All the people that thought I was fucking shit and how I'm gonna eradicate some god damm legs

During training I think about my objectives, and why they mean so much to me, and I focus on the strength I am earning through the work I'm doing. During races I think about the value of doing something that will make me feel proud. After races I think mainly about cheeseburgers and IPA.

what goes through my mind during a workout??


::to the tone of william tells overture, better known as the lone ranger theme song::

pedal pedal pedal pedal pedaaaal... pedal pedal pedal pedal i-really-want-a-snaaaaaaack

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Brooklyn Tri Dad
https://www.facebook.com/brooklyntridad/?ref=hl
http://brooklyntridad.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/BrooklynTriDad

Since I train right after work during the week it is normally problems at work for the first 10 or 15 minutes, sometimes longer. That normally gives way to concentrating on staying safe on the road in the big city in the dark (running) or navigating traffic (on the bike outdoors) or holding my power even (on the trainer). For swimming I am constantly thinking about my form. Swimming takes enough concentration that work only encroaches once in a while.

On Sunday I am fortunate enough to have a wife that also trains and does about the same thing at the same effort, so we get to talk and catch up on things for 2 hours.

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"...the street finds its own uses for things"

Ideally nothing.

During my best training sessions the output and positive feedback from my body becomes consuming and thought is a distraction.

I believe that motivation during races comes from a place deeper than our conscious thought. Mental strategies can sometime help in the darkest of racing times, but I think that being present with your physical situation is most helpful.

It's my escape from the world in the pool. I focus on business, personal relationships etc. Great chance to ditch distractions of the world and get lost in thought. At some point being comfortable being uncomfortable became my happy place....no cars, no email, no phones.....my clarity place.

How slow I am.

Depends on what I am doing. If I am just cruising along at endurance paces, then I am usually using the time to let my mind clear. Or sometimes I just think about whatever I feel needs brain time that I hadn't gotten to at that point in the day. When the session starts getting long, and I start wishing for it to be over, then I start picturing my A-race and how I am going to perform at it. So if I am in the pool, I mentally put myself in the lake or ocean the race is taking place in and imagining it is race day. Same with the bike and run although it is harder to do if I am on a trainer or treadmill (just since I am not going anywhere).

If I am pushing hard into an interval, all I am thinking of is how long it is until I get to recover. Not much useful thought goes through my mind when it hurts. During the recovery, when I know I am not looking forward to the next interval I tell myself why I am doing this, and that the next interval is going to get me one step closer to the goal I set months before.

During training, I think about the fitness I am gaining by doing it. I basically just know that every minute that I am doing work (while not pushing a possible injury), I am getting better, faster, stronger.

During racing, I am thinking of when I will catch the next dude in front of me. I don't actually remember much about races. They just go by - I don't think a lot, I just go.

If you have energy to think during races, you might want to start pushing harder.

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New Training/Racing Log - http://www.earthdaykid.com/blog --- Old Training/Racing Log - http://colinlaughery.blogspot.com

Even at IM distance, I am too "busy" to think about anything in particular. The whole ride, I am checking my watts, watching where I am going, checking the time to know when to eat, etc for the entire ride. During the run, same thing, but it's all about either keeping someone in my sight, or calculating how fast I am closing in, and if I need to back my own pace off, or what time is it I have to eat, etc.

Especially during the run I find if I start letting my mind wander off the task at hand, the pain creeps in. I can put the pain away as long as I keep my mind on the task, but if I start letting go of that control, the first thing I think about is how good it will feel to stop, how good that post-race beer will be, then the pain rushes in. I can't afford to "think" about anything during the IM run.

Pre-Race: I am soooooo excited!
Swim: I HATE SWIMMING!
Bike: I HATE BIKING!
Run: I HATE RUNNING!
Post-Race: That felt so good, I can't wait for the next one!

I think about the fact that I have just started on this journey, that many people are years ahead and that if I don't push myself, they will just extend the gap. I try and motivate myself by recognizing the fact that I am the only one in the gym on a Friday night, or the only one in the pool early on Saturday. Friday nights are pretty cool as i'm training indoors, while on the treadmill I look out over a pretty busy intersection downtown, watching everyone head out for a night of drinking and partying is a huge motivation for me. Counting how many people get onto the treadmill next to me in the time that I do a long run (yes, still slow but getting there).

In between, I think about my kids, family etc.

Right when I start any activity: "I'm gonna kill this today"
Immediately after I start any activity: "this sucks, what the hell am I doing out here"
Halfway through any activity: "Gawd, this is SO right. I can't believe everyone doesn't do this. I'm so amazing. Yay me!"
Almost through any activity: "Why does everything hurt? Is everything supposed to hurt? I thought I was fit."
Done with any activity: "That was the right thing to do, and I feel great"

When I'm running I tend to get focused on training-related topics and think them through ad nauseum, in between focusing on traffic to make sure I don't get run over. Also, lately I have a constant soundtrack of kids songs running through my head as a result of all the noisemaking baby toys in our house.

On the trainer I try to watch TV shows or documentaries that don't require much thought so I can loosely pay attention but focus on the effort when I need to.

Same on the treadmill, but I mostly end up thinking about what a strange form of self-inflicted torture it is and counting the tenths of miles and/or seconds until I'm done.

I'm not swimming much at the moment but when I do, I'm bad enough at it that I'm pretty much constantly focused on my form, breathing, etc. Unless I see a band-aid or a big hair in the pool, then I spend the next 10 minutes trying to block out the fact that I'm swallowing copious amounts of pool water that is contaminated by whatever disgusting thing I just saw.

I'm strange it would seem but everybody has their own methods I guess. In training I'm always thinking about my competition and what they may be doing that very moment. How I have to remain diligent and consistent in my approach so that I can increase my abilities more than they are (since these are the guys who beat me more often than not). I think about my short comings and what training I'm not doing that I've heard can be beneficial to endurance sport. The last thing I focus on, and the most important thing, is the session's goals. I've also been known to belt out a "F*#K YOU (INSERT COMPETITOR NAME)" while really pushing myself.

Racing is a bit different because I'm no longer alone and in my own head. I see people at turn arounds, racks in transition, and noise from the crowd. When I am swimming I think about my wife/dog being in trouble and I need to get to them before any harm comes to them. On the bike I'm thinking "SHUT UP LEGS I OWN YOU" and finally on the run I am thinking something/one is chasing me with ill intentions and if I don't pick up my pace I'm going to wind up a victim of horror. Every one of these mental "tricks" give my body a real sense of urgency during events and allows me to perform outside myself at times.

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"Train so you have no regrets @ the finish line"

wow. i'm really surprised by all the folks actively thinking. no matter what i'm doing (S/B/R) i'm daydreaming or zoning. sometimes i come up with questions i want to ask my kids or a little list of stuff i want to do but usually i'm solving world peace or totally zoned out. i have a hard time remembering the lap i'm on (swimming) or when the km comes up to catch my split (running). many times i'll look up on the bike and wonder how i got there.

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http://harvestmoon6.blogspot.com
https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/katasmit

When running outside:
Left Side of the Brain [looking at watch]: OK, so we're at such-and-such a pace right now, the next mile marker is X-hundred yards ahead, so if we get to that turn in so many minutes and seconds we'll be doing a something minute split which should get us to the next marker after that in such time and we'll be back home at whatever o'clock

Right Side of the Brain: What a pretty sunrise! Do I smell coffee?

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

It depends, a lot of things. I work a lot of just life out in my head while I run, have worked out a lot of issues in my Asics and Brooks. When I bike I'm more concerned about traffic, how I'm going to navigate different climbs, ect. Swimming is more technique thoughts and keeping track of the distance to keep my mind busy.

When racing it's on the guy ahead of me and what I have to do to catch/pass him most of the time. When I hurt I go over MRTTB - my wife and children's names, I focus on their faces and think about them. Sometimes if I'm struggling I'll visualize correct technique and concentrate on my form.

What do I think during training?
Swim: "Relax. Don't panic. Think about anything but your breathing."
Bike: Alternating, "This bike is sooo freakin' cool--way faster than I am," and "Keep spinning--I have got to work on my power"
Run: Anything in the world.

What do I think during racing?

I get very ZEN. "What am I supposed to be doing right now--this very second?"
Swim: "Stay in this wake; don't stop." Then. "It's all downhill from here."
Bike: "Shift, tuck, spin, steer, ski the peddles, drink," mixed with, "This is so cool," and then, "Time to shine."
Run: "Check your virtual partner. Behind? Lift those knees just a hair. Ahead? Relax, but just barely. Check your virtual partner. Adjust. Gu. Drink. Check your virtual partner."

Followed by: I better pick another race before I land on the couch.

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"If everything seems in control, you aren't going fast enough" -- Mario Andretti

Thank you all. Loved reading the responses.

But has anyone perfected a technique on how to get into the zone???

That feeling where you're so In-tuned with both body and mind. Where a 40k bike feels like a blurr. Or a 5k run just disappears. With little memory of it. This happens to me once in a while. I'd like to teach myself how to perfect it while at a high level of performance out of myself. Controlled

This happened at my last 70.3 in the swim. Before I knew it....I was getting out of the water. Felt like a 15min swim.

Not exactly, but as far as I can tell it's a combination of things for me. When I'm well-rested, well-hydrated, eating decently, and most importantly not stressed about work or family stuff, that's when I feel like I can sort of zone out and perform my best.

Sounds like you're talking about "flow state" - here's a simple article that speaks to that. I especially like the list of 10 components of "flow" and like to apply them as much as possible to training/racing:

http://psychology.about.com/od/PositivePsychology/a/flow.htm

ble ble ble ble ble ble ble ble ble ble ble ble ble ble...

During a lot of my long endurance training I focus on my race goals. For next IM I want to go sub 11 so the constant rhythm of 1:10+5:45+3:55 plays out in my head. and thinking about if I am biking/ running fast enough to obtain that goal.
Right now my wife and I are expecting our first child and this will probably be my last 140.6 for a few years, so my "zone out" thinking often goes to that. Will it be a boy or a girl, what it will be like to hold them for the first time, what will it be like crossing that finish line and seeing my (at that point) 7.5 month wife, and how there is no way that dad is going to be a "quitter" on this race. Then my watch beeps and tells me my mile split and I realize I have to run faster.

https://www.nytimes.com/...brains-vs-brawn.html

It would be interesting to see what the results would be if they had used female subjects as well [or redo it, with women instead]. But then, it's CAMBRIDGE ... male rowers are pretty much all they had to choose from, athletics-wise

Where I saw this posted originally, someone asked "I might have thought that higher order brain functions would have been more likely to be ignored in favor of what we are asking of our muscles in the immediate: 'Gotta run now, that saber tooth tiger is chasing me and figuring out the wheel can wait.'"

To which I replied: "Let's say we have two cavemen in that example:

"Fred is going shut his brain off to run as fast as he can, for as long as he can, in a straight line, and hope he can outpace the tiger

"Barney is going to sacrifice a little bit of performance, to keep his brain functioning well enough to think 'There's a cave, can I hide there?' or 'should I climb this tree to get away?' or 'can I throw this rock at the tiger?' or 'remember that bush, so I can find my way back' or 'oh! a pond! good to know for the tribe when we need water'

"Which one is more likely to be coming home to Bedrock?"

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

I learned a lot about what to think about in training and how to approach training by reading this book: Peak Performance

I usually get psyched up, but not nervous for races though at the HIM Worlds in Chattanooga, my heart was about to explode out of my chest as I stood there waiting for the swim to start. But here is what I think in most races on each part:

Swim - keep my stroke long, keep my elbows high (repeated in my head), is there anyone I can draft off of a bit (I'm not good at keeping a good draft going so I rotate onto a few folks during the swim). Keep going, get done with the swim (it is my weakest part).

Bike - relax, don't pass too many people, stay in your zone, let your HR come back down from the swim and T1 and then stay in your zone, focus on hydration and nutrition, stay in your zone, don't get caught up by what folks around you are doing, race your race

Run - slow down in the first few miles, don't go out too fast, don't do it, see, you feel that? that is a bit too fast, slow down. In the middle third it is about keeping the pace of the first few miles. By the end, it is either fighting through cramps or fighting through an increasing HR as I speed up, both of which are made easier as adrenaline pumps higher through my body. I remind myself that all of my training has been for this moment, this moment, this, this, this now go, keep going, go, keep going, go hard to the finish.

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2018 Races: IM Santa Rosa, Vineman Monte Rio, Lake Tahoe 70.3

I'm gonna rip this shit 'till my bones collapse

" Why am I doing this?!" over and over and over and over and over again until I cross the finish. Then I go, alright when is the next one.


I would have died if I were a caveman.

At IM Lake Placid this year, a friend told me that if he starts to panic during the swim, in his mind he'd start singing "100 bottles of beer on the wall". Best dumb advice I've heard in a while.

Personally I just listen to whatever earworm is stuck in my head.

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Don't drown. Don't crash. Don't walk.

I used to listen to music to try and escape the uncomfortable sensation of pushing myself.. somewhere down the line hard exercise became sort of meditation, I work hard, have a young family - SBR is my selfish time to just really focus on what I am doing.. And when that fails, somewhere at the back end of a long run or during a race - I remember being laughed at a few years ago by someone when I told them I was going to do a triathlon.. That usually gives me a few more watts.

I had a chance to work with a sports psychologist in college for a bit. We worked a lot on visualization exercises and at least for me, that type of thing is very helpful. He also said my general mental habits while working out and competing were normal enough and I had some good habits which was comforting as youngster as it meant I could stop worrying about talking to myself being crazy or weird ;-)

In races, I generally have a fairly blank mind and concentrate on my plan and how my execution is going. If I am truly on my mental game, it is not quite an out of body experience but its like I'm sitting in a control room hyper aware of what I am doing but I am calmly running my body as a separate thing. My mind is separate from the physical if that makes sense. If I am in head to head race (e.g bike race) I am mostly trying to focus on being situationally aware both of myself and my competitors so i can react quickly or at least not get screwed. There is alot of "X is going to happen next and I need to do Y now to be ready to deal with it." And there is a lot of 'holy sh*t, I can not keep this up/ just hang on for 30 more seconds" internal dialogue . . . . I generally do some specific pre race visualization in the days leading up to any race. I picture myself doing well and run through scenarios, handling them all with aplomb of course although sometimes I lose in a heroic way ;-) I even mentally run through visualizing packing my stuff. I do get pre race jitters and do the "what the hell am i doing here" thing pre race, particularly in bike races where I sometimes have to really work to quash thoughts about getting hurt. But once the gun goes off I am fine and I've done enough races that i know that is normal so I can ignore it.

In training, if the effort level is not super high, I generally engage in some type of day dreaming, often but not always related to me doing something stellar in some race I will never be in or i play out various fantasies in races I will be in. Other times i just let my mind wander like it would on a long solo car drive. I often have imaginary conversations with people and otherwise solve the world's problems.

If the effort level is high and focused in training (e.g. short intervals), I focus on hitting my target and how my body feels. If I am really into it, I try to focus on "this is how it will feel when it gets hard and this is when you have to rally" type of mental game.

I am surprised by the percentage of responders who practice dissociative versus associative thinking. The OP's question seemed pretty easy... when doing S/B/R, I think about doing S/B/R properly. Pace and form in the pool, with maybe a couple key things that I know pull my stroke together such as proper kick timing and leading with the head. On the bike I think about pacing and relaxing down into the aerobars. On the run I think about pacing and standing up straight with maybe a fleeting thought to keep my stride rate just slightly up.

Wow, my race mentality is VERY different from yours!!!

I just chase the ponytails, listen to any interesting conversations along the way, shark my way forward through the pack, and try to be pleasant to the people I pass

Thank the volunteers at the tables and the police minding the course

Look for and remember any amusing signs

Of course, there still is that Left Brain doing all the math and shit along the way that I mentioned above

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Swim... the newest of the three (started 2.5 years ago), so I try to stay in the moment and learn how swimming "feels" at different speeds. Usually there is 1 or two things I try to be conscious of in my form.

Biking... i do 95% of my riding indoors, so I put earbuds in and find I do my best riding when I am ANGRY. Biking is now an angry activity for me... I don't know how else to explain it... so I think about things I can channel for oomph. Kind of like lifting weights,

Running... I've been doing this the longest, but I try to dissociate from the experience on long runs and just get lost in my thoughts. Except for track work, I chose trails or other runs where I get a boost from the surroundings. If biking is angry, running is meditative.

This is what I did the entire NOLA course (last year). I talked the riders I was passing (I start with cycling because in the water I was 100% in survival mode and not dying), told them encouraging things, said "hi" to all the police working intersections, chatted up others, and sang stupid songs in my head (and out loud) and just pedaled along. I had a RPE I was going for and stayed there. Remembered to eat and drink, and just kind of doodled along. While it was a wave start (I was up in front though) I came out of the water in 1100 place, and worked my way up to 450 on the bike. So I said hi to a lot of people. On the run, I wondered why I was doing this, then I talked to competitors (though few talked back), and said "hi" and "thanks" and made small talk with all the aid stations and cracked jokes.

Basically anything to make light of a tough situation I was in.

Training though: I think of technique and try to lose my mind somewhere along the way. Random thoughts to be "out of body". On runs (I live in Alaska) outside I think "what will I do if a bear comes out after me? Oh i'll fight it. I'm not going down like some bitch. But I know i'll die...but think about a car coming by and seeing a person taking swings at a bear like they don't have any fear. That person is one crazy MOFO. Yeeeaaahhh...that's what i'll do, i'll fight it." haha

Thoughts while swimming: This is the worst thing in the world, if I wasn't injured I'd be ripping through a run instead and it'd be much more enjoyable than this hell I'm in right now.

Thoughts while cycling: I'd rather be running right now but at least this isn't swimming.

Thoughts while running: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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https://markmcdermott.substack.com

That...that is primarily what I do.

Re: getting in the zone, I try to do what Mark Allen talks about in some of his videos I've seen: essentially be in the moment and mindful of only what you are doing at that time. The way he explains it and the way that the concept of mindful meditation works in general is to focus on the here and now, which keeps your mind from wandering to how much it hurts etc. I work on doing this in training and then really focus on executing it in races when the pain is more present. When I'm able to pull it off, which is rare, I'm pushing hard but not really feeling the pain because I'm not focusing on it.

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"One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time."

As bad as this may sound, I can say that this works for me: I think about being back in high school when all the richer, 'cooler' kids thought they were hot shit and didn't mind letting us poorer kids know about it.

Being that I came from a small-town high school in KS, I am facebook friends with a lot of them 25 years later. It brings me immense joy when I am out training to know that those few assholes are now mostly all overweight, inactive, and having numerous other issues while I'm out training for Ironmans and doing other things that they have no chance at accomplishing.

Most of my posting of bib numbers, race photos, etc are to amplify my post-race elation when I think about them having to see on facebook that I finished another race. Passive revenge is best served cold.

My bad workouts consist of way overthinking what I'm doing. Generally, I'm really sore and can feel every naggle of my muscles/bones. If it's a hard session, it's like pushing a boulder up a hill. 90% of the time I just get through it, but it's a miserable experience.

But.

Those sessions where something just *clicks*. Where I consciously decide to go deep—it's such a satisfying experience. There will come a point in a very, very hard interval session or race (think multiple sets of 120% Vo2 Max intervals on the trainer) where I decide to stop judging ("oh my god, this hurts so bad!") and observe the pain in my legs and the labored breathing effort and just accept it. When I do that, I seem to break into another level. I'm fully aware of the pain that my body is experiencing, but I accept it for what it is and continue. Those moments, whether in training or racing (short course), are the moments I am addicted to. It is the most empowering feeling I have ever felt in the world. It's truly meditative—I wish everyone had the chance to go that deep. Generally, these efforts are followed by coughing, gagging, and vomit, but it's the happiest part of my day.

Really, really weird things go through my head training sometimes. I honestly look at training in a very similar aspect to going to the therapist or meditation. Training hard makes you question everything you ever thought you knew about yourself. It helps you find out who you really are.

And then sometimes, there are the long, steady runs at sunrise, when I get to watch the sun's rays creep over the horizon, hearing nothing at all but the sound of my cadence on the pavement—makes me appreciate the opportunity to train like I do, day in and day out. I realize how fortunate I am and helps me find gratitude in my life.

I love this weird sport.

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@floathammerholdon | @partners_in_tri

We are supposed to think when we are training? Yeah... no. I don't do that.

Swimming: trying to not think about sharks
Biking: trying to not think about death by car
Running: trying to not think about anything

Maybe that is why I suck at this. Don't be like me. Except maybe the shark part.

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Hillary Trout
San Luis Obispo, CA

Your trip is short. Make the most of it.
https://www.slogoing.net/

I just read through 42 responses, and I can't believe that I didn't read a single person write that they pass the time by thinking about sex.

It can't be just me.

I grew up swimming, so I usually don't think too much about technique. I do sometimes think about turnover rate or head position. If I'm in a squad workout, I usually think about trying to beat the others, unless it's sprinting, because I suck at sprinting and always have. When I'm alone, I just try to pass the time with a song in my head, so I don't get bored. In a lake, I wonder why I need to sight so often.

I don't run that often now, but when I do, I usually think about how peaceful and primal it is, and why don't I try to run an ultra someday? When I used to train for marathons and IM, I used to think through my day and interactions. On long runs, I'd think about where the bathrooms are, hope I don't have to crap, and hold a calm pace.

When I used to train cycling, I'd just think about I wish this were over because I am no good at cycling.

I never over-trained: I'd rather be slightly undertrained and injury-free, than burnt out and hurt.

In swim races, either OW or a long pool race, I just think about getting out front or wearing out the leaders. As with every race, I just think about being RELENTLESS. In IM, I really don't think about too much other than "respect the distance," and have enough to finish strong. In all my marathons and IM, I'd see the rabbits blazing by at the start, and know I'll see many of them later, flamed out or struggling. I don't think about nutrition too much, other than making it a point NOT to carry too much, and to not have four bottles, a bento box, and pieces of bar on the top tube, negating any aero and weight advantages. There are plenty of aid stations. when I pass the trashed and burnt-out rabbits later, I laugh at them in my head, because laughter makes my own pain less.

All that, and I also think of sex.

I think that was implied by the ponytails comments? At least it should have been in my case

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin