Ironman lessons

Differing from shorter events, Ironman is a journey during both training and the race itself. If you get impatient then you'll set yourself up for a very tough time ahead. Here are some lessons I've learned from IM racing:

Avoid pre-race analysis paralysis
Perhaps because IM has such a build-up, an extended taper, involves being at race site for days beforehand, etc, it is all too easy to over think, over talk, over analyse what will happen on race day. Of course it is a big deal, and trying not to think about it is hard, but if you can do anything to keep your mind from being focused on the race for every minute of race week then it will help you relax and not get worked into a 'state' before the gun even goes. Yes, plan your race strategy - nutrition, pacing, etc - but don't necessarily compare with your mates because they are different athletes and different people, and you don't really want to be influenced by them when your training should have proven your own strategy.

Rest up and carb up beforehand
Once you get to race week you can really only do more harm than good by training. By this time your mind should have switched from train, train, train to race, race, race and all the things that contribute towards a good race...which means resting up except for the small amounts of training you will do. Keep your feet up, but as mentioned already, try not to spend the excess of time not training in thinking about the race!!! As well as resting up, remember to carb up 2-3 days pre-race, also known as carb-loading. Hopefully you know how to approach this in terms of food choice, timing and quantity, so make sure you execute this part of race preparation well!!

Don't overload your bike
A characteristic of IM bikes is often how much extra gear they have on board. Multiple water bottles, spare tyres, nutrition, etc. While it is good to be self-sufficient, IM's also have great aid stations at frequent intervals, plus special needs bags, so make sure of these rather than carrying everything at the outset. Look at how sleek the pros bikes look and see what you can replicate by keeping your bike set-up simple and straight forward.

IM is an easy day
Regardless of distance, your best performances will usually feel 'easy', albeit in the context of the necessary intensity for each race distance. A good IM should feel 'easy' from start to finish, because it is at an easy intensity from start to finish...it's the duration that makes it hard. Two rules of thumb to remember, 1) if you think you're going too hard, you probably are, and 2) the ride is for show, the run is for dough. What these say is that you need to be very careful and conscious of your effort across the day according to your pace plan, and that the bike leg is there as a warm-up to the key part of the day, the run leg. Pace yourself based on your actual and proven ability rather than your imagined ability.

Start easy, finish strong
Further to the pervious point, you need to hold yourself back early in the IM in order to finish strongly (albeit fatigued) at the end. Be constantly thinking ahead...how will what I'm doing now affect me 1, 2, 4, 8 (or more) hours later? Starting hard and finishing weak is not a good race, so always think about how you want to feel later in the race and adjust your current effort in order to achieve that.

Concentrate on the process
Doing an IM is all about following the process you’ve done in training, over and over and over. You know what to do, so just do it. Concentrate on the process and the outcome will look after itself. Don’t get too far ahead of yourself. Relax and just do.

Keep moving forwards
An Ironman finishes at the finish line, so any forward movement will get you there sooner than being stopped. What this means is to spend as little time as possible stationary (only if absolutely necessary), and most time moving forwards. So don't dawdle in the transition tent, keep moving through aid stations, etc...just keep moving forwards.

Do the best with what you’ve got
You’ll never know how your race day will go until you start. So regardless of whether you’re playing with your A, B or C game, make sure you get 100% from whatever you’ve got...you owe it to yourself at least to do the best you can on the day.

Sunscreen up
You see the best (or worst) triathlon sunburn the day after IM races on sunny days. You're out there for hours, so of course you will get burned, and sweat doesn't stop it. Sunburn hurts, damages your skin and is a performance inhibiter. So be sensible and cover up and/or sunscreen before and during the race. It's easy to do and will save a lot of discomfort.

Smile and the world smiles with you
They say that smiling uses less muscles than a frown, but that's not the only reason to smile during the race. If you smile, people will smile back and give you their support. Positive karma and energy are things that will help you keep going when the race gets tough. Try it and see the response.

Avoid the "run split slower than bike split" club
At each IM there are new inductees to a small but exclusive club, but it's not a club you want to qualify for. You see, these people had a run split slower than their bike split. Ouch!! Needless to say, something has gone wrong, and whatever it is, you really don't want that to happen to you so plan ahead to avoid it.