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| Ironman Training And Racing |
Seeking The Perfect WaveBy: Vinnie Santana, Coach - SE Asia As the ironman season approaches, I get more and more emails from athletes who are facing challenges that is not ideal in their last weeks of training.No one has a perfect preparation or a perfect race. Period. In terms of training there will be always something that you would like to have done or happened in a different way on the few weeks leading to your Ironman.Could be a small injury that forced you to miss a few sessions, a stressful situation at work that kept you in the office for longer than expected and you couldn't do the whole training plan for that important week, or someone in your family required support and since life is all about balance, you didn't think twice before skipping that session to support your wife/kids/relative/friends. Before your race, think about all you had to go through, all those early morning workouts, rushed lunch to get an extra hour of training done, or missed social events at night since you really need to stick to the training routine. You are next to another hundreds of athletes who are lucky enough to be part of such a great lifestyle. You have the time off work to be there (and to do some training), you have the finances to afford a sport that is far from cheap, and most important, the health to be able to exercise for 9-17 hours. Carry on a smile on your face at all times. From the gun, to the finish lineDuring the raceOnce the gun goes, it is all about putting on another "training day" together. This is not a race unless you are a sub 8h45min athlete (or 9h45 for the girls!). You are doing your own long training day, even if you want to place or grab a Kona slot, what others are doing on the course is irrelevant for you. So stick to your strategy, which should have at its number one goal, the following word FINISH.Then it is very likely that something at some point of the race, won't go as planned. VERY likely. Be it a slower time on the swim or bike, a weather condition that you don't enjoy, a bit of a too rough swim start that slowed you down, a mechanical on the bike or a flat tyre, a missed bottle with all your calories, a little crash or accident, blisters or chafing, an unfair drafting penalty, the bike computer that always stop working at the races, or anything else that can happen over the period of 9-17 hours when you are exposed to so many circumstances that are not in your control.Remember, control the controllable.So keep your strategy flexible, ironman is all about playing the best game with the cards you are dealt with each moment. Face the race as it is impossible to have a perfect day and conditions for you, than if that happens it comes as a bonus. But you should always be prepared to face challenges in a positive manner. Then once the race is done, you can start thinking about the next one. In a way, we are into an endless search for the perfect wave, oops I mean, perfect race.Stick to the old advice, literally!
Vinnie Santana, Coach - SE Asiawww.ironguides.net * * * Your best is our business. * * *
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