getting ready for an IM

[robreddy]

I know a lot of people (many for the first time) are entering the last 4 to 8 weeks or so before their BIG RACE. With a year or so build up for anyone doing IM the last month of two brings a whole new twist to the training and preparation - that being the enormous mental side that accompanies IM. This point was driven home to me this past weekend by a variety of comments and discussion I was having with a few friends. Below is part of an email we shared - possibly there are some nuggets of wisdon in this pile of crap ;].....

The comments relate to getting ready for your race - that it is normal to have lots of doubts, worries and even anxiety over IM. We all in one way or another battle these issues....


......get ready for a bit of an emotional roller coaster - this is by far the worst the first time through - but we all still get it. when tMr X said something to the effect of "how in the world am i going to do twice the distance of the HIM i just did - that one was tough enough" that brought a lot of memories back to me. i pretty much think anyone who has lined up for an IM (except those freaks/fools who have never done a tri and do IM as thier first) say those very same words.

All I can say is - A. that feeling is natural and B. block it out of your mind. Guess B is my biggest point - block what ever you can in terms of fears and doubts out of your mind - you wont be able to totally do this - it will be hard to do - BUT those thoughts are just wasted energy and counter productive.

IM is sooooo big and scary - i think that is what makes doing one sooo cool/addictive (at least to me) - just let that wash over you and try not to get upset. I have mainteined for years that a respectful FEAR of IM is a good thing - but a terrified fear is a bad thing. The emotional roller coaster is just part of the experience - revel in it the best you can -


So there it is - comments??


r

[karming]

Although I am not the veteran that Rob is (I am currently gearing up for my 3rd), one of the biggest things that keeps me from freaking out is flexibility. To do an IM, you can't be rigid about your goals. Hitting a target time is great but there is too much that can happen. You might even go faster. Kind of a hard one to do for IM athletes as we tend to be a fairly focused group of people.

[MattCollister]

17 hours is a lot of time

[MattCollister]

I was thinking about this more today. Big...yes. Scary ... c'mon, man!

If there is any emotional roller coaster, it goes throughout a year, or six months or whatever is your "go time." Jumping in to a cold pool at 6AM day after day after day; running through the winter, trying not to slip on the ice; being on a bike ride on a cold, drizzly April day, looking at your watch and knowing you're only 45 minutes in to what's going to be six hours. Being tired all the time. Being sore all the time. Counting calories. Worrying about whatever squeak your bike is making. Worrying about whatever squeak your body is making. Trying to explain this all to people who think "Ironman" is a bodybuilding competition (Amy L told me that once).

When you're finally THERE, bobbing around in the water with 1999 other rubber-clad fools, waiting for the cannon... Man, that's time to rock-n-roll.

The thing is, I think, you have to not be afraid of failure (in the race's terms). To separate that from failure in your own terms. Ask yourself, "what's the worst thing that can happen today?" You don't finish. And so what if you don't? Will the world end? Will you lose your job? Girlfriend leave you? None of the above, probably. Then, what would stop you? Have you put in the miles? Probably. If you haven't, then maybe you are in for a rude awakening. But I'll assume you have. So maybe you have a mechanical, or get sick. Maybe the heat will be too much to handle. Well, those causes are largely things you can't control anyway. The only thing you can control is YOU. And to get even more specific, the only thing you can control is YOUR ATTITUDE (because sometimes, as we know, our bodies do things we don't intend for them to do). I think if you approach the day positively and give it you all, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to look at yourself in the mirror in the morning after the race, whether you finished in 10 hours or missed the cutoff.

[Jack Carney]

Floating in the water with 1999 other rubber clad fools is one of my best memories. The music blasting was also sooo cool. I thought I would be nervous but wasnt at all.
This year may be a different story. I have had a crazy year and my training is far lagging behind last years. I am trying to get as motivated for Louisville as I was for Wisconsin but it hasn't happened. I am happy this is not the first one because if it was I would be a lot more apprehensive and maybe even even contemplating not doing it.
So I will line up with the others in Louisville and probably feel the same way as the buildup to the crescendo ends and at the end of the day regardless of outcome I will be the same dude as when I started. It is definitely a mental challenge to keep focused and not get freaked out but the reward is awesome.