Turn that Frown Upside Down: The Highs and Lows of Triathlon

When Sunday morning comes and I open one eye to check the time, I just want to roll over and go back to sleep.  I wonder how my legs will support my weight when I try to stand up after another week of training and a 4 hour ride the day before.  The week is not over until you finish your long run and final group swim.  This is the hardest day of the week to rise and shine.  So I manage to rise without the shine, because I know I have a teammate who is depending on me on the other side known as the parking lot.  If we do not show up for each other, we would have to muster up super human will to go on.  Thank goodness there are a few others like me.

I manage to get up and fill my Camelback with ice, fluid and fuel, reset my Garmin, and stuff a few snacks into my pockets.  I tip toe into the garage and try to sneak out without waking the rest of the normal humans in my home who are still having sweet dreams.  I head out in the dark trying to remember where I am going and what is on my training schedule.  I look down at my car thermometer which reads 86 degrees.  Oh, what a treat, we get to run in sub 90 temps this morning.  I almost get to our meeting spot and a rabbit runs out from the middle of nowhere and I hear a loud noise.  My heart aches for a moment and I roll on.  The turtle does not want to beat the rabbit this way as it goes against everything this epic tale is all about.  I arrive and exclaim, "I just killed a wabbit" and I was so upset, but knew that the turtle can not stop for anything (the run must go on).  We did not see the rabbit as we took off to begin our short 12 mile run, so I was hopeful he miraculously might have escaped death (though later in the light, I observed that was not the case, unless someone else hit the maimed little fellow after me).

This particular Sunday was a reminder of how we come down after the "Highs" of Triathlon and experience the "Lows".  The previous day was a 4 hour bike ride in our long zone on part of the Ironman Course.  I managed to get 71 miles in with a moving average of 17.6 mph which makes me happy.  You pedal until you get into your zone.  Yes, your heart rate zone, but I am really speaking about the zone where you are just one with your bike and nothing else matters.  You are at peace with yourself and the world and nobody can interfere with your special place...that is until you get a flat tire, have to stop at a traffic light, need to refuel or start to get an upset stomach....but when you are there, it is wonderful.  I am sure only a drug user can relate, but this is a natural high that I can get by moving my body through space and time.  The effects of this high last for hours even when you have stopped moving.  It was not until the next day before the sun comes up and before the alarm chimes, do you question everything you are about and wonder how you are going to refill your tank so you can move forward for one more day.

This is where the Mental Training will come in very handy on Ironman Day.  It is beyond where our motor programs can take us.  It is the place that we have to store our mental and spiritual fuel to overcome fatigue, pain,  mental barriers, free will, negativity, and convert them into determination and motivation to complete the task that we set out to do.  It sure helps on the days where you think you cannot go on to have people waiting on the other side who can help you overcome these frown moments and find ways to turn them around.  In 91 days, it is just going to be one person with all this stored information and endurance on the long path to the finish line.  You will be surrounded by others racing against themselves, a clock and maybe a few others in their age group and the many loved ones, teammates and anonymous spectators cheering on the sidelines.  I imagine the roars of the crowds will fall on deaf ears of the fierce and focused athletes, but I will keep my mind and heart open to using this energy to help me find my way to the finish line.   One strategy that I will remember from my mental training bible is when in doubt SMILE as it releases tension and helps you get your head back in the game.

So literally turning the frown upside down when you are in the middle of your low will help you get back on top.  I guess smiling is not so bad to practice.  It is painless, free and contagious and you can throw a splash of laughter in while you are at it.  The best moments on this journey are the hugs and laughter.  So if your coach forgets to add this to your schedule, you should practice smiling while training in your long zone, when your Garmin beeps every mile, add a smile for 10 seconds to each interval during your track workouts and between swim sets, and don't forget to smile and hold it while you are flying down a hill!

See, don't you feel better already!