The Racing Paradox

This is a past Blog I wrote 14 months ago. I thought it pertinent again given that there have been several key races in the past few weeks, and not all athletes performed as they should have or could have. In fact, I'd conclude a couple of athletes I know, and dont coach, biked faster times in their long ride the week before their key event then they actually raced. Others I coached were hoping to make huge gains in the IMCdA race, and although PR's were made, not all were happy with their performance. Mistakes are made, inevitable. Try to learn from them and you will find you'll be a better athlete. Doesnt matter if you're a 15 hour IM or a 7 hour HIM athlete...or sub 9 and sub 4:30...you'll improve and that is what it's all about.

I'm tired.
7 weeks and 3 Half Ironman events for me.
Orlando 70.3 (6th M40, 4:28)
Boise 70.3 (1st M40, 4:27)
Pacific Crest Half Ironman (4:36, 2nd amateur, 6th overall, Course PR for me, 1st Master and TriNorthwest master champion 2nd consecutive year)
I wasnt quite recovered after Boise, about 90% but not 100% My only swim going into Pac. Crest was Boise, then 2 weeks out of the water. I thus signed up for the Duathlon figuring it would be an uncomplicated win overall. On my way to the race, I started receiving text's from Matt Lieto and let's just say between numerous text's I came to the conclusion that I needed to accept the challenge and defend my masters title here, and not be afraid of a poor result. Additionally, my close collegues Grant Folske (4:21 Boise) and Bill Thompson (4:42 Boise)also decided to race at Pac Crest. So, with Matt's encouraging words, I changed over at registration. Happy I did because the day was not bad, despite 3500 ft of climbing, 3000 of which is in the first 37 miles, I felt ok. The "90% ready" came into play at about mile 11 when I stopped running 7 min pace. The run here is tough in addition, 4200 ft elevation on a curvy paved bike path with rolling hills and several areas of tree-less exposure in the sun. Regardless, this was the hammer that knocked me out so I'll rest up for the entire week, rest next week, and sharpen up with a local Olympic Tri on the 11th (Tri Northwest Olympic distance championships, defending master champion)
Strong work Bill and Grant at Pac Crest. Grant..1st amateur and 5th overall in the prize money is great, and yeah, you would have been significantly faster without Boise on your back. Bill, good to hear your injury free now, as Pac Crest was the test after running on injury at Boise and you passed. Stay healthy now!


Trust.
This is something that is difficult for an athlete. It's not necessarily the physical attributes that determine how an athlete will perform on race day. This is self evident in various athletes I have worked out with over the past few seasons. How is it that I can continually get my butt kicked in workouts or pre-season races, yet perform well beyond in my key race?

This is a difficult dilemma for many. This weekend for instance. My first time since December 2nd that I have biked in power zone 4. I have been biking intervals at a Power Zone 3 cap and mostly Zone 2 since I started my IMAZ build in the first week of January. Now its 7 weeks of training left before IMAZ and I am just now doing my first workout of subthreshold power.
My plan this past weekend to bike 3-5 hills on a 45-50 miler, each hill about 5-8 minutes climb, at 50 cadence and Zone 4 power. Hopefully, Zone 3-4 heart rate. I found I had to stand on my pedals every hill after the first because even though I was in Z4 watts, my HR was only in Z2. So, standing allowed me to get up into HR Z3 at 135-40 beats per minute on the subsequent hills.

Why do I bring this up? I heard a comment from another rider, "you must be on a big power day". This made me think. I was actually keeping my power under control on the hills. As well, I never entered into HR Zone 4 on any hill. For me, I was within my parameters, my designated Power Z4 and HR Z3. I could have pushed much harder, at least 50-80 watts and 10-15 heart beats higher, but I controlled myself well. Because I am accelerating, do others think I am pushing all out? Are the others biking with me and closely behind me in zone 3? Are they in Z4? Zone 5?

Running long runs I find the same scenario. When I am trotting along at 7 min pace in HR Zone 2 and running with others, are they in HR Z2? Z3? Z4?

My wife, who put together a 10:15 in 2007 on a hilly course, then a 9:52 on a flat course to follow, runs and bikes far slower than men who run much faster and bike with much more power each week. How can this be possible?

Its all about knowing yourself, and trust. Trust in your own honest feelings on where you are as an athlete, and what your goals are. Trust in your coach if you have one, especially if your coach is far faster than you at the distance he (or she) is coaching. I myself do have to fight with my own feelings each and every week on several workouts. I have to trust in my coach as much as I can, and yes, I know my coach has run 8:30 and 8:15 IM in 2007. Yet, still, at times I question if I am running hard enough, biking hard enough. Yet, I know deep inside what is right. This is why this summer I watched others spin away from me on the bike, and fought my own desires to keep up, and successfully stayed within my zones. I trusted my coach. I trusted that the radical change I made this summer would pay off. If it didnt, so what! I've tried other approaches, and nothing wrong with trying a new approach to training, esp when the person training you runs over an hour faster in an IM.

My point? The primary limiter in performance of amateur athletes is the lack of accepting who they are as athletes at that time, and allowing their insecurities to dominate their workouts (see Z3 syndrome blog, a couple of weeks ago). I mean, come on man...I have biked with women that end up only a few seconds behind me on hills when I am in Z4, yet they are over 2 hours behind me in an Ironman.

Try to abandon your insecurities as an athlete.

This is what it comes down to after you peel off all the layers of excuses on over-training, despite racing well below expectations season after season.

Cycling and running more than what is recommended on a regular basis, both mileage and intensity. Running a full minute faster than your realistic goal pace for you IM marathon on a long run. Cycling in Z5 power/HR three months out from your key event. Adding to your workouts and feeding your insecurities, then needing rest periods that result in missing upcoming key workouts will most likely result in failure on key race day. Over-racing prior to your key event in unnecessary events to feed your insecurites will most likely lead to failure in your key race.

The insecurities we face as athletes, the lack of trust in our own training and our coach's advice contributes to the mediocre performances and under-achieving in our key races. If you repeatedly train on the same methodology season after season, yet fail to improve, you can trust what you're doing is wrong. If you dont follow a coach's plan as close as you can, then underperform on race day, dont blame the coach. If you follow a plan, even your own plan, and you fail to perform near your expectations, try to find the flaw in the plan, then improve upon it.

This is the racing paradox.
Do you perform better at workouts than you do at your key race?

Most importantly, if you are training faster and far ahead of someone who out performs you at every race, look in the mirror. Take a deep look, and be honest with yourself.

Yeah, trust. Easier said than done.