Mental Preparation for Raceday

This might be a little early for this.   But some athletes have early season races.   I've found that positive visualization is an important part of mental training for a race.   Not just rehearsing what you have to do in your head, but seeing your self succeed.  For a triathlete, you might call it the 5th discipline after nutrition.

So you have that big "A" race off in the distance.  Maybe it's even the 1st time you've ever raced that longer distance.  I myself tend to be a visual person..   So I believe it's never too early to think about the race and visualize yourself over coming challenges and succeeding.  No matter the race distance, you can visualize the pace you'll be running, how you might be feeling and the excitement and reward of success.  It can be a huge motivator especially on those long runs and long rides or when grinding out sets in the pool.  Visualize yourself performing well, having a great day then hitting the final miles and the finish chute.

You're practicing positive thinking.  Drilling into your head that you can keep going when your body is yelling at you to slow down or stop.  If that big race is truly important to you, if you not injured or physically unable to finish (stuff happens) remind yourself all you've done to get to this point in the race, all the hours you've trained and the goal you've focused on for so long, that quitting isn't option.  Failure is not an option.  You can drive on to the finish.

This could mean not slowing down a the miles count down... or just putting one foot in front of the other one more time, then the next.

For myself, having done my first full Ironman last Fall, on most of my runs, I thought about the pictures I've seen of athletes finishing that distance, that race.  I tried to place myself in that finish chute, achieving all my goals for the race.  Finishing strong.  I was truly in uncharted territory as well.  It was only the 6th time I had run over 20 miles, ever in 21 years as a runner or triathlete.  The last time had been in 1998 on a long training run with a friend.  While I wasn't prepared for the level of suffering I would face in those final miles, I was prepared for the commitment to drive forward and not slow down.  I was rewarded with by far my greatest athletic achievement ever.

Good luck to everyone as they start their training this season.  Focus on those goals.  Focus on over coming any setback in training or racing and see yourself finishing strong.

Dealing with Injury

This is the time of year where soon athletes will begin increasing their mileage in anticipation of Spring Races.  Even with the best plans, that can mean injury.   Your ability to predict, efficiently address injuries can determine if the impact is minor, major or even becomes chronic.  Once you’re able to train again, you will need a good plan to recover lost fitness while avoiding reinjure and address the mental aspects as well.

First is predicting injury risk.  One tool is to make sure that your increasing training load at reasonable rate.  A tool offered in TrainingPeaks is the Performance Management Chart.  Using it is a whole topic by itself.  A simpler method is tracking weekly miles.  This however does not factor in harder intervals sessions or the impact of longer runs.  An experienced runner knows how their legs should feel, when they are fatigued and what feels normal or not normal.   Pay close attention to particular tightness in the hips, calves, quads and hamstrings.  Deliberate stretching of the associated muscles after a run, goes a long way to prevention.  It’s also smart to avoid running on highly fatigued legs.  This can result in altering run mechanics and placing additional stress on tendons, joints and connective tissue.

Let’s say you failed at the above and find yourself injured.  It’s OK, it happens to the best athletes.  When you’re finding new limits, you sometimes cross them.  The first thing you need is rest.  Yes, that means not doing any training that aggravates the injury.  Next is to use ice to reduce acute swelling and rolling any tight muscles. 

Finally you need to determine what caused the injury.  This is often the hardest part.  Once identified, you will need a clear plan to address the issues and slowly progress back to running.  A physical therapist experienced in sports related injuries is often the most skilled at this.   For more minor injuries, an experiences coach can make adjustments and recommendations on beneficial stretches and exercises.  Most injuries will require focused stretching and strengthening exercises.  These will need to be done consistently and as prescribed for as long as it takes to eliminate that root cause of the injury.

Once you able to train again.  You will need to access where your fitness is at and develop a plan to safely return to normal training.  Again, an experiences and trained coach can be critical in aiding this process.  Finally, you may need to deal with the mental challenges of losing fitness, missing races or poor performances.  It’s important to focus on what you can control, what training you are able to perform, stay positive and know that many athletes return more focused, well rested and sometimes stronger than they were before the injury.  Many pro triathletes have had their best seasons and performances following their worst periods of injury.  They took the challenge as an opportunity to overcome, improve and move forward.  

Key Lessons:

1) If in doubt, take time off.  

2) Evaluate your condition and identify any tight muscles or tendons.

3) Seek professional help if its a new injury and doesn't clear up in just a few days. 

4) Seek professional help for constant pain or sharp acute pain.

5) You probably cannot just run through it and just a couple days off won't work unless it addresses the root cause.

Big Announcement!

I've made the career decision to pursue coaching full-time.  I think many of us always dream of the opportunity to make a career out of what brings us real excitement and passion.  I'm just in need of more clients with a clear drive and passion to succeed in triathlon, running or cycling.  I have several clients now that continue to exceed my predictions and reach new levels in performance.  I can't wait for the opportunity to work with more athletes and see what we can do together.

I'll be putting together some short seminar to present locally on training periodization as well as the value of tracking training data and equipment selection and set-up.

Referrals - I'll be offering a $25/mo discount for 12 months on basic coaching plans and $50 on premium plans.  (See Trainingbible.com website for plans)

No Start-up Fee - I'll also be waiving the start-up fee for any client that chooses automatic billing.