In your training it’s critical that you
figure out exactly what formulas and
concentrations work best for you. A
few years ago, the folks from Gatorade
Sports Science Institute did a sweat test
with me and were able to analyse exactly
how much sweat I poured out ever hour.
They were able to then give me some
advice on how much I should be drinking,
and also how much sodium I should be
taking in, too.
You can do your own test to see
how much liquid you’re losing, too, by
weighing yourself before and after a long
session. While it won’t be totally exact,
it’ll give you a bit of an idea of what you
should be taking in.
What’s even more effective, though, is
to practice your hydration and nutrition
plans through race simulations. I have
my athletes work through a number of
transition workouts leading up to their
races. For many of my full-distance
athletes, that culminates with a 150km
bike followed by a 30 to 34km run. For
those getting ready for a half-distance
race, they’ll typically do an 80km bike
followed by a 15km run. I find that if we
can dial in the nutrition and hydration for
those sets, we’re usually okay on race day.
Pacing is critical for these sessions,
too. That guy who qualified for Kona
in Lake Placid? We did one of his long
transition workouts on the course six
weeks before his race. He blasted
through the bike and blew up on the run.
As we were driving back, I looked at him
and said, “We’re coming back next week
to do this again, aren’t we?” A week later
he paced himself perfectly and dialled in
that Kona-qualifying tempo.
THINK YOUR WAY
THROUGH THE RACE
While it can be a challenge to stay
positive as the conditions become more
and more difficult, your attitude come
race day makes all the difference.
Once you’ve resigned yourself that
you’re not going to be setting any
records, you can relax and focus on just
getting through the day. But you can’t
just think about getting to the line – you
need to focus on the process of what
you’re doing during the swim, bike and
run. Think about your technique and all
the little things that need to get done in
order to succeed. I used to write notes on
my stem to remind me to drink at least
every 10 km. I’d lay out a plan of when I
should be taking down some solid food
in a full-distance race. I’d also put little
reminders like “stay aero” and “pedal in a
circle” to ensure that I kept thinking of the
little things that would help me succeed
on race day.
It’s also very daunting to envision
getting yourself through a 90 or 180km
bike, or a 21 or 42km run. So, don’t. My
wife, a two-time Kona qualifier, refers to
it as ‘chunking’ out the race. She breaks
down each leg into manageable ‘pieces’
and focuses on getting through each one
of those, then moving on to the next.
That ‘chunking’ process is especially
helpful when you’re dealing with a
super-hot day. Those ‘chunks’ might
become as short as ‘the next aid station’.
(Believe me, I’ve been there – I missed
the Canadian IRONMAN record by
28 seconds one year and, during the
marathon, I stopped at every aid station
over the last half of the marathon to
drink a cup of Coke. Had I not done that,
though, I might not have finished.)
That final tip assumes that you’re going
to remain positive as you’re talking to
yourself throughout your race. I often
suggest to people that they pretend
they’re talking to their best friend – it’s
amazing what we’ll think to ourselves
that we might never say to someone else.
You’ll also be much more likely to make
some good decisions as the challenges
mount up, too. I wish I knew back on
Miyakojima what I’ve since learned about
dealing with the heat – if I’d paced myself
better, I am sure I could have still been in
the hunt at that race. Had I tried to move
to the front in the last two kilometres
as opposed to halfway through the
marathon, I have no doubt I wouldn’t have
ended up in that ambulance.
It does make for a good story, though,
and I’m sure it’s helped me become a
better coach. It would have been fun to
get that win, though!
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