So you want to do an Ironman? Part 2: Tips and Tricks for a successful race week

Well, you did it. You made it through the training and the months of sacrifice and now, the big day is a week or so away and, YOU ARE LOSING YOUR MIND. Your adrenal glands are having a seizure from the continuous fight or flight response that you are in because you are continually second guessing your readiness, your equipment, your nutrition, and pretty much everything else about why in the world you ever thought this was a good idea.

Or at least this is what happens to most people.

You on the other hand, are going to read this blog post. You are then going to bookmark it or print it out, tape it to the wall of your pain cave or I don’t know what because you will do whatever is needed to return to it often as a means of reminding yourself of what YOU are going to do to NOT be the person described in that first paragraph.

So read on and let’s go over the myriad ways that you can get to the start line of your first 140.6 without being a complete basket case. (and for what it’s worth, most of these tips are good for other kinds of races or major life events!)

Lesson 1: Success in an IM doesn’t happen on the day of the event, it happens in the months leading up to it.

Most people don’t believe the mantra that an IM is just a long training day but for those who have actually done the training, the reality is that this is very much the case. In my experience having done 8 full distance triathlons, 2 of them on the Big Island, 90-95% of what happens on race day is determined before you put your toes in the water for the start of the swim. Maybe 5-10% of your final result is determined by events that transpire on race day. And the vast majority of that comes down to how well you stick to your race plan (see Lesson #7).

If you and your coach have designed a good training program in alignment with your goals for the day and you followed that program as closely as possible then when you arrive at the start of the race, your performance is pretty well determined. You will do as well as you trained. Those who show up undertrained are often the most nervous for the event and rightly so, they don’t know what to expect nor whether or not they will finish let alone achieve their goals. But, if you nailed your training then you really should not be nervous about how you will perform, you will.

The more that you can think of the event as just a long training day, the easier it will be to stay calm and focused about what needs to be done.

Lesson 2: Know yourself and be comfortable acknowledging your race week insecurities

In my experience, there are two kinds of IM athletes; the ones that love all of the hype and the ones that hate it. If you are in the former category then Ironman has got a great week planned for you. There will be plenty of opportunities to immerse yourself amongst hundreds of toned and fit humans talking tough about how awesome they are and how well they will do in the upcoming race. There will be expos and mini-events and practice swims and so many other places for people to see and be seen and if you like that kind of thing, whether you are one who likes to flex or like me loves to watch and listen to people flex so you can say hi when you pass them, embrace that and immerse yourself in that environment.

If however, you are from the latter group and finds the whole affair stressful or distasteful then embrace that as well! Get your packet early and get the heck away from the race venue and don’t come back until you absolutely have to. The worst mistake that an athlete can make is miscategorize themself in to the wrong one of these groups and book accommodations accordingly.

Which group you are in will also have some bearing on whether or not you decide to go to this event on your own, with friends and family or with other athletes. Do a little soul searching ahead of time and be honest with yourself. There is no point putting yourself in a position that will make you and others miserable because you let yourself be talked in to being part of a clan (hype + or -) that you weren’t really part of.

Lesson 3: Prepare yourself mentally for any and all eventualities

When I am preparing my athletes for a race I send them a list of questions to consider. It does not matter if it is their first race or their fiftieth, I still send the same questions. These include things like; what will you do if your goggles get dislodged and flooded during the swim? What will you do if you get a flat? How will you manage losing a bottle of your nutrition? and many other potentially ruinous events that might, but very likely won’t, come up during the race.

A major reason for being nervous before the race is because of fears of the unknown and of what might happen. I have found that if you have mentally prepared yourself for all of the most likely eventualities then those fears will be allayed. Furthermore, if something comes up that you didn’t think about, this mental exercise will make whatever happens less of a tragedy as you will already have the experience of mentally handling various problems and you will now be able to bring that experience to bear on whatever is the issue at hand.

Lesson 4: Focus 100% of your energy on things that you can control, forget about everything else

Inexperienced Ironman athletes make a critical mistake in the weeks leading up to their event; they begin fretting about anything and everything that they have absolutely zero ability to influence. The list is long but generally includes things like worrying about the weather, the water temperature, will the swim be wetsuit legal, will the swim be canceled, will that pothole on Route 9 still be there and pretty much anything else that they can find to get themselves in to a know over. These worries and fears will build and build and just make the whole experience that much worse of an anxiety provoking endeavor and with anxiety comes fear and with fear comes self doubt and the entire process becomes very self defeating.

The experienced Ironman athlete worries about none of these things because the experienced athlete knows that she can do nothing to change any of them. Instead, the experienced athlete focuses on what she can control: how she will adapt to whatever the conditions are that are handed to her on race day. She will arrive at the start line confident and rested and having saved all of her mental energy for the gas at hand.

So if you are an inexperienced Ironman athlete, learn from the experienced athlete and pay no heed to anything that is out of your control and instead focus only on how you will respond to anything and everything thrown at you.

Lesson 5: Prepare everything early and check all your gear multiple times

Once you have collected your registration packet that is the best time to lay out your gear and ensure that you have everything. I set up a little area wherever I am staying and lay down my T1 and T2 bags and put everything that I want on top of those bags (not in them). I also put everything for special needs on those bags. I use the morning clothes bag to lay out everything for the swim. This way you will find out early if you accidentally forgot something and will have time to get it.

This is also the time to ensure everything with your bike is tight and functioning properly. Do not pack the transition bags until just before bringing them to check in, that way you have ample opportunity to go over the contents multiple times.

Lesson 6: Make use of Special needs

I often hear age groupers speak dismissively of the notion of using special needs. I have never really understood that. An Ironman is a very long event and there is simply no way that I can carry all of my nutrition on my bike. Having half of my nutrition in special needs allows me to make a quick stop and get new bottles and continue on. The time that it takes me to stop and refuel is a fraction of what I would lose if I tried to do the whole bike without adequate calories. As an AG podium finisher, I am quite confident in saying that this strategy is sound.

I personally do not make use of the run special needs bag but I can certainly imagine many reasons why someone would.

Lesson 7: Plan your race and race your plan

Of all the lessons, this one may be the most important. During your training you should have developed a race plan with your coach. That plan will have strategies for the swim, power targets for the bike and pace goals for the run. It will also include nutrition targets and adaptations based on how the day is going. To have a successful day, you must stick to this plan. Deviating from it is a recipe for disaster and there are legions of failures in the lore of Ironman who all learned too late how they should have followed the plan more closely. Don’t be one of those. Make sure that you know your plan and understand the reasons for it. Make sure you understand when you have permission to exceed it and what you should do if things are not going your way. A good plan is one that allows for adaptability based on how the day is going so being confident in the plan will allow you to handle whatever unfolds as the day progresses.

Lesson 8: Soak up the last mile

The last mile of an Ironman should be savored and enjoyed. Even if you are racing it, there is still time and the ability to enjoy it. After all of the hard work and sacrifice, that last mile is the reward so whatever you do and however you are feeling, smile and let the emotions carry you home.

Lesson 9: Don’t sign up for your next IM the next day

When you finish that race you will be either so happy that it is done that you never want to do another triathlon again (that will pass) OR you will be so overcome with emotion and suffused with joy that you will want to immediately sign up for another Ironman so that you can have that experience again. Either way, my advice is to take a deep breath and chill the F out. What you just accomplished was AMAZING and should be savored for a little bit. You also owe it to your family and friends to reconnect a little bit and hear how this whole endeavor impacted them. If, after a few weeks you are still feeling bitten by the 140.6 bug and IF you still have everyone on board then by all means, get the credit card out and find yourself another race! But give yourself and everyone else that bit of space to process and figure out what the best next step is.

Ironman will still be there, waiting to welcome you back whenever the time is right.

I hope that this was a helpful exercise and that after going through this article the idea of doing an Ironman seems that much more manageable. If you have questions or are interested in coaching for your 140.6 let me know! If you have comments please feel free to leave them here!

Getting to the finish line takes more than just physical preparation there is a lot of mental planning as well!