Some Things IMSG and IM In General Has Taught Me

Every Ironman teaches me a few lessons, and St. George was no exception. I thought I'd share some of the stuff I learned while out on that hot and brutal course. In no particular order, here are some things I learned:

1) Don't write your goals in stone. Lets face it, Ironman is a long day and there are so many uncontrollable variables on race day, such as weather, the course and other small things that can go wrong. By adapting to your day, you won't set yourself up for disappointment and will stay on top of what you are able to control. (such as good hydration and nutrition to get you to that finish line, which in the end, is the ultimate goal anyway!) At IMSG I had a subpar swim, which I dwelled on for about a minute after getting out of the water, but then quickly realized I needed to drop the negativity as I still had a long day ahead and 5min lost here could easily be made up on the bike etc. Then I had the bee sting incident on the bike- very scary to say the least. I monitored myself very carefully and ultimately had to make a choice- either drop out and get help or go on and hope the sting would not affect me. Luckily, I took a chance that proved to be the right one and was able to keep racing, although I made sure people knew what had happened.

2) Be flexible and listen to your body. I constantly re-evaluate my day as I am racing, maybe others do as well. I also monitor how I feel the entire race. I rely on my body to tell me what it needs and when I need to back off and when I need to push. I don't race with a heart rate monitor or GPS and lately even my watch has had some hiccups, so being in tune with the signals my brain and body are sending me, is vital for a successful day. Technology is great, but when it comes down to it, your body will tell you exactly how it feels, you just need to listen. If things start to go south, try to think of what you can do to bring yourself back up. I started getting a little nauseous on the bike around mi 50 and realized I hadn't taken in enough salt or calories, so then I spent the next half hour focusing on that and voila, soon enough I came out of the hole and was back in the game.

3) Salt and Hydration- In a hot, hot race like St. George, it's almost impossible to have too much salt in your system. With temps in the mid 90s by the run and a dry heat to go with it, things can get tricky since you might not be sweating as much as you would in a more humid climate, but be assured- you are sweating and losing electrolytes, quite possibly even as early as on the swim. For St. George I started hydrating with salt the day before the race and kept that up right until before I hit the water on race morning. Evidently that wasn't enough, since I started experiencing foot and calf cramps on the swim! My mission on the bike became to hydrate and take in enough sodium to minimize the effects of dehydration/ depletion on the run, which I knew would be during the hottest part of the day. On the run itself I really didn't take any salt, mostly because my stomach couldn't handle much at this point, but I had also taken two vials (mixed into water bottles) of "The Right Stuff", a super concentrated sodium solution (1600mg per vial) on the bike, so I did have some reserves. I made sure to take water and whatever else my body told me it wanted, at every aid station. It went something like this: water, coke, water or water, ice, sponges. I stayed away from sports drinks as my stomach was not in the mood for them at all.

4) Dealing with extreme temperatures- I, like most people ( I am guessing) was not acclimated to the mid summer temps that race day presented. Having spent most of the spring inside on the trainer due to wet (but much needed rain) and cold weather in the 40s and 50s here in CO, I initially panicked when I saw the forecast. But that wouldn't do me any good, so I made a list of things I could do to help me have as best of a race as I could, even if I wasn't ready for these hot temps. Hydration and salt came first. I also opted for a road helmet instead of a TT helmet as I knew it would keep my head more ventilated and give me easier access to pour water in if needed. I also tried out cooling sleeves for the first time ever and like I mentioned in my race report, I think they made a huge difference in keeping my temperature somewhat controlled. The way they work is that you pour water on them, and as it evaporates (which happens rather fast in dry climates) it actually gives a cooling effect, which feels really good on your arms. (which have some major arteries that help control body temp) I also made sure to pour water in my helmet on the bike as well as on my head on the run (after pouring most of it IN me first) Lastly, I like to always think of past races and I how I dealt with adversity then. I think it helps to boost confidence, knowing that you overcame adversity before.
  
5) Stay emotionally Even- This is something my college track coach taught me 10 years ago. Stay even emotionally. Don't get too down if things don't go as planned, and don't get too excited if you're doing really well. As we all know, Ironman is a long race and things can look really good one minute, and be way off the next. I try to remember this in every race, as I think it is really important and will ultimately help conserve energy and make you keep an even pace throughout. In the marathon at St. George, I was having a tough time in some spots and felt good in others; however, drawing on experience from past IM marathons I knew each rough patch and good spot would only be temporary, so I tried to just focus on each mile I passed, not dwelling on how bad I  felt. Each foot step would be one closer to the finish. It wasn't until I turned the corner down the home stretch that I really let loose of my emotions and knew I would finish even if I had to crawl it in :)

6) Never, Ever Give Up :) - I know this sounds cliche, but it's so true for an Ironman.  Like I mentioned earlier, this race takes all day and so many things beyond our control can pop up. It is how you deal with them and move on, that will determine your race finish. There is never a perfect day, but if you just keep focused on that little light at the end of the tunnel, you will get there. I could have easily given up and quit, at least when I got stung in my mouth on the bike. But I didn't give up and pushed on, and in the end it got me on the podium :) You never know what the day will hold, so don't give up until you cross that line!


7) Post IM Recovery- Well, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't rough, haha. Here's what I've learned from my 5 IMs. The hotter the race, the longer you will need to recover. For me, Kona and St. George took the most out of me emotionally and physically. I spent the week post race in a painful state of soreness, nausea, loss of appetite and even a bit of post race depression. All completely normal. The trauma inflicted on the body when doing an IM is immense. While our muscles need about a week to not feel sore anymore, on a cellular level, there is a lot more damage that we can't see or feel.

My personal guidelines for post IM recovery are to do nothing for a few days, then think about what sounds fun to do and do it only if I really want to. When I start to crave working out again, I know I am recovering and it's OK to start some light training again. I usually get back in the pool soon, just because it helps me get a bit loose and lets me shake out without any impact. I'll ride the trainer and catch up on TV, and I start regular running the second week back, (which might be a little soon for some folks, but coming from a running background, it's my passion and my body is used to running alot) although I keep my mileage a little lower. With an early season IM, followed by more races and possible IMs later in the year, you just want to make sure you are recovered and feeling fresh before diving back into training. And remember, your brain needs to forget the pain of doing an IM first before you can think of doing another one. Funnily enough, this usually only takes a few days :)