I think if you’re true to yourself it’s fine, no matter how you react (within reason).

On the verge of passing out or hitting max HR, I can’t help but start to bear my teeth. I try to cover it up on the treadmill, but let go in races and can often turn it into a smile or laugh and it’s hilarious.

So for most of the run in a tri, I have a smile plastered on my face. The pain is hilarious! What pain! Haha 😂

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https://www.strava.com/...tes/zachary_mckinney

Tongue out, no smiling for cameras. I will give a small smile for nice spectators though.
Also does nearly throwing up on every start line count as a game face?

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Benjamin Deal - Professional - Instagram - TriRig - Lodi Cyclery
Deals on Wheels - Results, schedule, videos, sponsors

So is "Game Face" a scowl, pursed lips, or just RBF?

Interesting.

In the Seiler lecture posted yesterday, he made reference to some research showing that the act of smiling can have a positive impact your mental state. He used Eliud Kipchoge as an example, because apparently he "smiles" whenever he is suffering to help get through that mental dark period.

I remember years ago reading an interview of Macca who stated that when he raced ITU he would race angry. He said it helped his performance. When he moved to Ironman, he realized that the distance was too long to race angry.

Blue Steel.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

haha it does work sometimes for some moments

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https://www.strava.com/...tes/zachary_mckinney

I try to be relaxed and will try to make jokes with the folks around me

At one particularity chilly race, I dropped this one

Me: You know how surfers pee in there wetsuits to warm up?
Girl: Yeah, I've heard that
Me: Doesn't work so good with running shorts
Girl: <laugh>

We ran together to the first water stop; good fun and a great result for me on that day

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

that looks like my 4 year old when you ask him to smile for the camera....

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Agree on the advantage of "racing angry". Basically ANY motivation helps when your body is screaming at you to stop.

For ftp tests, I've found the opposite to be true. I'll have a teeth-bared, strained expression; and relaxing my face so all the muscles aren't clenched drops the effort by a bpm or two. Seems there is an energy cost to the contorted face of pain.

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ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)