Baldwin says that have to put together something called a “Happy List” going into a major race, specifically for Ironmans. This list is one of the Mental Toughness Training (lovingly called MTT) tricks he suggests creating prior to race day. It’s a summary of all accomplishments, both in training and at prep races, that can be called upon in a moment during the race when things might not be going well. This list is meant to help me remember what I’ve done to get here, that bad moments will pass, and that I’m prepared for a great race. The actual list will be on a piece of paper and put it in my transition bag. I will actually grab the list in T2 and put it in a back pocket of my tri top. I may never look at it during the race, but I know it’s there.
This blog is the long version of my happy list that I can share. I’ll narrow down the details to fit on a single piece of paper (with no graphs) for race day.
Family, Friends & Team
None of this happens without family, friends, and a great team. All of which did not let me down the last 6.5 months. Whenever I said "no" because I couldn't make it out to a gathering or whenever I needed someone to swim, bike, or run with there was always someone who answered the call. Team FeXY also plays a major role in all of this. All the group workouts, happy hours, and group texts made these months fly by. I never imagined I'd form the friendships that I have. To everyone: THANK YOU.
Coaching
Getting a coach was something I knew I needed to do if I wanted to do the absolute best I could. What I ended up getting was a buddy who just happened to write my training plans also. I haven't done a race or 100 mile ride without Baldwin. He knew I wouldn't be happy simply completing the race. He built plans to push me as far as I could go and then a little bit farther. He knew when to keep pushing and when to let up. I'm sitting here writing this without a care in the world knowing that I am ready tackle IMLP. Thanks Baldwin.
Swim
I started the season as a below average swimmer. I'm happy to report that I might have upgraded to an almost average swimmer. WIN! I've spent so much time in the pool its nuts. TP says I've logged 103,000 yards in the pool since January 1, which works out to be around 57.5 miles. That number makes my jaw drop and there is no way I could have done it without Jen Z and Elmore waking up with me time and again for 5:30 AM swim sessions.
Bike
This definitely took up the most of my time this year but has paid off the most. My bike times have improved so much. I didn't hit all of my rides or complete all of my miles but still managed to ride over 2300 miles. The high point was coming up to Lake Placid for the training camp and covering 250 miles in 3 days and riding the course 3 times.
Run
This has always ben my defacto "strongest" discipline because I've done it the most. I knew I'd ran a lot this year but didn't realize I'd logged over 500 miles. My best run memory goes all the way back to March when I ran the B&A Trail Marathon in 3:45:00 at "E" pace because Baldwin said I could do it.
Testing
This was one of the more fascinating parts to my preparation. As previously noted, I've never had focused training doing periodic fitness testing was icing on the cake. We did VDOT tests for running, FTP tests on the bike, 1K time trials in the pool, and Spin Scans on the CompuTrainer to improve pedal efficiency. We even did Blood Lactate Threshold testing to fine tune what my FTP test had already told us.
Progress
This section could also be titled "Results." Either way, the progress/improvements I made this year were seen in my race results. One of my pre-season goals was to make a podium. I didn't care what race or when, I just wanted to do it. In January this seemed rather silly considering I'd never finished any higher than in the top 25% in my AG. Well I met that goal and did so in my second race of the season. Since that race I've had two more Top 5 finishes (both 4ths) which blows my mind. Even though none of these races were my A race and we weren't fishing for results, getting them is an incredible feeling. It just makes me want to work that much harder in the off-season to keep it up next year.
Gear
Gear for the race will be the new Cervelo P2 equipped with Zipp 900 disk and the 808 front (both tubular). Giro Advantage 2 Aero Helmet. Specialized Trivent Expert shoes for the bike and Saucony Kinvara 3 racing shoes. LG Elite Tri Top and Shorts all day long. Orca Predator wetsuit.
So, that’s it…That’s my Happy List. The things I’ll remind myself about during the race when thing may be going less than perfect. No, I won’t have this blog printed out and stuffed in my pocket, but I will have a short list that I can refer to quickly.
I’m really looking forward to July 22nd, 2012 at 7:00 am when the cannon goes off and I can just go do the job that we’ve been preparing for a long time. I said at the beginning that I was going to do everything in my power to do the best I can. I have done just that. I've logged the miles and hours .... I AM READY.
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