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  • ironman race week coping skills.

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    August 20th, 2009adminironman, news


    today, i read about staying out of your head ironman race week and i may have mentioned via facebook that i have great coping skills.  part of which comes from a joke from one of my sisters consolers that told her in dealing with my parents ’situation’ at least she’ll have great coping skills.  

    insert sisters reaction at 16 while dealing with her sucidal father and mother who won’t quit sleeping with young black men:  wow, way to turn a negative into a positive.  you went to school for how long to tell me THAT, really?!

    but it’s a joke now, and we find all sorts of things dealing with death and drugs and rock n’ roll, funny.  funny haha.  when in all reality, they are not very funny.

    okay, back on track…ironman race week coping skills:

    1.  hay is in the barn.  you have done the work.  

    2.  watch what you eat.  reduced work load this week means reduced calorie intake.  it isn’t rocket science…add and subtract calories.

    3.  focus on the aspects of the race and your life and you day that you HAVE to.  and then get a book that you are really excited about and when all necessary parts of your day are over, read and read and read because thinking about the present and your upcoming race too much are just going to drive you crazy.

    4.  don’t communicate with people that already stress you out.  

    5.  try to keep your day as normal as possible.  so if you start your day with a workout and then coffee continue this routine onsite.  or in my case, if you have a thing for obsessively clean floors, buy a thing of clorox wipes and run through the condo cleaning…clean floors are my normal and normal helps me sleep at night.

    6.  it’s race week.  you have time off work, you aren’t training as much, ummmm…NAP TIME!!!  Get some extra sleep this week.  the sleep the night before the race is going to be shit (at least, plan on it  be shitty and if you sleep well it will just be bonus.) so get an extra couple hours sleep throughout the week.  

    7.  my main focus all week long is simply on taking care of myself.  my goal all week is to feel good, feel strong, feel like an athlete, and to do so, i have to stay focused on taking care of myself.  it sounds easy enough, but i find it is really a full time job.  

    8.  i simplify any and everything.  i know i get overwhelmed and stressed out easier than most people so anything i can simplify when dealing with the race, i do.

    (I won’t give you examples here because my examples will most likely be bad for most people especially if this is your first ironman.  if this is your first ironman, go to the meetings, go to the pasta dinners, enjoy the experience!

    but unfortunately,  for me, at this point those things are all stressers.  honestly, even bike check in stresses me out a little bit…all the people and you are trying to fit through with all this equipment and you see people along the way and you have to stop and be polite and more than likely it’s hot outside and your friend Tom is busy hitting on guys for you…oh wait…but really for me it has to be simple…my pretty little head likes to run in circles.)

      9.  there are more than likely going to be BIG, obstacles race week because that is ironman and that is part of the process.  

    examples.  on the way to my first ironman, my mom’s truck broken down and we had to call a taxi to get to the race, my first ironman hawaii, my bike didn’t arrive until friday and kona is a saturday race, ironman arizona this past year, i broke a $2,000 dollar wheel 2 days before the race.  

    handle these obstacles as calmly as you are able, and deal with the part of the problem that needs to be fixed so that you can race.  laugh at the challenge and use the line, ‘this is ironman.’  i find it helped me to be sarcastic and expect the punches to just keep rolling on in.  

    i am going to stop at 10 regardless…i have to cut myself off somewhere.  i am not THAT brilliant.

    10.  use your filter.  95% of what you hear around you ironman race week is crap.  it doesn’t apply to you and it should have no impact on your race day.  

    so when your new buddy Charlie, who you have dinner with at your first ironman, tells you ENSURE is the thing to drink during the race.  be happy that works for him, but by no means internalize it.

    Or when Susie Swimmer tells you she breathes every 4th stroke and that is the best way to breathe and that she is the most awesome person ever, continue breathing the way you would normally breathe.  

    Even if it’s a pro, giving you really great advice about your race strategy, and you are rapidly writing down everything they say because it is all genius and they are sure to win this race and save the world all at the same time.  put that notepad away and read it again post race and apply it to your next training block…use that race strategy then.  


    However, if you do want my advice for race day, make sure you look good out there.  people are taking pictures every 2 seconds, especially you first timers, you know you are going to buy the picture package, and most likely at least a couple of the photos will be framed.  make sure your helmet is straight, make sure your hair looks good, wear a sexy outfit (that you have practiced racing in…chaffing and blisters hurt!  trust me.)  no sense doing this if you don’t look good.  

    take care of you.


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