Letting It Go

A few weeks ago, I sat down and wrote a race report, as if the race was done (another one of those mental exercises my coach requested).  When we met this past Sunday, we reviewed my report and discussed areas of concern regarding how to handle a few situations. The main thing was focusing on letting it go.  Doing a 3-loop bike course and 3-loop run course is going to mean having a lot of people pass me and lap me.  He said when that happens, I just need to breathe.  Not care.  Just let it go.  Since I know I'll be walking a lot in the run, I think I will be fine there.  But, I plan on doing a lot of breathing on the bike.  


Spending time in Ironman Village can also be difficult. Sedonia warned me that it can be challenging walking around the expo and all the uber athletes and I might want to go walk around Wal-mart afterwards to feel better about myself.  So I went to registration yesterday, hit up the merchandise tent, and got out of there.  I don't want to get caught up in the hype.  


Same thing for my bike.  It's hard not to be bike-pervy.  This is where the $12000 bikes show up.  I've got a really nice road bike with its original stock wheels and clip-on aeros.  It does the job.  I'm looking to finish.  Perhaps if I was 50 pounds lighter and had hopes of Kona I might get a fancy bike.  But that is NOT why I'm here.  I will ignore all the nice tri bikes and Zipp wheels.  


While I was driving here, I got a great email from Robin with some Ironman advice from Rich Strauss.  These were the excerpts that resonated the most with me.

• All you've done for 9 months is build a vehicle. Ironman racing is about how you DRIVE that vehicle, it is NOT about the vehicle. [ignore the fancy bikes!]
• The majority of athletes on race day are fitness-focused (look at my T-shirt, look at my abs/veins/etc, look at how fast I can go in the first hour of the bike, etc.) [ignore the uber athletes that have been unemployed all year and all they did was train.  Ignore the fancy kits.  I'm riding for comfort]
• It's easy to get caught up in the buzz and energy of the day, but creating and sticking to the right plan for you is the only thing that will lead to the best possible day.[yes, yes, yes]
• A successful race = a good run. There is no such thing as a good bike followed by bad run, period. In our world, if you showed up with solid run fitness, had a "good" bike and a poor run, we will ALWAYS assume you messed up your bike pacing, until proven otherwise. 
• 80-90 percent of the Ironman field doesn't know how to race. If you find yourself doing the opposite of everyone else, you're doing the right thing. If Jimmy is "king of this random hill" at mile 46 of the bike...don't join him! Lots of people passing you in the first 40 miles? That's good, don't join in. [noted!]
• There is still some psychological stuff you need to address. During the course of your race day, expect your body to have a conversation with your mind:
• "Look, Mind, you've had me out here slogging away for 132 miles. This is really starting to get old and very painful. You need to give me a good reason to keep going forward. If you don't have one, I'm gonna slow down and you can't stop me!
• Before the race ask yourself "Why am I doing Ironman?" Your goal here is to determine what is the One Thing that put you in this race. To finish in the daylight with a smile on your face? To run a 4:10? To honor your family or a loved one?
• Whatever your One Thing is, be absolutely clear and rehearse your mind/body debate beforehand. Be warned: your body can be a helluva good negotiator at mile 18, especially if your mind hasn't prepared its rebuttal arguments beforehand.

And, with that said, it's time for me to start rehearsing my rebuttal arguments.