TIT wrote:
devashish_paul wrote:
TIT wrote:
Geek_fit wrote:
I'm not sure I understand your questionI guess the point is that the time commitment is much more than just race day. If it is not a local race you are having your family travel days before, attend checkin, bike drop, etc all in the day/s before the actual race. You are doing this while trying to maintain a strict diet. You are probably completely distracted, maybe grumpy, maybe on an emotional rollercoaster.
- Why would an age grouper bother being on a strict diet....read from Greg Lemond's old book about cycling. Rule number one to being a good athlete is to be able to eat anything for loading up before an event and eat anything for recovering after event. Greg said something like this, "I have to eat in 23 different hotels in 23 days and race on 21 days and perform. I have to perform with what I get, or I lose the Tour de France"....how simple is that? All you age groupers need to take a page out of that
- Why are you distracted. Just focus on what is in front of you. If its your family, its your family...then ignore your bike. If it is your bike cause you're putting on new rubber, ignore your family. Its reasonably simple if you set the expectations. If you can't do it, then don't bring your family. They will be thankful to not come
- No reason to be grumpy. We're doing this for recreation and entertainment. No one cares about your results. Not even your family. Only you. No one is looking at the nth decimal place beside our names. Our families will throw away all those finisher medals in the trash the day after we die. No one has any use for our times nor medals....don't be grumpy!
Well it is easy to sit there and write something that makes it all sound so simple but the reality is that many athletes struggle with their emotions before and after a big event.
Leading up to my first 70.3 I was extremely distracted because the athletes guide made everything sound so precise. All of my previous oly/sprint races were just about showing up and checking in on the day. Then of course it was running over nutrition, pacing etc in my mind, doubting myself. I have my second 70.3 coming up in 2 months and I know I will be a lot less nervous and distracted.
Guys, its easy to write what I wrote because you guys are all wound up in a ball about your own insignificant performances and I say that because I have my stupid 31 IM finisher medals and Kona medals in a heap in the basement gathering dust that no one including myself cares about. I do care about my journey to those finish lines....race day, race weekend and the 363 days before with awesome friends and families.
Most of you are missing the point of this sport and Nick captured it so well...go smash your buddies on fun training days and talk smack about it in the bar. Really, at your funeral, its those buddies who are showing up and they won't give a rats ass about your race results. They won't remember your results. They will remember that amazing climb together up a mountain or that epic track workout or trail run or whatever. They will remember the races you did together, but they won't remember your time. They won't know what is beside your name on sportstats, or strava or garmin connect. I'm probably one of those oddball people who can remember the various PBs of my buddies and remind the rest of the world how awesome they were when they did those PB's. The Ultrathailand guy who just posted, he's a guy who has gone waaaaaay sub 10 at Ironman Canada and WON Ultraman Canada, so the guy knows high performance more than 99% of this forum
Sooooo, its easy to write and tell everyone to unwind, because it really is easy to unwind, if you let go about caring so much of the results that you can't smell the roses on the journey along the way and that includes race weekend. Its all part of the journey and fellow athletes and families are part of the journey.
Seriously guys, just listen to what Nick is saying. And take note of what I am saying....just treat the race like a workout but with a timing chip on. If you visualized the entire process every night for a month before you A event, when you get there, its just automatic. If you did not visualize, then you're having to spend too much brain power on the spot trying to figure it out.
Imagine a big presentation at work, a major academic exam, or a thesis defence. You don't just show up and try to figure it out on the spot. Anyone who is a high performer, is already mentally prepared and when they show up they are on autopilot and relaxed and just crank through things max relax. Be that person with your racing.