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Visualization and Accountability |
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Written by Vince
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Tuesday, 28 October 2008 04:51 |
Visualization. Hmmmm. On one hand, I think it is a necessary process in order to achieve my racing objectives. On the other hand, I see spiritual mumbo-jumbo. And somewhere I the middle, I find myself conflicted trying to fight something I know works.
In the case of Silverman, which is rapidly approaching, I'm already starting to imagine the race. I anticipate the swim in Lake Mead to be windy and choppy. I do well in these conditions. I am a slow swimmer but I am a strong swimmer and have done Alcatraz enough times now that not much can rattle me. For the swim in Lake Mead, I'd like to find some feet to hang on to but since it is a relatively small field, I may wind up going it alone. While in the water, I will use the opportunity to visualize my transition.
As I exit the water, I will enter T1 and change into my cycling gear. I've been having a fair amount of success entering the transition area relaxed and will try to remain calm despite all of the excitement. Upon leaving T1, I will finally be in my element. For as much as I've raced, I really don't like the water much and am quite happy once the swim is over. On the bike, I will set out to maintain an easy pace as I am certain it will be a long day of climbing and there's still that marathon to contend with. In training, we've been focusing on long-hard rides with climbing followed by long runs at fast paces. We're hoping we'll get some dividends back on race day from those grueling training days.
When I return to transition, I will be completely relaxed because the hard part will be over and I get to do what I do best... run. My T2 time will be quick and I will be out to set my own IM run PR. I am all about the last half of the run and I will take care to mind my pace on the first half. Once I reach the halfway mark, I am going to let loose if possible and pull back whatever time I can on the remaining 13 miles. When I reach the finish, it will be dark but there shouldn't have been many that have crossed in front of me if all goes well.
As I stand there at the finish replaying the day in my head, I will grab some food, get a massage, and add another medal to the pile. I will eventually go back to the hotel to clean up, get some dinner, and if I'm able to stay awake, I'd like to go back to the finish area to cheer on those who are still finishing the race.
That's my visualization process. I have to imagine how I am going to run the race in order to successfully achieve my goal. Accountability comes into play when I need to separate fantasy from reality. I make myself accountable by applying numbers to my visualized race. With Silverman, I haven't done the race and I don't really know what to expect. I can extrapolate some numbers from a friend who has done the race and with some other ideas about the race in general.
Let's start off with the swim. I expect the water to be a little more difficult than CdA but I also think I'm going to have an easier time since there will be less people to contend with. I estimate a time of about one hour and 10 minutes... the same as CdA.
My friend posted a 6:49 bike split and he and I are about the same speed except that he pushes too hard on the bike. To be safe, let's say 7 hours on the bike because I want strong legs for the run.
While talking to my coach last night, we had discussed really pushing the run to see what I can do. At the risk of falling apart, I'm targeting a 3:39 marathon. I will scope out the course once I get there but for now, that's the time I have in mind.
When thinking about a big race like this, I like to set three numbers:
- "if everything goes wrong"- "reality" - "if the God's are smiling upon me"
If everything goes wrong, I'd like to finish. It's supposed to be the "toughest course in North America" so I'm assuming it's hard and I'll be happy with just finishing. Seriously!
The reality-based time is going to be a 1:15 swim, a 7:00 bike, and a 4:00 run putting the total time around 12 hours and 15 minutes.
And finally, if everything goes well, I'd like to see a 1:10 swim, a 6:49 bike, and a 3:39 run putting the total time around 11:45.
You might think I just plopped those numbers down on the page but I reworked them several times in order to make certain I am separating fantasy from reality. I guess we will see how accurate they are in two weeks.
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