| Key Workouts for a Successful Ironman Race
From Ironman World Champion Cherie Gruenfeld
Part II – Mental Preparation
Last month we talked about Physical Preparation and looked at workouts to prepare your body to perform at its best on race day. Now it's time to look at the second piece of the equation: Mental Preparation.
When all else is equal among athletes, the one who is the strongest mentally will win the day. And if you're not looking to the podium but rather intent on accomplishing a personal goal, your physical ability will take you part way, but it's a strong mind that will get you to the finish line.Therefore, an essential part of preparing for an Ironman is training the mind to be strong and positive on race day. Here are a few ideas for workouts that will train the head right along with the body:
1) Do your long workouts by yourself. We all know that having company during a long workout makes it go faster and feel less painful. But an Ironman race is an individual effort and any company you have that day will only jeopardize you with the marshals. Learn during your long training efforts how to rely only on yourself to stay focused and positive during the bad patches.
2) Do your long runs on a 2-loop course and negative split the last half. This will force you to focus throughout the effort, running conservatively on the first lap at a pace that you feel confident you can beat on the second lap. It will also force you to pay attention to your form because you won't be able to accomplish this if you lose your form during the last half of the run. You must keep your head in the game, making for a stronger mind on race day.
3) On your long ride, it's very tempting on the last few miles to spin your way home, the hard work already behind you. This is the time to refocus your mind and push the pace, keeping your heart rate up. You'll be in pain and wanting it to be over, but isn't it better to learn to handle that feeling during training, so that you know how to deal with this emotion on race day?
In reading the paragraphs above, you'll notice that the word "focus" appears again and again. This is not poor writing, but rather a key word for the mental aspect of training and racing. You can let your mind disassociate (drift off and think of more pleasant things) which will help the miles pass more quickly and ease the pain, but only temporarily. It will also cause you to slow down considerably and make for a much longer race. A more productive approach is to keep your mind focused and your head in the game.
Naturally, in an Ironman race it's not possible to stay totally focused throughout the long day, and it becomes harder as the day wears on. A tried and true technique you can call upon when you need help getting refocused during the bad patches that are guaranteed to hit you during an Ironman race is to assess your running form – head up, shoulders relaxed, arms swinging comfortably, etc. Along with this, count your turnover. This is a simple task until about mile 18 of an IM run. It will require all your mental capacity, which requires focus – the ultimate goal.
To paraphrase the, always entertaining, sports legend, Yogi Berra, an Ironman race is only about 50% physical. The other 80% is mental. So don't neglect training your mind right along with your body during all those long training hours.
Good Luck
Cherie
Articles from Cherie:
Key Workouts for a Successful Ironman Race Part I - Part II - Key Workouts for a Successful Ironman Race - Analyzing the Last Season to Have a Better Next Season - Setting the 2006 Calendar - Breaking it Down - Something for Nothing - Work + Recovery = Peak Performance - Getting Back in the Game - To Race or Not to Race? - Kona Moments - PERIODIZATION Ð MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU - New Age Group Record at IM Arizona - Critical Success Factors for a Great Ironman - The Ironman Run: It's a Mind Game - Remain a Competitive Racer - What's This Race All About - To Every Workout There is a Purpose -
My 2008 Resolutions
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Looking Forward to the Future
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Other Kids
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Become An Ironman
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Beware the Pitfalls
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Circling the Drain
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