Since the dawn of time, human beings have been dealt countless amounts of challenges and stresses. If you think about it, the people who invented the wheel are no different than the people who eventually landed on the moon. Our ability to learn, adapt, and handle pressure is really quite amazing. Of course, tools and technology have aided our advances, but one thing has always remained constant: our spirit. I like to think of our spirit as the sum of all our emotions. Our determination, drive, and ability to learn. But for every Yin, there must be a Yang. Our fears, pain, and our loss. The ability to feel all these emotion, often simultaneously, can create quite an internal battle as we prepare for and face our dreams and challenges. It’s our warrior’s spirit, however, that will overcome if we take the time to prepare our minds as well as our bodies for our battles. I’m not about to start comparing a triathlon to actual battle with weapons against an enemy, but the mental attitudes and preparation for both share many qualities. And I truly believe that mentally preparing for any race is just as important as the physical preparation we do. Here are a few things to consider as we all prepare for our next races:
1. Have a plan. Ten years ago, I ran my first half marathon. I was 25 years old and in pretty decent shape. I ran all the time in the Florida heat leading up to the race and went in thinking “this ought to go well.” Well, it didn’t. I finished but didn’t do nearly as well as I had hoped. Fast forward to this past year when I ran my second ever half marathon. My body was ten years older, hair thinner (and much grayer) and I didn’t consider myself to be “in my prime.” The result? I finished 25 minutes faster. How the heck was this possible? Well, this time I had a plan. The internet is a great tool for this and only requires about 5 minutes to research and find a plan that suits your goals and schedule. Obviously start with your race date and work backwards to find a training schedule that works for you. Trust me; having a plan makes all the difference in the world.
2. Know your enemy. I think this is one of the toughest things to overcome. Golfers are horrible with this. We go to the driving range and spend 55 minutes wailing away with the driver then spend 5 minutes on the putting green. It seems unnatural to practice the things we stink at. I always find it comical to go to the gym and see guys with chests that look like barrels only to see legs that look like uncooked spaghetti. For the beginner triathlete (like me), we are undoubtedly talking about swimming. I am still fighting this battle. But knowing what I struggle with will help as each training day passes, and I know that if make the effort to improve my time spent in the pool and thus my technique that I will get better. Bottom line: find out what it is that you struggle with and practice it. Your confidence and skill WILL get better.
3. The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in combat. You’re probably saying to yourself “geez, I’m running a race, not fighting a terrorist” and I get that. But what I mean is to make race day feel less stressful than the training you did leading up to it. I like to enter race day saying “I’ve done this before, I will do it again.” For example, my half marathon training included a run that was 14 miles. I know not every training plan includes this plan, but knowing that I had already complete a distance that was longer than the race in which I was competing helped my psychology a ton.
4. Train like you fight. Do your best to simulate race day conditions. I know this can be challenging with seasonal weather changes and whatnot, but we can help ourselves in other ways. Is the swim in a pool, in a lake, or in the ocean? Is the bike going to be flat or include hills? Is the run on a trail, on asphalt, or some combination thereof? Try your best to train with this in mind so you’ve encountered these conditions before. Also find out if iPods or MP3 players are allowed. I always listen to music as I run. Always have and always will. You can imagine the look on my face when come race day, I found out that this was not allowed. And it made a difference in my mental performance that day. Having to talk to myself as I plugged along was quite different than having the “Eye of the Tiger” in my ear to help push me. Now I check the rules well beforehand and detail my training as such.
5. Adapt and overcome. Do you ever feel that a plan is just something to deviate from? One of my favorite movies of all time is “National Lampoon’s Vacation.” In it, Clark Griswold has a foolproof plan to get his family to Wally World. The plan is detailed down to the last mile. Well, let’s just say that things didn’t go as planned. Race day always seems much the same way. My first triathlon started in the pool with 6 people in each lane. I hadn’t trained for this! The entire time spent in the pool was nothing more than me playing defense against 6 sets of legs kicking and arms slapping. I got kicked square in the nose at one point. I now had to adapt and come up with a way to avoid all of this while still trying to get out of there in a decent amount of time. How we handle contingencies and deal with change defines much of our character. If you can keep your cool and adapt to the new set of circumstances and stick close to the plan, it’s much easier to get back on track.
Whether you are training for your first triathlon or you are a seasoned racer, I salute you! You have the spirit of a warrior! My first triathlon was a blast. Did everything go as planned? Of course not. But I will tell you the sense of accomplishment as I crossed the finish line was huge. When faced with challenges in life, the little devil on our shoulder wants you to quit and see you fail. It’s telling your brain and your body “no, you can’t.” And that little devil is persistent. It will make your muscles sore and feet feel heavy. It takes away your breath and slows you down. No one is immune to that little devil. Even warriors hear its voice. But warriors have the unique ability to also listen to the angel on your other shoulder. That is the angel who wants you to succeed, to finish, and say to you not only “yes, you can” but “yes, you will.” The warrior’s angel on the shoulder takes away the pain and feeds you energy. The warrior’s spirit loves the challenge and always looks forward, never backward. With practice and discipline, the warrior’s spirit will always prevail and get you across that finish line!
