Ironman First Timers

Whether you’ve competed in multiple Ironman events or 2012 will be your first – towing the line is a daunting prospect but committing some mental work to the task a few weeks out can really free up much needed energy on race day.

By now the real work should be done - we’re just weeks away from the canon sounding.  The miles have been done, the hours of swimming up and down a black line, days of LSD rides in the rain and running hills on already tired legs.  It’s all in the bank ready to be drawn out when you need it – and need it you will on March 3rd.

As a professional athlete you’re always looking for an edge over your competition, something that they’re not doing, whether it’s training, equipment, or in fact mentally preparing yourself for the battle ahead.

Some of you will have dreams of Kona whilst for others it’s all about reaching that finish line.  No matter what your goals, your biggest competition is the same: Ironman.

One of two things is going to happen; you’ll beat Ironman or Ironman will beat you.
It’s a battle and you’re going to need every tool in your arsenal at its sharpest on Saturday 3rd of March.

A year ago this Ironman rookie had some pretty basic strategies that I stuck to.  Because of my heart surgery on December 1st I didn’t eventually start training for IMNZ until 17th December, so with just 12 weeks training in my legs I had to be in control of my emotions and let everything out on race day if I were to even finish.

-Plan your days.
So many times you’ll hear athletes complain that “time got away” on them the day before a race and it was suddenly 4pm and they still hadn’t done their bike or run.
Get on the race website, note all the times you’ll actually need to be at race HQ for things like registration, briefing etc, and then sit down and prioritise your days.
My last rest day before the taper begins will involve me writing up time lines for everything I need to do; from meal times to swimming the course and attending briefings, all my ‘must do’s’ are listed and I follow it religuosly.
I’ll also write a timeline for the morning of the race, from the moment I get up everything is listed.  When the panic sets in – I just revert back to my time line and aks myself ‘what should I be doing now?’.

- Worry Time.
You’re going to worry about different aspects of the race – it’s human nature.  Even the most head strong of professional athletes will tell you they worry about their race.  You’re going to walk into race briefing and suddenly be confronted with athletes that look fitter and stronger than you – or so the little devil on your shoulder will tell you – and so the doubting begins.  The trick is to have strategies in place before your insolent little friend rears his ugly head!

I’ll give myself 10 minutes every evening ‘worry time’ in the week leading up to the race.  I write down all of my ‘worries’; Jo looks really fit, she’s in a good head space, what if I get beat up in the swim, what if I puncture etc.

At the end of the ten minutes I’ll fold the piece of paper up and put it somewhere safe until the following evening.  Everytime that ‘worry’ comes back into my head the following day I’ll mentally respond ‘Stop – you’ve worried about that Sam, it’s worry time at 7pm – not now’.  Lately I’ve put an elastic band around my wrist and when the worries sneak in I ‘snap’ the elastic band hard and it snaps me back into ‘the now’.

I’ll also have my training diary handy and have a flick through to reinforce the volume of training I’ve done in the lead up to the event – this is great for seeing just how fit you really are.

- Stay in the now.
Whether it’s four days out and I’m dashing around Whangarei before driving down, or four miles into the main event – I find these three letters really help me to focus on the task at hand – NOW.  I’ll have it written on my stem during the bike leg and I’ve been known to write it on my hand before the swim start.  The question ‘What do I need to do right now, in this moment, to perform to my potential’ really does help me make the right decision when things are getting out of control.

Before the swim start when bodies are bashing you and people jostle for position ‘What do I need to do now Sam?’ and I’ll calm myself and get in position.  On the run when Ironman has jumped on my back and is doing his best to crush me under the weight ‘what do I need to do now Sam?’  I’ll audit myself, check the running form, take on some calories, and set myself up for Ironman’s next attack!

In Al Pacino’s famous speech ‘Peace with Inches’ he says “We’re in hell right now, gentlemen, believe me. And, we can stay here - get the shit kicked out of us - or we can fight our way back into the light. We can climb outta hell one inch at a time.”  And that’s what staying in the now is all about, seeing what you need to do in that moment, and ticking it off, one inch at a time toward the finish line.

-Visualisation.
Visualisation is a great tool not only for during the race but also to calm yourself in the days leading in.  From a couple of weeks out from a major event I’ll committ 15 minutes a day to visualising different parts of race day.

Anything that pops up in worry time – I’ll visualise.  So if I’m worried about turning up to race briefing and everyone looking fitter and stronger than me; I’ll visualise briefing and feelings of calm and control.  When it finally rolls around the brain remembers those feelings and calms me.

I’ll visualise turning up on race morning, and feeling calm, in control, and totally in the moment.  I walk through transition as if I’ve been there a thousand times before.
And I’ll visualise each part of the race proper, how I hope to feel at that point, key words I’ll be repeating to myself such as ‘throw arm’ and ‘turnover’ on the swim, ‘push down / pull up’ on the bike, and ‘cadence’ on the run.

-Stick to your race plan.
As mentally strong as you are, if you don’t have a plan to beat Ironman – and stick to it – you’re going to find it a very long day!  My plan last year was easy, I knew I didn’t have the running legs of my competitors, so I had to have a great swim and then leave nothing on the bike.  I stuck to my plan to the letter.  Things go wrong when we react to other people in the Ironman.  A minute saved in the swim from fighting for position and swimming above yourself is going to multiply to 20 minutes lost on the run.  The swim really is a warm up and should be used as such.  On to the bike and it’s about setting yourself up for a great race in that first hour; do the audit – check cadence and take on food. 

By not reacting to other people and racing your race instead of theirs things will be a lot easier for you come the marathon, and that’s when you’re going to need all of your mental and physical strength to succeed in achieving those goals.  Because anyone who has told you they’re an atheist has never been 10 miles out in an Ironman.

Ticking off your very first Ironman is a truly magic feeling – and one to be celebrated. 
No matter whether you’re an Elite or a Weekend Warrior it really is the pinaccle of our sport in terms of personal growth and achievment.

Ironman encapsulates everything that we admire in a hero;  A blind faith in their ability to achieve a goal that most others are scared to even attempt, the ability to endure a huge amount of pain and suffering, and the mental perseverance to keep going when it seems everything is against you.

I can’t wait to witness you becoming an Ironman on March 3rd!