My biggest limiter in triathlon...my mind?

Triathlon Forum
1

I just raced my 3rd triathlon this past weekend (Chicago International Distance). I had two tris within a week of each other in June, so I’ve had a bit of a layoff from racing. Anyways, I’m pretty disappointed in my results. In all three races, I feel like I have quit on the run. I wasn’t too concerned in the first two races, since I was coming back from injury and was not doing a lot of running or bricks. However, I am very disappointed with myself and my run on Sunday.

I wanted to have a good run, so I made sure to stay conservative on the bike. I never really pushed my limits at all. However, as soon as I got to the 2nd mile of the run, and my legs had transistioned, I couldn’t get my mind into it. I ended up getting more and more frustrated with myself, and began walking. This turned into more frustration and more walking. Not at one point did I physically feel incapable of going faster, however, I could not focus my mind longer than a few hundred yards on running hard.

To give you an example of how bad this was for me on Sunday. I recently did a brick. A 26 mile ride at planned race exertion, then a 4 mile run at my race exertion for a 10K. My first mile was a 7:30, and I ended up averaging 7:15 minute miles off the bike, feeling strong the entire time. I never at one point felt like I was running hard.

Come Sunday, same exertion level coming off the bike, maybe even a little less, first mile is exactly the same, coming through at 7:30, however, it was all downhill from there and I ended up averaging 9:00 minute miles for the 10K. Now maybe I can’t run 7:15 miles for a 10K off the bike, but I should be at least be in the 7:30-7:40 range pretty consistently. And regardless, I don’t mind so much about what my times are, but whether or not I feel like I quit or not. I just feel like I’ve lacked the mental focus and drive to push myself during races.

I wonder why this is, or if anyone else has experience with this. I think that my mental problems stem from not knowing the course. I have a lot of anxiety when I don’t know how far away the next mile marker is. I’m always trying to calculate it in my head by looking at my watch, but I think this just contributes to my frustration by taking my mind away from concentrating on running. I like to run in places I am familiar, so when I see this tree, or this street name, or whatever, I know where I am. I can break the course down into manageable sections, and not get overwhelmed by the fact that I have 4 more miles to go.

Can anyone else relate to these feelings?

2

You have only done your third tri. You have many races to go before you have it nailed, and even then, you can have somethings come and plague your mind. It takes time to get used to racing like this. But, the mind is a big limiting factor, ahead of the body’s natural limitations. Just work harder on your run in the off-season and you should feel better about your run. The good mind games will follow, as I purposely start off slower on the run portion, and give myself the okay to go faster with each mile marker. This may or may not work for you.

My other suggestion is just to race as often as you can the rest of the season, as it will also help you get over the negative mind games on the run.

3

Ultimately, our greatest limitation is our own perception of our abilities.

4

Thank you for your encouraging words. I definitely need to run more, just to build my confidence. Mentally I struggle the most with running because I’m always chasing the runner I was 9 years ago in high school before a long layoff and overuse injuries resulting from attempted comebacks.

I just want to translate that never say die attitude I often exhibit in training to racing. I have little trouble motivating myself to high levels of pain in training, but when race day comes I’ve melted down as soon as it got just the slightest bit uncomfortable. I think you’re right that racing more will help. Thanks again.

5

Unfortunately, I can relate to your problem. The causes for me are very obvious: not putting on enough running miles, and, sometimes, inability to handle heat.

Your body and mind have to be very comfortable with running. Doing a 10K at a reasonable rate needs to be no problem. The only way to do this is to run lots of miles. In order to do lots of miles, they may need to be embarassingly easy miles at first. The problem for me has been that cutting my running speed by one or even two minutes a mile is not enough to help me recover once I start to tire or overheat. I have been able to slowly fix this by chaulking up lots of miles at a low HR. I have slowly built up the equivalent of a granny gear on the run.

I am still looking for an answer to the heat. Having a granny gear helps, but 14 years in Florida hasn’t gotten me acclimated yet.

Don’t get discouraged. This stuff takes a few years. After four years of triathlons, I am thinking I will be in good enough shape to train for an IM in another year or two That hasn’t stopped me from doing them though.

6

I think of racing like when I was musician man- easy to play a great drum solo in the practise room- but I would merely want a very short one while playing out. I call it (for a lack of a better term) performance anxiety. But, having the other musicians go off of the stage for whatever they did (I never knew- I only played drums for these guys) forced me to play the solos that I knew that I was capable of playing.

The run is definitely the worst of my sports. I am slow as molasses, though I am a better runner now than I EVER was in high school. I am going to suffer getting it back going, as a bruised tailbone has relegated me to a non-runner (for now). But I have gotten back to running after significant soft-tissue injuries in a car wreck in 2000; and even though I am three years older, I will be back again.

Running more and doing more bricks is just going to be paramount to your success. You will find your legs again- in fact, since you’re older, you’re going to be a bit smarter than you were in high school.

I hope telling you this can help. And I really do think if you race more, it will click in one of your races. But remember, for this to be fun, do it for the love of it, and the good results WILL follow. Save the “never say die” attitude for when you have the confidence from lots of racing. Just concentrate on finishing the races, for now. You will surprise yourself.

7

i’ve only run one triathlon, but i’ve been a runner all my (relatively short) life. maybe the best way for me to try to answer your question is by telling you about my mindset during runs.

when i practice, i run with a meditative mindset. although i do check on my relative pace and my perceived exertion (heart monitors be damned!) every once in a while, i mostly let my mind wander. i get into a sort of zen, letting the endorphins carry me.

when i race, i run angry. everyone in front of me is evil incarnate, the person i’m about to pass is satan himself wearing lycra shorts and a race number.

certainly there are other mindsets to have. i guess my point is to feel yourself out - run more races, be more conscious of how you feel when you practice, etc. - and try to train yourself to race with the appropriate mindset. in my case, i try to avoid wondering how far i have left to go, i just throw caution into the wind and try to push myself a little harder every so often.

you said “however, i could not focus my mind longer than a few hundred yards on running hard”. maybe you shouldn’t be focusing during the race on running hard, but should train yourself to be able to keep a good pace without thinking about it? ie, stop doing mental math and comparing splits, but keep a subconscious gauge of your perceived exertion?

do any of the other athletes in the forum agree with me that it’s better to train without heart monitors and other such gadgets?

8

do any of the other athletes in the forum agree with me that it’s better to train without heart monitors and other such gadgets?

Not personally, I find the heart rate monitor an essential tool for training. I follow a program from a coach so your percieved effort can be deceptive, however a monitor will give you a correct indicator of effort.

However, if you are coming from the angle of not getting to hung up on too many things when training, then yes I agree. The monitor is to be glanced at occasionally to ascertain that I’m in the zone I need to be, give or take a few BPM, not watched like a hawk.

Run, enjoy the view, check out other competitors, leave the maths for school or work.

9

To quote a line from the movie Fight Club, “Stop trying to control everything and just let go.”

I had my worst race ever last Saturday. Stomach problems on the bike turned into horrible cramps and dry heaving on the run. I would have done anything to not run that 10k. However, I just kept running, i didn’t let myself stop no matter how slow I went. It didn’t end soon-enough, but it did end. Try to keep a clear head, your thoughts can be your greatest source of strength, but also your greatest source of weakness.

What length of race are you talking about? Your mental collapse could be from your blood sugar levels. I know that when I don’t ingest enough sugars during a race or long workout, my mental attitude completely falls apart once my sugar gets low.

One thing you didn’t mention is your swim. How is it? Are you assuming in training that it’s a non-issue? I ask because you didn’t mention doing any triple bricks, or even swim/bike bricks. You might feel great in practice on a run/bike brick, but you can’t expect that to carry over to a race where you’re adding a third activity. I wonder if your swim is using up enough energy and mental strength to leave you empty on the run.

What would I do (not that you should listen to me)? Each weekend do an EASY swim/bike/run brick. Prove to yourself that you can do it. Over and over. Who knows? You might discover in these sessions the cause for your disappointing performance in your last race, and be able to work through it on your own without the added pressure of competition and personal expectations.

10

Everyone here has given great advice. I agree with the fact that it may take some time to develop that “killer attitude” while racing. For me, the run is always the hardest leg. I’m able to run a lot faster in a race than I ever do in training due, I think, to the ‘urgency’ of the race. ‘Get done as fast as you can’ is what I think when running in a tri. When things get tough on the run leg, I will close my eyes and visualize myself running fast to the line…and not slowing down much. If you can run fast in a brick while training then I think that mentally you can only get stronger while racing. Good luck!!

11

I agree that not worrying about how far to go is key. And it almost never happens in training. I force it out of my mind by breaking down the course into small segments, and tuning my mind into my body. I feel like when I get into the race my mind starts to worry about all sorts of things, and I get anxiety from running in an unfamiliar place that is amplified since I’m at the end of a tough day, and I just plain quit and jog. I try to make deals with myself to just slow down for a bit to get my composure, but as soon as I shut down my competativeness I can’t turn it back on. Sunday was the perfect example. I took the 2nd two miles easy, just cruising, and then I couldn’t turn it back on and got extremely frustrated and angry.

I don’t use a HR monitor either, and don’t know if I have much use for one since I wouldn’t know what to do with it. I’m sure I’ll try one someday, but I’m not 100% sold yet.

12

I raced an olympic distance, but I don’t think my mental collapse was from too low of sugar. I took in 3 GU packets on the bike, which is more than I generally take when training. I’ve bonked a few times in training and once in racing and this wasn’t the same feeling.

I haven’t done any triple bricks in the swim/bike/run order. But the same day I did my 26/4 bike-run brick, I finished up at the pool with a hard main set of 15 100’s on roughly 2:00 minutes (hard for me, ~10s rest). My swim went awesome, it was the best swim yet. Plus I was cruising on the bike at my goal race pace and I didn’t feel a thing. I was prepped for a great finish time.

I agree that I should do more swim/bike/run bricks on weekends. I don’t have the money or time to go to a lot of races, so I think this is a good alternative, and does get rid of race pressure.

13

Bunnyman, I agree with your statement of “just have fun” 100%. As someone who is usually in the top 10-15 after the bike only to watch myself slip 10-15 positions on the run, I have totally changed my attitude and it has helped. As a type “A” personality this change has been difficult. But, I realize that I am NOT a pro and this is NOT my life or livelyhood so I should have some fun when I’m out there and enjoy (and thank God for) the fact that I am ABLE to be out there doing what I’m doing. This has translated into more cheering (and words of encouragement) of people that are going out as I’m coming in. More saying good job as people pass me on the run (this is extremely difficult) as well as thanking race volunteers for their time as I run by them realizing they don’t have to be there at 7:30 on a weekend morning. All of these “happy diversions” seem to make the run go faster and allow me to be more relaxed and at ease with my effort (sounds corny I know). I am not necessarily running faster (although my times are showing improvement) since I’ve adopted this new attitude but I am having a lot more fun and I’ve become a much more gracious competitor (for what that’s worth). I hope this helps and good luck.

14

“I agree with your statement of “just have fun” 100%… (and thank God for) the fact that I am ABLE to be out there doing what I’m doing.”

Sums it up perfectly.

15

My biggest limiter in triathlon…my mind?

I don’t think so. Its genetics.

16

I think have a different take on the run as most of you. Being not that far removed from my running days in high school, running is my strength. I agree that you have to have fun, without having fun their would be no reason to be putting our bodies through this type of pain. For me it helps to go into the run with a time goal. At Folsom Oly a couple week ago I hit T2 and I already knew I wasn’t going to hit my goal time for the race (2:30, I lost it in the swim). But having a time goal (sub 40 for the 10k) for the run itself help me to keep pushing the pace. I ended up missing my run goal as well (10k PR of 41:12), but having that goal helped keep me running.

17

Sure we ain’t related? That is my story, though I can get onto the podium if the field is shallow enough!!!

Competitive days are over for me, as I am just trying to have fun. It is great fun to win, but racing is an affirmation of the fact that we can still be able to race. That should be gratifying enough.

I will still have the killer bike as I want to be the guy to pass on the run. That’s good enough for me these days.