In May, I raced the Wildflower Olympic distance triathlon in Monterey County, CA. This was my second race of the season and I was looking for a new edge on race day. Something to get my head in the game and help me mentally focus for the race. At the suggestion of a running friend of mine, I took a page out of Brian Sell’s book, a great U.S. marathoner. I added a Fu Manchu to my race kit. I mean come on; you can’t not feel fired up and aggressive wearing a bad ass Fu Manchu! The idea was that shaving my full beard down to a Fu Manchu was a sign to myself that this was it. Race time! No more messing around. I had a singular task at hand and it was time to do my thing.

The good news? It worked! Regardless of the hurt I was putting my body through I solely focused on going as hard as I could. Despite what I thought was a terrible swim, I took my aggression out on the bike and run course and PR’d my run split.

Last Chance to Calm the Pre-Race Jitters

Being a former engineer, I needed more than a single event to prove to myself that new facial stylings were the secret to my future successes. How could I fail when I had “The FU”? And so I tested it out this past weekend at Camp Pendleton International Triathlon, where I learned a lot about myself.

First and foremost, an individual action is NOT a guarantee of success. Not necessarily success as measured on the clock, but in any area. For this race, I measured success by how mentally ready I was and how focused I was able to remain throughout the day.

The week leading up to the event I never felt like I was prepping for a race. I did a few major things differently with my diet and taper workouts. The change to my routine never allowed my mind to enter into a place that was focused on what racing really means; pushing your body to higher limits in an attempt to set new standards for yourself. Not only that but it was difficult to set this race apart from everything else going on in my daily life. I worked all week and knew I had to go to work immediately after. The race just blended into the background of my week and it was never given a proper “Race Day” emphasis.

In essence, I never gave the race the appropriate amount of respect I should have. Race morning I tried to force myself into race mode by cranking some music on the MP3 player and jumping around to get the adrenaline pumping. I found a quiet spot along the shore before the swim start to get within myself. Nothing worked. It didn’t matter, we were off.

I was very happy when I found good feet to follow in the swim. The good spirits were short-lived though, and I found myself in no-man’s-land til i got out of the water. I got on the bike and things immediately digressed. I was by myself and I could not stop thinking about how I wanted to be anywhere but on that saddle. My computer was not working properly, but it seemed like the longer I was on the bike the slower I went. Approaching the turn I counted the cyclists coming the other way and realized I was still in contention for a top-10 age group spot (my usual goal.) This helped push me a little harder. But, this external motivation only lasted so long. I started thinking about bike workouts I skipped for the comfort of my bed, or the ones that I cut short for some pathetic reason.

Finally, with about a third of the bike leg left I said to myself, “This is ridiculous. Why are you out here? You aren’t even enjoying this. Why do you do these races if you aren’t going to have fun?” At first, I just sat up while I searched for an answer. It didn’t take long. “I’m out here because I am challenging myself to be a better person. A more fit person. I love the people that do these races and even more, those that come out and support these events. The volunteers, the atmosphere…” And just then I was passed by someone in my age group. “…and because I’m competitive as hell!!” And then it was on. I chased him all the way back to T2, trying to keep the gap from getting too large while trying to save some of my legs for the run.

The Power of "The FU"

I spent almost the entire first loop of the run battling calf cramps, my mind telling me that I cannot run this pace with my legs hurting this bad. Shortly before the start of the second loop, I crown a small hill on an out and back and bear down. I focus on nothing but the road in front of me and my stride. Then it hits. Everything is as it should be. I feel nothing but the ground moving beneath me, quicker and quicker. My mind has finally shut up and I am gaining. I push on and am feeling great. My spirits are sky high as I see some of my friends on their run legs and have some brief conversations with the people I am passing and the people that are passing me. THIS is why I race! THIS is why I keep coming out here. Because deep down, when I can shut off my internal demons and the negative thoughts that will try to tear me down from the inside, I LOVE being out there. The camaraderie with fellow competitors is like nothing else. And when you hit that perfect stroke, peddle, or stride all seems right with the world and you can go forever.

But it all starts with “getting your mind right.” I made the mistake of drastically changing my routine and relying on a single gimmick to try to get my mind race ready. This cannot be done. Getting your head into the game requires many steps starting well before race day. It requires intense focus during workouts that will allow you to push through an event when you need to. Focus during training will give you the ability to bring your wandering mind back from the scenery to the race at hand when the time calls for it.

While the primary focus of the taper is to get your body ready for a max effort on race day, what we often overlook is how that routine allows the mind to switch gears as well. On race day it is important to do what you need to in order to get focused. During the event you have to realize that there are going to be times when your mind is going to be louder than anything else. It is going to tell you, scream at you, “You can’t do it.” “You aren’t good enough.” “You haven’t worked hard enough.” “You don’t deserve it.” It’s up to you to find a way to fire back, “SHUT UP!!!” Then once you gain control again it is time to evaluate why you are out there. What is the ultimate goal? In my opinion, it is enjoyment. Whatever that enjoyment means to you (podium spot, setting a PR, enjoying the scenery) is why you are out there. Find that one thing and use it to push yourself through the negative thoughts and on to your own personal victory stand.

I ended up setting another run PR and learned that once I quiet my mind I can trust in my training to take me where I want to be. Then I can just let my mind enjoy the ride. Only you can determine the best way to get yourself through a race mentally, and I hope you find what works best for you. And don’t fear those negative thoughts that will come up. Listen to them, hear what they have to say, then with everything you have shut them down and push through. You will be amazed at what you can learn from those demons hiding inside and your reactions to them.