprint triathletes were shocked too. In fact, I was so shocked, that a switched flipped in my head immediately and the light went on. “What am I thinking? I am so getting on my bike and doing what I really need to do for the race I REALLY care about. Sign me up right now for a 65-70 mile ride on hot, hilly and windy roads!”

Yep, that is really what I did. Within 5 minutes (and I kid you not!) I grabbed my TYR race backpack, jumped on my bike and turned in my timing chip as I rolled out of transition. See you later guys and dolls, this lady is going for a ride! So ride I did for about 68 miles on terrain and in conditions that are similar to what I will face in less than 3 weeks in Hawaii. The fun part was that for the first hour, I got to ride on the course while the racers were racing. And for the first time ever, I got to watch a bike leg without being in it! Very fun and I got to see one of my athletes,Weston Woodward, riding his way to the fastest bike split of the day and 2nd overall. Even better was that I saw another elite athlete, coach and good friend of mine, Coach Keena, out there too on her bike cheering on her friends and athletes. So I guess I am not the only one crazy enough to drive all that way, see a better plan for their long range goals and decide to go fly kites on that windy day.

P.S.
A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO WHEN I POSTED HOW I FELT ABOUT RACING,

“No matter where you are at fitness wise, getting out and doing what you are ready for is what should make you happy. Other peoples’ or society’s expectations should be disregarded. They are not in your shoes and don’t know what brings you joy or makes you tick.”

I REALLY MEANT IT!

I am totally excited to be posting regularly on this blog. I will talk about training, technical stuff, nutrition, racing and any other tidbits that have to do with helping you accomplish whatever you are setting out to do. But, I have been asked to first and foremost to post “MY STORY.” (See previous post)

A good place to start I guess mostly because most of you don’t know the full circle that my athletic life has traveled. That journey is a big part of why I now passionately pursue the study of health, fitness and human performance on all levels. I really like how this all ties together in body, mind and spirit. So I hope that no matter what age or ability you are, that you will come to understand that “I have so been there.”

So, this blog will be an eclectic mix of topics suited for all types of people pursing different types of goals. And even though we are all trying to get to that said “finish line” of our chosen event, I have come to realize that the Nike motto of not so long ago is completely correct…”There is no finish line.”