Travel has been uneventful today other than some turbulence,
and as good as can be expected. Bike made it on the flight.
Nashville then to Birmingham and then an hour drive
to Tuscaloosa…..
Yesterday was a decent swim workout on about 2400m with
some drills and fast 50m segments. I took the day off today
and am planning on riding tomorrow. I’ll do one loop on the
course to check the road surface, pick lines, and develop a
strategy for dealing with hills. I’ll do some short bursts at
race pace, and call it a day. It looks like a hilly course and
I’m not a good climber. I can climb well when hammering
on a road bike, however a steady higher cadence climb in
the aero position is much different and I just don’t have it
down yet. Another off-season point of focus. Combine that
with getting a feel for the heat tomorrow and I should be
able to put together a good bike strategy.
The swim strategy is to go hard and even, hold back on the
start, and try not to get kicked in the face. I don’t need to
get out of the water first. I need to not go anaerobic and
remain calm and in contention. I usually make up 2 to 3
minutes on the good swimmers through T1 and the bike
anyways. It will be an interesting swim without a wetsuit.
I may need to hold back on the bike as part of the run strategy.
It will be hot and hilly so I may need something extra. I bought
a small hand held bottle for electrolytes but I’m not sure I’ll
use it. I ran with it a couple of times and it straps on to my hand
fast and well but there should be plenty of water on the course.
My climbing sucks on the run also, however I can open up on the
down hills and usually kick like nobodies business. I usually still
get caught on the run by someone though. I’ve had 4 2nd places
this year and on every one the winner caught me on the run. Jim
Lindholm has done it twice, once by a minute and once by around
30seconds. I believe I will see him Saturday. Hopefully not until
after the finish. Not that either of us are in contention for top spots
but something like that is often times the difference between 18th
and 19th and a qualification. So weather or not you think you’re in
1st or 30th you fight for that place like it’s 1st. If you give it your all
and get beat, so be it. It you don’t and miss the podium or a qualifier
by a second or two, well, that hurts.
This week is probably more taper than I like, especially on the swim
but it will be hot and a longer race than I’ve been doing so as usual
I’m trusting coach Marty on this one. He hasn’t failed me yet. Ok off
to bed early and up early. 2 hours ahead of California here so I need to
adjust a bit. I’m usually up at 5:00- 5:30 at home but that will translate
to 3am on Saturday morning. I’m sure a few of you may just be heading
to bed around that time.
Here are the two course videos that for some reason USAT has not
linked to their site.
Writing on the plane.....
I have to say that Barb Lindquist freaks me out a bit. Not her
actually, but her advice if taken close to race day. Her advice
is great stuff, I read it when I come across it, and I have seen
her speak a couple of times. It just seems that every time I read
an article or watch a video, I find something I’m doing wrong or
should be doing differently.
This matters because.....
I have two types of routine, the methodical “don’t forget anything”
routine and the superstitious “do it differently this time and you
may not succeed” routine. The latter I try to use to my advantage
by realizing what state of mind this routine puts me in. Am I really
going to fail if I don’t wear my bright orange 2008 Malibu Triathlon
cap in the transition area while setting up? There honestly was a time
when I thought I might. But no, in reality it reminds me of a race that
was casual for me, and a great deal of fun. It was an all around great
experience, which is what I want to have every time I race. It’s a little
piece of home when I travel.
MY superstitious, good luck routine, really does work! Not by some
unseen black magic, but by putting me in a comfortable and sane state
of mind pre race. After so many races, I no longer have to do these things
I want to do them and they are becoming automatic. And that’s because
they feel familiar and like home. And that’s where the magic comes from.
If I forget to do something or can’t do it, it’s still ok.
That being said, my “don’t forget anything” routine is critical. I check the
bike twice, a few days before, just in case I need to replace anything, and
then the night before a local race or as I pack it in the travel case.
I lay out everything else for the upcoming race on the dining room table
at least two days before, and I look at it a few times prior to packing it,
which I usually do the night before. I go through the list one last time
before packing and make sure I have everything such as back up clothing
and extra shoes. (I’ve “lost” a pair of shoes in the transition area pre-race,
and had clothing rip on race morning while putting it on.)
Now back to Barb and her prerace advice. I would advise not reading her
or anyone else the week before a race. Read this stuff and work it into
your training weeks before. Do NOT as I have done in the past, change
things up just prior to race day. Example: I always travel with my Zipp
transition bag as my carry on. Barb says use a roller bag and not a
backpack to save your shoulders. I read this and without really thinking,
I said to myself, good idea! I’ll do that. Mid way through the pack I was
feeling stressed. Then I realized something. My shoulders never hurt after
carrying that bag! Why change? I’m now on the plane with my trusty Zipp
bag in hand, lightly and purposefully packed, sure that I have everything,
and feeling good. Again nothing against Barb, she’s a top notch coach,
fantastic speaker, and I have learned more than a few things from her.
My point is the “nothing new on race day” mantra needs to carry over
to your routine to some extent and I see a lot of writers post to blogs
and articles with advice that contradicts that. Take that advice with a
grain of salt, and don’t rush to do something new if what you’re doing
is working. Yes something new may work better but why risk it, or
additional stress just prior to race day. It surprises me that most
coaches don’t emphasize this.
Enough preaching!
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