Sandra's Pep Talk to 70.3 Racers

Over the last 10 months you have built up to your half ironman goal. You have likely seen major changes in your body, fitness and inner drive. People often line up to a race very fit but ill-prepared to actually race well. However, what makes an athlete have a successful on race day is their ability to execute, plain and simple. It is having a plan and following through on the plan that results in a great race day.

The run is the most difficult task to execute when it comes to both the half ironman and ironman. You are going to be on your feet with tired legs for what will seem an eternity. On race day it really comes down to the run; it is what is the most difficult to execute. Forward momentum and not giving in to walking is the key. EVERYTHING before the run is what is important to create success for the run.

A successful race = a good run.

If you have a bad run that simply means one thing and only one thing: you did not pace yourself properly on the bike and/or you did not fuel and drink properly on the bike. That is the bottom line. If you followed the training program, you are very fit to execute a great run. My message is simple, do not be a hero on the bike by producing a bike split that is fast as opposed to what you should be splitting. You need to stay aerobic on the bike and that means staying at no more than 75% of MAP.

Success in endurance sport is all about being able to keep things in control, focusing, and not allowing the mind to wander away or for it to become occupied with second guessing and negativity. I cannot stress this enough. Keep it simple and make adjustments as required.

For the swim stay focused on your form and keeping a good line. For the bike, the focus should be on fueling and drinking. For the run, it is about getting to the next marker whether that is a person or some landmark. If wind, rain, heat or other elements that you have no control over impact the race, make adjustments to your plan. But the above focus points should never change as they are the things that are in your control. A coach of mine once said this to me, “if several athletes of the same ability line up for a race where there are adverse conditions, the athlete that accepts the adverse conditions first is the one that will win the race”. Don’t get caught up in a negative place by conditions or by people. Stick to your own plan!

So why am I harping on the whole stick to your plan and stay focused on the things you can control along with what to focus on and ensure you execute? Well, the mind and the body like to debate a lot. The two are going to try and negotiate over and over. You know what I am talking about. A long time ago, and I have shared this with many athletes I have coached and many coaches I have mentored, I created a small person I carry on my shoulder and I named him “pain”. When I start to hurt and my body attempts to give in, I shove this all on my shoulder to my little “pain” being. I actually have a conversation with Mr. Pain and have a contest with him to show him just how darn tough I am.

Endurance sport is about competing against you, and there must be a good reason why one competes in a marathon, Half Ironman, and Ironman. You need to determine that reason; I am certain it was not to beat someone else! People often tell me that I have a really strong mind and that the more adverse things get, the more I excel. That is simply because my body can be pushed by the strength of my mind. I live a simple life and believe that everything and anything is possible if you simply try. I am asking you to get it done! You are prepared physically and now all you have to do is prepare mentally. Look back at the beginning of the season and see where you have come from to where you have gotten. Some of you could not even ride 50 km and some of you never imagined ever being able to ride over 200 km (Penticton campers). All of you are running stronger and faster than you ever imagined. Those are the physical things.

Whatever your reason is for competing, be sure you know it and use it as your weapon against your body giving in on race day.

Let’s review what I said are the things to focus on:
• Swim - form and keeping a good line.
• Bike - fueling and drinking.
• Run – getting to the next marker whether that be a person or some landmark.
• Mind/Body Debate – What is the reason you are doing this? Know it as it is your weapon against your body giving in to pain.

Final words:

• The Swim: Swim to maintain your form. I count strokes or focus on relaxed breathing.
• The Bike: Stay aerobic and know that you will feel good as soon as your heart rate comes down from the swim. Be patient. Your will see lots of people hammering the first part of the course. Ignore them until you get to slap their butts as you pass them on the run!
• The Run: Run easy and relaxed for the first 5 km. Keeping your heart rate in tact to about 70%. You know this pace as it is the pace that you do your long runs at. After that first 5 km is done shift gears. You know how to do that too. It is the pace in some of your long runs where you had to do tempo running. Stay there for 10 km. Imagine that, you have now completed 15 km. The last 6 km is going to be uncomfortable. But hey, why are you doing this? Now is the time to use that weapon against your body. Get it done!

Things to note:

• Read the athlete booklet twice to ensure you know when to pick-up your race package, when to rack your bike, what is allowed in transition, how to pack and check your transition bags, and when and where the buses to transport you are. There are plenty of buses lined up so just be sure to get there in plenty of time.
• You are going to have two transition bags. One is for the run and one is for the bike. Pack them appropriately the night before.
• Make a list of all the things you need to take with you on race morning and check it twice.
• You are going to be on the bus awhile so ensure you dress warmly, take food and water just for the ride and time that you have to wait until your race start.
• Be sure you have prepared all your nutrition and hydration for the race.
• Be sure you know what you can get on the course for nutrition and hydration and if it suits you.
• Stay away from negative or nervous individuals on race morning.
• Have things that you need to do at the race site written out. This will ensure your own nerves do not get the best of you. Just follow what you wrote down.
• Be sure you know when the transition area closes. Your first concern upon arriving at the race site is to prepare your bike and nutrition for the bike.
• Most importantly, this is your day. Enjoy it! Be proud of yourself and what you are about to accomplish. Heck you have already accomplished so much over the last 10 months and this is your reward!! Don’t forget that!

Here are some guidelines on race nutrition:

• Pre-Race Nutrition

--Eat breakfast 2-3 hours before the race.
--Eat 500-1,000 calories worth of a predominately-carbohydrate meal with minimal fat or fiber. Small amounts of protein are ok and help some triathletes.
--Eat foods that you like and that you comfortably digest.
--Consider using meal-replacement shakes like those made by Ensure or Boost that provide ample nutrition in an easily digestible format.
--Starting 30 minutes after breakfast, sip on the same energy drink you will use during the race. Drink one water bottle’s worth prior to the start of the race.

• During-Race Nutrition

--Consume water at a rate equal to your sweat rate. Your sweat rate is the amount of water you lose in your sweat in one hour of working out. To test your sweat rate, weigh yourself naked and dry before and after a one-hour aerobic run in conditions similar to your expected race conditions. Drink one water bottle’s worth of energy drink during your run. In your pre-run weigh-in, hold this water bottle, filled with energy drink. In your post-run weigh-in, hold this water bottle, empty. Your weight loss, converted to ounces, is a good estimate of your sweat rate, in fluid ounces per hour.
--Consume 1,000 mg of sodium for every 32 fluid ounces of water you consume.
--Consume 200-300 calories per hour of simple carbohydrates.
--Consider using an energy drink with adequate sodium like many on the market and on race courses today. Consuming such an energy drink will greatly simplify things for you. Simply drink at your sweat rate and you will get ample water, sodium, and simply carbohydrates, all in an easily digestible format.
--Start taking in your during-race sports nutrition products as soon as you are in a good rhythm on the bike and the run. Avoid taking in nutrients in the transitions or when just getting started on the bike or run, unless you really go slowly through transition. Otherwise you are asking your body to digest nutrients at a time when your gastrointestinal system is compromised and under a lot of stress.

• Post-Race Nutrition

--Immediately after your race, drink one of the recovery drinks on the market or 300-500 calories worth of chocolate skim milk, non-fat fruit yogurt or other recovery drink/snack. Each of these options is ideal as a recovery drink/snack b/c they contain easily digestibly carbohydrates and protein near the optimal ratio.
--Drink energy drink or water all day after your race. If energy drink still tastes good, drink it. If not, drink water.
--As soon as you feel ready to do so, eat a normal, healthy meal, with foods providing carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.