Don't over-think your race

Folks like me are rarely in the position to take podium spots. Sure, winning is a lofty goal but honestly, most of us just want to feel like we did our best and want to cross that finish line with our head held high.

I know my limits as a mid-packer and (A) Don't have the time to obsess over race details and (B) Want to race/run consistently based on how I've trained regardless of the course.

Now you might say, "Trev, that's BS dude. Being prepared and planning your race is super-important. You can't get through a race without some planning!"

I would agree with you that some planning is important, but there are things you just shouldn't obsess about. Let's chat about some of them.

If you have to obsess about a few things...

• Oh, the places you'll go! There's nothing worse than missing the start of the race or being stranded once you've finished. I'll take a DNF any day over a DNS (did not start). If you couldn't get to the start line because of poor planning, that's just plain embarrassing! Make sure you are clear on the transportation options to and from the race. Also make sure your crew is clear on where they can or can't park on the course. Crew violations can often result in runner disqualification!
• Aid stations can mean the difference between finishing or taking up residence in the medical tent. If you don't have a spreadsheet that captures the aid stations, mileage and crew/drop bag availability...THEN YOU SHOULD! If the RD has shared elevation information between aid stations, this can also help you determine the time it will take you to get to-and-from each location. Carefully planning your gear, nutrition and hydration strategies around aid stations is super-important and well worth the time to figure out.

What NOT to lose sleep over...

• You're not Al Roker, so stop checking the forecast every 15 minutes. If there is rain in the forecast...take rain gear. If it's going to be hot, bring your pack or extra bottles. If you're not limited by space or weight, put things in your drop bag that will accommodate both hot and cold weather.
• Some would say that the distances provided in ultra-marathons are 'guidelines', not actual numbers. The likelihood that your Garmin is going to be the exact distance provided by the RD is super-low. Remember, unless you're off course just keep going until you run into the aid station. Having a cow that the distance wasn't exact isn't going to get you to the finish any faster.

I'm personally heading into a busy couple (race) months...Black Canyon 100k (WS100 qualifier), the Hom 100 (charity run) and Old Pueblo 50 all within 5 weeks of each other. While I wrote this as a reminder for myself it's also good to keep in mind as you train/think about YOUR upcoming races as well.

Don't get lost in the minutia of planning your race. Plan well enough to get there, have fun and finish...

Oh, and stay safe out there!

Burning questions

One of the things I don't think a lot of people realize about running "races" is that aside from just the training, running and sweating there is also quite a bit of planning and strategy. Not only do you have to plan for what you think will happen, but also for what might happen. Blisters, weather and injury are just a few...

For example, here are some of the things I'm still contemplating for the Black Hills 100(k):

1. Should I run with my Camelbak or hand-held water bottles?
2. How far are the aid stations from each other?
3. How am I going to carry some of my nutrition (gels, etc)?
4. What is my nutrition strategy going to be?
5. What will I put in my drop bag?
6. What's the weather supposed to be like?
7. What will I wear?

These just scratch the surface. You truly have to be prepared for anything in the Black Hills - it can be very cool in the morning and blistering hot in the afternoon. In the end, you have to trust that you've made the right decisions...one minor flaw in your race strategy and/or preparations can have a very meaningful impact on your race day. The day is long enough without having to overcome artificial or mental barriers caused by your own stupidity.

Then there's the other side of the coin - everyone always asks, "What do you think about while you're running?"  The answer(s) may surprise or bore you. Here is a run-down of some of the things that go through my mind:

• Lyrics to some of my favorite/inspirational songs
• Not falling
• People who face true adversity/sickness and continue to persevere
• What I'm going to eat after the race
• Taking an ice bath
• What my kids are doing
• "Really!? I paid to do this?"
• Seriously, don't fall

At the end of the day, it's the challenge and sense of accomplishment that I really get a charge from. So come hell or high water, I'll be prepared and all my questions will hopefully be answered by June 23rd.

What my dreams are made of

Do you ever get so engrossed in something that it starts to take over your sub-consciousness? Does it worm its way into your dreams at night?

I can always tell that I'm deep in training and/or planning when I start to have dreams (nightmares) related to things I might forget for a race. Like last night - I dreamed that somehow I had gotten to the Leanhorse 100 race start and completely forgotten all of my gear (no, I wasn't standing there naked).

Being naked would have been less embarrassing.

I find it interesting that my greatest fear is not the race or distance itself, but being unprepared or forgetting something crucial that will help me meet my goal.

So let the planning begin...

Hotels.
Flights.
Crew vehicles.
Clothing.
Pacing information.
Directions.
Food.
...
...

Hopefully my subconscious will thank me.

Real Ironmen don't walk, do they?

Not a whole lot going on in the training world these days - other than, well, more training. I've been very pleased with the last couple weeks and I can feel the incremental gains coming back in both the endurance and mental category. More than anything, consistency has been good. This means I'm doing more running more often and doing what I need to recover correctly.

I ran a report from Garmin to see what my miles were for the last couple months. I just wanted to see where I was at and where I was going...

February = 90 miles (running), 11,380 calories
March = 61 miles (running), 7,900 calories

The last couple weeks has been an interesting mental shift for me as I make this transition from Ironman/marathon running-as-fast-as-you-can-for-as-long-as-you-can to running-a-slower-pace-knowing-you'll-be-running-for-8-or-9-hours-straight trying to finish a 50-mile run with 9,100 feet of elevation gain.

Most everything I've read about endurance pacing preaches the 5:1 ratio - 5 minutes of running and 1 minute of walking. Certainly this is not the rule but for beginners and those races that have massive elevation gains, this is by far one of the most suggested shifts in training.

Admittedly, this is hard for me to succumb to walking during a run (WTH!?! The guy with the Ironman tattoo is walking?!). The idea of slowing down and being passed by other age-groupers young and old can be infuriating and frustrating. Not to mention a chink in the 'pride armor'.

I'm not a jerk about these things nor do I care that other people have different race plans than me. I'm going to run my race no matter who passes me. So pride aside I've used a couple of training runs of 8-10 miles to test this idea of a brief brisk 1-minute walk. It really does break things up enough to give your legs and feet a break and lower your heart rate, but also mentally it's a great relief to walk a little bit. Heaven knows that with 9,100 feet of elevation gain during the Black Hills 100, there are bound to be some ascents and descents that are going to require a snail's pace walk (or crawl?!).

Do real Ironmen walk? This one does.

Life without a (race) plan

In the last couple weeks since Ragnar, I've come to realize that without a race plan or future race goals, I'm one of the least-motivated people on the planet when it comes to a traditional gym-rat routine. I can understand how people get burned out doing the same 'ole thing at the gym week after week. Though I'm probably not the only person in the world paying for a gym-membership and NOT using it (which annoys the hell out of me that I'm wasting money), I just can't seem to commit myself to going there and finding anything useful or fun to do.

I'm struggling with this overall idea of being a triathlete as well - am I or aren't I? While I enjoy the disciplines, I feel like I'm past the novelty of the sport, distance and training. It's still enjoyable for me but I think the real challenge will be taking the last couple years and using them as a baseline to improve.

Relative to endurance racing, I've discovered that I just can't let the sleeping dog lie either. These past couple years have been an ever-expanding-non-stop-achievement-of-bigger-and-bigger-things...something I didn't think was a part of my persona. The "problem" is, I can't seem to stop.

I'm clearly not the first person out there to push and push to see what I'm capable of (think, Dean Karnazes). But it's different when the fight is personal. I have no special story - no ABC After School Special of any kind. Just a dude trying to stay in shape and have some fun. What can't I do? I'm not sure I will ever stop asking that question. At the same time, I kind of like being that 'crazy guy' everyone's friends know who did something that is unimaginable to a large percentage of the world.

So back to this notion of a race plan. I wanted this year to be full of new and exciting things...so far, it has not been a disappointment. I'm getting antsy without anything on the (race) calendar though. I'm sure that will change soon - scheduling and $$$ are under review. Hopefully, I'll be able to share more concrete plans here in the near future.

The push is coming.

Race planning

This past week has been fairly uneventful from a training perspective. Everyone has said that the aches and pains would creep in but I've yet to have anything impact my overall sense of well-being. I've spent more time just planning this week. I feel for those folks that have to travel to Arizona for the race. I've traveled to various venues for some Ironman 70.3 races and often times that process is more stressful and time-consuming than the race itself! More about planning in a bit - here is a summary of the week.

Monday: Full day of rest after last brick workout.
Tuesday: (Morning) 8-mile run, (Evening) 1.5 mi swim (0.5 mi in wet suit)
Wednesday: (Morning) 2 mi swim
Thursday: 13.1 mi run
Friday: 2.5 mi swim (1.0 mi in wet suit)
Sunday: (11/14): Long bike ride (60-80 miles??)

This coming week will see a steady decline of activity until completely shutting things down on Thursday. I have a massage that afternoon that I've been looking forward to for a very long time.

So more about planning...it's easy to be consumed by all the planning that goes into a triathlon. Planning all the gear, equipment and nutrition by itself can be daunting until you realize that the schedule for checking in, attending the mandatory athlete meeting, practice swim and transition check-in is equally as crazy...I literally had to create a 4-day calendar that is laid out hourly to account for all the things, places and events going on BEFORE the race itself.

Sitting down to plan has been a good opportunity to and reflect on my actual race plan, pacing and re-enforcing my race goals. If you haven't read Joe Friel's book "Going Long", I definitely recommend getting it if nothing more than a reference book for triathlon fundamentals. The chapters on mental preparation and goal-setting are particularly honest and can apply to anyone.

I will probably have one more post this coming week as I prepare for the big dance. Final thoughts before treading water in Tempe Town Lake on Sunday morning @ 7 am, just waiting for that cannon to boom.

Thanks for reading.