Lining up on the start line this year at the Ironman World Championship in 2019 was a pretty incredible experience.  Although I had competed at this event on three occasions prior to this one, this year it was very different for two reasons.

1. I was an athlete and a coach and I viewed the event through both of these lenses.
2. It was the first time that age group wave starts had been implemented – no room to hide in one big gender specific pack.

 
Reflecting back on this, on race morning, I was acutely aware of the incredible density of human emotion packed into a very small area – the age group corrals before the swim start. If the tension and emotion could have been jammed into a bottle of start line champagne and then the cork popped, the spray would have easily covered the Big Island of Hawaii.  Highly intense to say the very least.
 
From my own perspective, I sailed through race week with no hint of nerves or worry.  The lead in to Kona is a busy week with expos, events and athlete catch ups – and lots of positive energy.  Come race morning, it was a different story – and I had felt it before.  That feeling of something being on the line, the slow creep of nausea at body marking, a rapid heartbeat and sweaty palms. 
 
It was a classic sympathetic nervous system response – fight or flight. Was I reacting because I was in danger? Definitely not. It was just a triathlon, after all.  When it came down to the nuts and bolts of what was happening, all it meant was that I cared about what was going to unfold.  And if I interpreted it as a good sign, a positive sign – I could manage that response without it derailing my race. 
 
There were 2000 athletes in those corrals experiencing some form of pre-race emotions before the start line that day.  Emotions that had the potential to contribute positively or negatively to their day on course.  I witnessed it.  There were athletes in those corrals in tears, athletes sitting on the ground shaking, nervous overflowing chatter, those laughing, smiling, jumping up and down and those with blank stares.  It was an interesting sight.
 
I am no psychologist.  But as a coach and an athlete, I reckon those individual prerace emotions were highly likely to be linked to a number of factors. 

1. Race goals – whether the goal was to finish a first Kona, achieve a certain time/ placing or go for an age group win. 
2. Outcomes - The meaning the athletes placed on achievement on that goal – what was riding on their achievement or ability to finish.
3. Confidence and Preparation – the confidence the athletes brought to the table – in their preparation, their ability to manage their day and their own ability to achieve their race goal.
4. Experience – knowledge of the course, the conditions and the intense nature of such a global event.
5. Support -  the athlete’s level of belief in the team that were there to support them
6. Personality – this was no different to the world outside the start line – present were the personalities of the innately confident, the anxious, the resilient, the cool as cucumbers.

 
All those factors feeding all that emotion - tightly crammed into a very small space.  Super intense.
 
With the Aussie season in full swing, athletes in our neck of the woods are about to find themselves in similar situations at their own races.  Pre-race emotions running rampant at race start lines.  As an athlete, how do you prepare for this part of your race?
 
A great first step is to chat to your coach and work out the factors that are feeding your start line emotions. Work on those – confidence, preparation, belief, expectations, positivity and support to be in the best possible headspace leading into your event.  Predict how you might feel and how you will manage your pre-race emotions. Practice your strategies before race day.
 
In my opinion, just like the emotions on the start line, the effective strategies to manage prerace emotions and that fight or flight response can be highly individual.  Deep breathing, meditation, mindfulness and self -talk can all be used in the heat of the prerace circus. I am certain sports psychologists have more strategies to share.
 
In essence though, there is tremendous benefit in exploring and find a strategy that works for you.  Being prepared for your race both physically and mentally is part of the ticket to a great race experience. 
 
The next step is practice. Placing yourself in similar situations in training can help your practice your strategies – being mindful to create similar emotions around training races, unfamiliar or challenging workouts and training camps.  Outside of training, visualisation of your start line with all of its sensory input can help create your pre race emotions and give you some experience at managing them.
 
So what was my strategy?
 
Lets go back to that Kona start line corral and the emotional overload of the athletes jammed inside it. How did I manage myself?  Deep breathing works for me – big intentional diaphragmatic breaths to switch off that sympathetic response. It’s a common strategy, it is my go-to strategy, I have practiced it, and I know it works for me. So that is what I did.
 
Once my heart rate settled and the nausea dissipated, things then got rather fun keeping that right combination of anticipation and excitement in check.
 
Finding friends, laughing and chatting, jumping in front of the ironman paparazzi for photos.  Hugging random strangers. All purposeful strategies in the “this is my A race of the year” start line corral. Totally odd behavior for me in real life.  But whatever works on race day, hey!
 
Have fun exploring and finding your pre race strategy. Get after it!
 
Cheers
H

“How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself?” - Epictetus

You’ve heard it before… we speak about it often. Some of the underlying pillars of T:Zero’s ethos is that we train smart, we are uber consistent, we trust the process, we support each other no matter what our experience or current ability and we go about our business with little fuss and zero ego. Sure, a little confidence doesn’t go astray... you have to believe in yourself and a positive, confident outlook goes a long way to dispelling nerves and enhancing performance… but we ain’t brash about it.

Letting go and not being concerned with what everyone else around you thinks is a mighty hard task. Zen Buddhists spend their whole existence trying to attain true enlightenment and still, I imagine, have trouble not being sucked into the realms of our consumer / ego driven society. For me, it’s a work in progress, I’m not sure whether it was a coming of age thing or a becoming a father thing, but all of a sudden in life, and I’m sure this happens to everyone at some point in time, we realise most of what we work for and are driven to want or have, really doesn’t matter all that much. You know the term ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ right!?

​What matters most is ‘how much you live, how much you give and how much you love’. This doesn’t mean you need to sell everything, buy a combi van and start growing your own veggies (although growing stuff is pretty cool). It simply means, the search for happiness and contentment, doesn’t lie within attaining stuff. It’s in the relationships, the moments, the breakthroughs and the experiences we have and share with each other. It’s also about being the best person you can possibly be. Sure, you’re already awesome, but there’s no harm in trying to be a little better and give a little more each day right!?

I’ll get back on track... today I’m here to lay down a challenge for you, should you choose to jump on board. My challenge is this: let go a little. Get rid of Strava and stop comparing yourself to others so much- you know you do it far too much. As our coaches have said many a time, focus on the session in front of you and that square metre surrounding you. That’s the one you can control and that’s the one you can improve. Little by little, session by session, add the layers on and do what is necessary to improve you. The sooner you stop comparing and start focusing on you and controlling your space, the sooner those breakthrough moments will happen. Whether in a single training session or your next race… bring your focus back to you and stay present in the moment. It works!

“Because most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you will have more time and more tranquility. Ask yourself at every moment, ‘Is this necessary?’” - Marcus Aurelius

Want to know more about Head Coach Scott Farrell? - Check here to find more about him
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I think it’s safe to say my journey is incredibly similar to many who have ventured down the Ironman path. It began with a crack at a bucket list item goal of completing a triathlon to catching the ‘bug’ and suddenly an entire day of exercise is the ‘norm’.

The main reason to give an Ironman a go was to learn what it’s all about, to see if my partner Luke and I were those foolish folks that enjoyed an entire day of absolute punishment. Turns out we are, 3 down and no doubt soon to be planning the next one.

Safe to say it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Ironman number one, two or three. But what is an Ironman journey without a few rough days at sea? What do we take out of each time is experience, lessons and fun that we won’t forget. I am writing to share my experiences and maybe you are bordering on entering an Ironman for the first time or after years of experience you really relate to the ride we have been on.

In our eyes the first step when looking to do an Ironman is to engage a coach from an Ironman background, by chance I happened to meet another triathlon ‘freak’ Steve who hooked us up with Rich. It’s been a few years now and we are so stoked to call him our coach as well as be a part of the culture and crew that is T-Zero. Rich might have other things to say about coaching us, it’s never an easy task to coach a couple who request to be nearly joint at the hip but are of different abilities, for us, it works and he makes it work.

We chose Ironman Australia as our first stop. The first one was all about getting our bodies used to the miles that come with the long distance. That wasn’t without its hiccups, Ironman training is never an easy ask with full time work as many I am sure, can relate. The main obstacle that was thrown my way was Achilles Tendonitis greeting me with 4 weeks until the race. After some serious down time for the 4 weeks I had reached a point where the medical advice was positive enough for me to line up on race day.

Race day was a new experience, there was that sense of complete unknown ahead of us, and on top of that I had in the back of my mind how on earth will I get through this, four weeks of no weight bearing running (subbed in some water running) I have to run a marathon. That little back of the mind voice had to be silenced. The mindset was so important that day, my mind turned to the previous six months and the training I went through, I found confidence in that and kept positive.

As the race went on I was perfectly positioned on the bike and was rolling back into town with about 8km left, only to hear something go terribly wrong, I look back to find an entire de-railer hanging, while I was prepared for all things flat tyres and chains off, can’t say I travelled the course with a spare de-railer! Eight kilometres from home it was time to get my hiking boots on. I kept strong, it was just a hurdle, one I had to jump over and keep moving. Lucky as I was on my walk the mechanic turned up and 20 minutes later I found myself on a fixie bike and 7km of hills. What happened was completely out of my control, what I could do, nothing but accept and find a way to make the best out of a bad situation. I was there for the experience and accepted this was part of the experience. I managed to pull off a really strong run, with my Achilles issue I was stoked, I knew I could do it. The overall result was unexpectedly close to punching a ticket to the ultimate Ironman World Champs at Kona with the 20 or so minutes on the side of the road with a mechanical being the difference. That certainly wasn’t within my control and knowing that left me comfortable with where I was with my ability and gave me drive to continue the Ironman journey.

What next was always going to be on the cards, it was an incredible experience and we were ready to improve.
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Ironman Texas was the decision. We caught the bug but wanted to expand our horizons outside Asia Pacific. The build was near on perfect and our goal for the race was to better ourselves in the sport we chose, this is important for me especially, Rich has taught me, the goal is the best out of myself on the day, my square metre, my race, my goals and that will lead me to do what I deserve. This lead to a solid day out for me but not what I knew was my full potential. An opportunity for a Kona spot a whisker away, a mere 2 minutes over 9 hours 30, but because that wasn’t my end goal it was easy enough to accept. That Kona spot would come when I have my best day and the external uncontrollable fall my way. I took my learnings and spent the next 12 months finding that continuous improvement and enjoying the adventure. 

​Next back on home soil we decided we were all in for Ironman Cairns, our own personal goals were set. We were all in, as mad as our friends and family thought we were this was ‘fun’. It was all going to plan until….
Four weeks before the race in the best form I had ever been in, 28km into my 32km run I tripped over, I am a clumsy person and it wasn’t rare for the odd trip over but this one was different, it was at pace and getting up something didn’t feel ‘right’. Turns out I fractured my elbow. The next 4 weeks was a mind battle but as the coach said, there was no time for a pity party race was on and we would get through it. At the time I wanted a pity party, but looking back he was setting me up for success. There was no time for me to be upset or stress over what was happening, it happened and I couldn’t take it back, we get on with it and remind ourselves what this is all about, our goal to get the best out of ourselves and to enjoy the process whatever is thrown our way.

Race day came, the arm, while it had not fully healed, I had the tick of approval from medical professionals that it was ok to give the race a crack. Swimming training had been non-existent, running was short and sweet and a nagging hip was sending a few signals to me, but it was on.

​Talking to Rich pre-race, mentally it was all about the path I chose to take was going to lead to either success or disappointment. The easy path was “tough race, tough conditions, I have a fractured arm, everyone will understand when I pull the pin” or “get on with it, pain is temporary and my arm is strong enough to get through this”. The day wasn’t without its twists and turns, the swim was a long way but I created my own path and stayed away from others, last thing my arm needed was to end up in a washing machine situation. The ride was amazing, that coastal road are just so beautiful the whole way and the run was full of on course support. Essentially throughout the day the path I chose allowed me to get on with the job. In this circumstance the mind helped the body achieve.

That resulted in my body giving me all it could on the day, 2nd in my Age Group and 3rd overall female age grouper and the big island. What a dream!

“How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself?” - Epictetus ​

What drives you on race day? What is your focus? Do you have a preconceived time or place you are aiming for? Or do you simply not want to come last? Are you crazy nervous in the days leading up to the race or even race morning?
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Here is a little secret, that implemented correctly will keep those pre-race nerves at bay and will unlock your potential and crush any goal you may have previously set for yourself.
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So…when someone asks you what your goal at a particular race is – what do you say? I want to break 3 hours? I want to break 10 hours? I want to come top 10 in my age group? I don’t want to come last? I want to qualify for Kona?

Sound familiar?
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The reality is, your time and your position at any given race is simply out of your control. Let’s focus on time to begin with. Time is only one type of measurement of performance and importantly, it is far too variable based on the conditions (heat, humidity, wind, accurateness of course etc). Do you start your watch when the gun goes off? Or worst still, do you look at your watch when you get out of the water? There is no benefit to either practice. If your watch tells you a negative story (ie slower) or even a positive story (ie a faster than expected time) all it is doing is giving you a false sense of reality as you head to the bike. The swim could have been long (or short), the currents, the chop etc could play an important part. Similarly with the bike and the run, if you are focused on a speed or pace then you aren’t focused on what is important during the race – your effort that you are giving that is not controlled by the conditions.

Reaching the podium or qualifying for Kona or even not coming last are all matters outside of your control as well. Where you come in a race is only a reflection your peers – not on your actual performance.

Let me give you an example. If your goal is to break 5 hours at a 70.3 and you have an ordinary day, walking the last 3km of the run but because it was a breathless day and a fast course you cross the finish line in 4:58. Whilst you have achieved your goal, you know that you didn’t put in your best effort and this sort of performance will still leave you searching. Similarly, if you have an unbelievable day in tough conditions and you cross the finish line in 5:08 – you are going to be stoked about the performance rather than the time.
In its most rawest sense, the goal in any race must be to get the most out of yourself. Your performance ‘P’ is measured by your ability ‘a’ multiplied by what percentage of effort ‘e’ you gave on the day. So for the boffins out there… P = a x e
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The goal in training is to improve your ability in the sport. For most of the T:Zero Collective this is a long term process. When you turn up to a race, your ability is constant. You can’t do anything more to improve that. What the focus must turn to is the effort – what percent are you willing to give of yourself.

The secret to ultimate success in this sport is to focus on ALWAYS give 100% of your ability. You cross every finish line knowing that you have given your all and that the performance each race is a true representation of what you have been doing in training. The time, the place are both irrelevant.  If you focus on nailing each race, then it becomes a habit. You keep training hard, your ability will improve and there will be no doubts when your big race comes you will give 100%.

The athletes that have done very well in the past and who are doing well now are the ones that are prepared to go into battle in any race, no matter how important and no matter how fit or otherwise they are. The ones that struggle to pull out great races when it counts are the ones that don’t make it a habit. Pre race nerves are normal and often beneficial. The nerves should be there because of the personal sacrifice you have made to get to the start line, not about trying to achieve a certain time or place. Focus on only what is in your control (ignoring/accepting things that aren't in your control) and your prerace nerves will plummet.

Here is the sealer – If at every race from now and into the future, you focus on the performance being as close to 100% of your ability, not on the external outcome, then you will surpass and sort of material goal you had set for yourself along the way.

We work so hard on our ability through training to often sabotage our effort on the day. Stop thinking about the competition or a certain time, and start demanding from yourself everything you have in training and on race day. It is 'you vs you' and be making sure that is the focus, you will achieve more than you ever thought possible.

You have got this, so go out and get it!
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We’re roughly two months into the new year and for most of us, our training and racing goals have already been developed and set in collaboration with our respective T:Zero coaches. Training Peaks is probably looking nice and green too – rolling hills for days.

​But this isn't always the case...
 
It would’ve been easy to write yet another generic article on tips for getting back on the training wagon when the wheels have fallen off. But indeed, when you take the time to stop and consider loss of motivation, these superficial measures aren’t going to tackle the real problem.  
 
The real problem is an ill-defined ‘why’.
 
Your why is not the result. Your why is the reason you’re striving for the result in the first place.
 
Take the following (quite common) example:  
 
Result: Cross the finish line in my first Ironman
Why: To push myself beyond what I am (seemingly) capable of (mentally and physically); to see if I can make it.
 
Before tackling your why, of course you must first set the huge goal; one so big it scares the [insert expletive here] out of you.
 
Think back to your first Ironman (or first ever triathlon, irrespective of distance).  Your why driving you to get up and train every morning, without fail, is the fact that you’re not quite sure if you’ll even be able to do it. Your why is clear. It’s highly likely you’re genuinely scared. You’re “all in”.
 
Fast forward down the track, with a few more races under your belt, and perhaps your why is not so clear anymore. Why are you here again? What are you trying to achieve? A better time? Is that motivation enough?  This is a big reason why athletes often find it difficult to revert to compete at lesser distances and remain enthusiastic about it, once they’ve finished an Ironman. Sure, there’s always a performance factor – the desire to do better – to race faster – but is that enough to get you out of bed before dawn, every morning?
 
Without a very clear understanding of the reason you’ve committed to doing a race, your journey will be a struggle. And the destination (should you make it)? Not so sweet. Realistically, if you’re dragging your heels out of bed, or continually hitting the snooze button, your drive isn’t strong enough.
 
Conversely, if you are unreservedly clear on your why, you won’t struggle to find that motivation to get up in the dark and train. Sure, you might be tired, but you’ll still get up and get it done. There would be absolutely no argument in your brain about whether you should be doing it.
 
For any athlete who truly wants to get the most out of their journey, it’s vitally important they have a clearly defined why and then continue to revisit it, reassess it, ask the question often and write it down. Mental strength is such a huge component of endurance racing, and the why factor is arguably the biggest mental hurdle of all. Once you’ve overcome it; once your why is clear, so becomes your path.
 
Recognising that your why can change throughout your journey, and your ability to be open to that change, is also important to consider.
 
Take this coaching example of an athlete in her mid-50’s, with minimal endurance history. Her why was to see if she could finish an Ironman. Her coach got her swim and bike to a standard whereby she could walk the entire marathon and still cross the finish line in under 17 hours. Four months out from race day he told her she didn’t need to do any more running. Confused, she asked him for an explanation. The athlete was still projecting her original why, but when strategically challenged by her coach to re-evaluate, she realised her why had changed. She now wanted to run the whole marathon and see what she was truly capable of.  
 
Certainly, this story is not unique. The desire to discover one’s ultimate capabilities is what attracts so many athletes to endurance racing in the first place. 
 
“Climb the mountain not to plant your flag, but to embrace the challenge, enjoy the air and behold the view. Climb it so you can see the world, not so the world can see you.” ― David McCullough Jr.
 
For many athletes, it’s not until the finish line that they realise it was never about crossing that line, but it was about the journey in the lead up to race day. In endurance racing, the most enjoyment comes from the grind of that journey and to be successful as an endurance athlete, you need to get solace and fulfilment from that grind. The early morning wake ups, runs in the pouring rain, solo hours on the bike, missed work drinks and everything in between – that’s the real deal. If you have a very clear understanding of your why, you’ll be able to look back on these experiences and the journey as a whole with warm nostalgia instead of complete resentment. If your why is clear, then the reward comes from the journey itself.
 
So what about metric gains? Aren’t they important too? In short, yes, they absolutely are. However, if your motivation is fuelled purely by a desire for metric gains, then the journey isn’t going to be enjoyable and you’re not going to get the most out of it either. Reflecting on a range of T:Zero athletes from years past, those who have seen the most improvement in metric gains over a short period of time are those who in their souls have embraced the grind of the journey. So, when they arrived at the start line, the result didn’t really matter. Whilst they wanted a good outing, regardless of the outcome on race day, they’d already won. Finishing the race within their perceived achievable timeframe was just the cherry on top. The finish line? It was just the view.
 
Throughout your triathlon journey (as is true in life itself) it’s important to take a step back and keep perspective along the way. Think about your journey not as yourself as an individual, toiling away alone, but rather a collaborative effort – family and friends, your workplace, coach and so forth – all these people are supporting and encouraging you; helping and willing you forward. They are your personal ‘A-team’. Stepping back and realising you’re just one part of a bigger picture to which so many people are contributing (and making sacrifices for) helps to remove the “woe is me” factor, allowing you to focus on the task at hand with absolute clarity. If you’re not prepared to put in the effort and your why is not clear, then you’re not only wasting your own time, but the time of your support crew too.
 
Anyone can find a coach or an online program to get them (in questionable forms of readiness) to the start line of an Ironman. But if you can find a coach who really instills in you the understanding that it is so much more than crossing a finish line, encourages you to revel in the journey; one that will expose your greatest weaknesses and push your physical and mental limits beyond what you ever thought possible? Then you’ve hit the jackpot.
 
So, if you happen to find yourself on Struggle Street or hitting ‘snooze’ far too often, instead of searching for a superficial fix, take some time to sit down and reconsider what’s ultimately driving you.
 
Remember, it’s okay for your why to change. It’s good to continually reassess your motivations throughout your journey. But if you’re not prepared to have these conversations with yourself and put some effort into your mental game, then come the finish line (if you even make it there), crossing it may very well leave you feeling unfulfilled and longing, wishing you enjoyed that journey more and perhaps wondering why you didn’t.
 
Feel free to share your ‘why’ with us in the comments below, we’d love to know!  What drives you? 

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​In this age of social media and unlimited information at our fingertips at all times it’s no wonder we are often distracted. Whether that be due to the smartphones, someone posting on FB, emails or merely thinking about the nights plans. How many times have you started a training session fully committed, only to get to the end and wonder what happened in the last 30min or seeing the lap data below what was prescribed. We can say that it’s human, we’re busy or even multi-tasking, but at the end of the day, if we’re not completely focused the session is only partly successful. Forget PEDs, forget motors in the bike, a clear way to improve yourself as an athlete is to go all in on each training session.  
 
As coaches, each session has been specifically designed for you the athlete, at that time, for a reason. And to truly get the most out of these sessions all other non specific thoughts and distractions need to be removed. I know in my program I can have any number of combinations of pace, power, HR and cadence requirements to be focused on. I’m not immune and I do find myself occasionally drifting out of focus and thinking about other issues which can lead to a completed session in time only, which will not bring out my best come race day.  
 
To assist with this I have used a number of techniques both before and during the session which may help if you are in the same situation.
 
Pre-Session

• Most times I like to get everything ready the night before so I’m not rushing about in a mad panic right before the session. This not only helps keep the mind clear, but also reduces the time spent on that session (and may even allow a little extra sleep-in).  
• Have a clear picture of what you want to achieve in this session (session goal). Review the requirements in detail and  completely and be sure to understand each step to ensure everything is done with purpose, even if it means writing it down in more detail.
• Some believe that mentally, you need to give yourself permission to take this period of time and step out of your life to complete it. 
• Free yourself of any guilt and other stressors from the day.  You’re likely going to be doing the entire session so you may as well be present both in mind and body and not just going through the motions.

 
During Session
At this point, like any time during the day, your mind may start to wander and it’s up to you to bring that focus back to the task at hand. This can be done in any way you like. 

• I like to keep my method quite consistent which involves a deep breath in and out which helps bring my thoughts back and align my focus.
• Listen to music - find a playlist that motivates you or just creates the white noise required.  
• Focus on form - similar to my breathing, many people bring the focus back by thinking about their technique, body position and assessing this internally.  
• have a mantra - also similar to the above, try a mantra that assists in reminding you of the goals for the session.
• train with a friend - unless you’re both yapping away it would be rare for both of you to drift off mid-interval so if one starts to pull away a little too quickly you know you’ve gone off track.

 
These are just a few simple tricks that may help you nail each session as it was designed. Get at it team!

Want to know more about Coach Steve? - Click here to find more about him

Having competed in the sport of triathlon for well over a decade now, I like to think of myself as a relatively seasoned triathlete. Despite this, I regularly suffer from the most debilitating race day nerves, induced, I’m certain, by my tendency to over-analyse almost every aspect of my life.

According to the experts, pre-race anxiety is a completely normal occurrence and, if managed correctly, can help you race faster by getting that adrenaline flowing. But there’s a fine line between pre-race butterflies and being hunched over in transition, heaving with your head between your legs (aka me, Noosa Triathlon circa 2012, 2013, 2015 et. al.). Yes, controlled nerves can be good, but the kind that completely sap all energy from your body? Not so much.

The following tips for tackling race day nerves have been tried, tested and suggested by some of the best in the business.

If you find yourself suffering from unhealthy pre-race nerves, try putting some of these tips into practice – they might just be your ticket to a more relaxed race day.
 
1. Be honest with yourself and trust in the training
Nothing makes me more nervous than greeting the start line knowing I have not put 100% into my training. Conversely, nothing makes me calmer than greeting the start line knowing I’ve prepared to the best of my ability.

Remember those days you ran in the rain, swam in the dark and opted out of a very enticing sleep-in? Now is their time to shine!

Trust in the training you’ve done, set realistic race expectations and be confident that your T:Zero Multisport coach has prepared you as best they can. Having trust in your coach and knowing within yourself you’ve given it everything can go a long way to calming that nervous beast within.
Know your plan, be unwaveringly confident in your preparation and stick to it.

2. Visualisation
Visualise yourself going through the motions – from race morning preparations all the way through transition set-up, swim start, bike, run and my personal favourite - the finishing chute!
Not just handy to employ on race day itself, visualisation is great to practice regularly in training before race day rolls around. Every training session is an opportunity to visualise - race morning, race start, transitions and crossing that finish line.

When race day dawns, having that familiarity and focus will make it feel (almost) like just another training day. 

3. Get organised
Depending on the location and type of race, arriving a day or so beforehand for smaller, local events or more if we’re talking long-distance, provides a good opportunity to settle in and familiarise yourself with the local area, race HQ and the course itself.  

If you can, take the opportunity to do some race course reconnaissance – ride (part of) or drive the bike course, jog part of the run course and do some easy swim course laps in the day(s) leading up to your race. Alternatively, if you live close by, make sure you train part (or all) of the course regularly.

Familarise yourself with the race day schedule, transition opening/closing times and any specific race requirements to alleviate unnecessary stress, so you can save that energy for the race itself!  

Also, think about booking your accommodation early - perhaps close to the start line (but not too close) and take into consideration the location of any support requirements you might need such as bike mechanics and masseuses etc.

4. Meditate … or just breathe!
For a sure-fire way to destress, there’s nothing better than a solid meditation session. But if the thought of finding your zen in a sea of nervous pre-race chatter seems impossible, employing a simple breathing technique might just do the trick.

Try “3,4,5”. Breathe in for 3 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, breathe out for 5 seconds and repeat (I know you just did it, but do it again for good measure).  

This little technique has been instrumental in calming my nerves and lowering my heart rate during periods of peak anxiety, and best of all it’s so easy to remember. If this one doesn’t float your boat, there are plenty of other breathing techniques around. Find the one that suits you best and … breathe.

5. Listen to Music
Listening to music can provide a wonderful and easy distraction to stop you getting too worked up by what’s going on around you – particularly during transition set up.

Music can help to relax you and headphones provide a great buffer to drown out the nervous chatter of other athletes and act as a deterrent for unnecessary interruptions.

Keep your music light and fun. I like to listen to the same music I’ve trained with over the months leading up to race day, making sure a couple of key favourites that really lift me up are on high rotation.

6. Use Mantras
Effective mantras address what you want to feel as opposed to the adversity you are trying to overcome. When you feel as though doubts and distractions are getting the better of you, a mantra can help to keep you calm and focussed on the task at hand.

Numerous studies have shown that positive self-talk leads to overall increased performance and an increase in athlete self-confidence. Mantras are great at directing your mind away from negative thoughts and towards more positive ones that can help you transcend the pain or anxiety you are (inevitably) experiencing.
Choose a mantra that’s short, positive, instructive, and full of action words. For example, “Strong, Light, Smooth” was my mantra for Ironman marathons.

Test your mantra during training to find one that works for you.

7. Pre-Race Rituals
Developing a pre-race ritual is a great way to help you bring a sense of normalcy, familiarity and comfort to race morning. As with visualisation (refer Tip #2), the best time to create and polish your pre-race ritual is during training.  

Your ritual can be anything from eating the same meal the day before and on race morning, (the classic) flat lay of race gear on your bed before packing it up or the order in which you go through the motions on race morning - body marking, transition set up, stretching and so on. Your ritual can be whatever you want, as long as you find it effective, calming and meaningful.  

8. Remember your ‘Why’
When all else fails? Make sure to remember your ‘Why’. As cliché as it sounds, at the end of the day, we love this sport and we do this sport because it’s FUN.  

Training, racing, logistics and irrational fears aside – what’s the one thing that lights the fire within, for you?
Take some time to stop and reflect on your journey, your progress and your ‘Why’.
 
As always, there’s rarely a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution and what works for one athlete may be completely useless to another. So please, take the above suggestions with a grain of salt.

Try testing some of these techniques during training and on your ‘B’ and ‘C’ races to find what works for you. Come race day, you’ll be sufficiently equipped to transform those pre-race nerves into excitement and measured anticipation.  

What are your own tips and tricks for dealing with pre-race nerves? Let us know in the comments below! 

It’s not about whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game that matters most.

This is a great ‘quote’ that resonates loud with me in my life and in particular, how I raise my two young boys. Whilst we strive for ‘mastery’ and progress each day, the most important aspect is that we enjoy the journey and play nicely with our friends - whether we win or lose. 

In the big scheme of things, how you carry yourself when you ‘win’ and when you ‘lose’ is far more important than the actual result itself. It is what it is, things happen one way or another, and your reactions to these events in time, determine whether you grow your character for the better or to your detriment. Let the ‘wins’ go to your head and you’re on a path to becoming a self-centred egomaniac. Dwell too long on the ‘losses’ and mope around feeling sorry for yourself, and you’ll find it hard to stay consistently motivated for all those gains you’re after. 

The trick is to find some solace - a level of cool handedness and balance - that helps you keep it real and see things for what they truly are - lessons in life. Celebrate the wins and learn from your losses but take a step back each time and take stock of the true learnings. Ask not why did this happen to me, but what can I take from this result to enhance my skill and progression forward as an athlete and person. Just a little better each day, week, month, year or event, and all of a sudden, when the time is right, the accumulation of all those micro lessons will be allowed to flourish. Like anything in life, your time to shine will happen when it’s your time. There are no rules with how fast someone should reach their potential - each journey to their own. How many lessons you learn along the way, depends on how much you’re prepared to listen and how bad you really want it. 

Stay true to the course. Take the ebbs and flows of the journey for exactly as they are, and you will arrive fulfilled and ready to rock n roll. 

Cheers - Scotty

Want to know more about the incredible Head Coach Scotty Farrell? Click HERE

​So you’ve just raced your A race for the season.
 
You’ve been training for months and months and now it’s done…
 
Just like that?
 
You’ve finished your race, you’ve had a few celebratory drinks and it’s now Wednesday and you’re wondering what is next. In most instances you will have another goal in mind or another race already set – because let’s be honest, triathlon is addictive and we love pushing ourselves to our limits. Some of you may have had the race of your dreams and all of a sudden have a world championship to train for.. But what if you don’t have that next race locked in? Motivation might be a little low. Below I share some tips on how to get ready for that next epic goal.
 
First things first are talking with your coach, give yourself time to really relax and have that break that your body needs. Racing for up to 15 hours takes a serious mental let alone physical toll on your body. So firstly make sure that you (if your next race allows it) give yourself a small break. Give yourself at least 7-10 days of easy training/rest. Coach Emma’s biggest tip for recovery is don’t set an alarm… if you wake up, train. If you don’t then your body needs the rest. You may also wake up and feel that you’re ready and walk out the door and struggle for the entire run. Turn your run into a walk and use it as some fresh air and time to think about your next race and how you might change things up a little to achieve that next goal.
 
My few tips on what now include:

• Setting a new goal – if you haven’t already. Having another goal in mind allows you to have purpose and keep your mind focused. Paint a detailed picture of how you are going to achieve your next goal. In your head or in a diary if you enjoy writing or drawing.

 

• Spice up the routine – go and run trails, or enjoy parkruns with friends, ride different loops on the bike. Go and enjoy your favourite class at the gym that you could never do as it didn’t time in with your program. Keep things interesting allows you to not get bored and get excited again but remember to stay specific to the sport of triathlon as it will keep your mind focused or allow your mind to re-focus on this impressive sport.

 

• Keep a balance – have some really good family and friend’s time. Enjoying time with your family and friends not only gets your mental state back to a great place, but allows you time to reflect.

 

• My final tip is allow your body the time and don’t be too hard on yourself. Some people take longer to recover than others and some need a little push back in the right direction straight away. Everyone is unique

 
Hopefully these tips above resonate with you all as Triathlon is such an epic sport but it does require a lot of mental focus (Rich has posted a few blogs about the mental side of Triathlon). Some of you may even just need a video for some motivation.. here is one I like below:

T:Zero Development Coach
Bonnie

“Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change”.

This is a quote that I have stuck up in my training room and office to remind me to embrace the concept of a growth mindset. Too many of us look for the worst in things instead of seeing potential positives. I will give you an example to solidify the concept. Say you are prescribed a swim set with 40 x 50s. Mentally this is a challenging set and can create some angst of how hard it will be to do the set. What many of us do when we have completed 10 of the 40 is to think ‘oh no I still have 30 to go’ instead of thinking ‘oh great I have done 10 already and I am a quarter of the way there’. This concept can apply across all of you training and in life in general.

This article is going to address how to develop a growth mindset that will assist you in unlocking your mental barriers and hopefully helping you to improve your mental and physical performances. Before we dive in let’s take a look at the difference between a fixed and growth mindset.

A fixed mindset assumes that our character, intelligence, creativeness and the like are all static and that we simply cannot change them in ourselves.

A growth mindset on the other hand thrives on challenges and sees failure not as evidence of unintelligence but as a springboard for growth and furthering our existing abilities.

We manifest one of these mindsets from a very early age, largely due to the environment in which we are brought up in, the influence of our parents, teachers and friends. These mindsets have a significant impact on a great deal of our learned behaviours about ourselves and can impact on our relationship with success and failure in both a professional and personal capacity, which as we all know can ultimately impact on our capacity for happiness!!

One of the leading researchers in this field, Carol Dweck, has poignantly stated ‘the view you adopt for yourself profoundly affects the way you lead your life’. This is interesting and worth rereading. This concept suggests that if we view ourselves different then we can make positive changes in our lives. A good example of this is thinking and believing we are athletes and conducting ourselves in that manner with confidence and poise.

Dweck believes that we all lie on a continuum of fixed and growth mindsets depending on what it relates to. In terms of endurance sports, we might have a fixed mindset when it comes to doing an ironman believing it is too hard, that we are too old, slow and the list goes on. Whereas we might have a growth mindset in terms of nutrition as we want to learn more about it so we can shift weight to feel and look better. I find I have differing mindset at work, in training and in my general life and a lot of these differing mindsets can come down to positivity, past results, self actualisation, self belief and worth.

So, if you are keen to try and work on the growth mindset, I have a number of approaches that will help you on the path. As with everything in life, we need to identify when we are fixed in our mindset, examine why this is the case and then work hard to switch it over. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Create a new completing belief in yourself, your abilities and your capacity for positive change
• View failure different – see it as an opportunity to learn and apply these learnings next time you are confronted with the same situation
• Cultivate your self-awareness – learn your talents, strengths and weakness, ask your coach, partners, friends and build up a dossier of yourself
• Be curious about things and commit to learning – ask questions like you did when you were a child and actually listen to the answers and be less closed to the world
• Get friendly with your challenges – know that the journey will be filled with challenges and be prepared to face them head on
• Do what you love AND love what you do – you will be more likely to succeed when you are passionate about it. Embrace the process and smile and enjoy it!
• Be tenacious – things are hard and take a lot of work to succeed, you must be tenacious and weather the obstacles, falls and dramas. Keep getting up and trying
• Inspire others and be inspired by others – do not envy others rather be inspired by what they have achieved, success breeds success.

As hard as it is, we can and need to all work on ourselves, both physically and mentally. We all have perceived limits what we have created for ourselves, however if you have belief in yourself and your ability to grow, to develop and to thrive beyond these perceived limits then anything is possible! You must work on identifying areas you are fixed in and try and work out why this is the case. Once you know the ‘why’ you can start to change the mindset and develop an unbeatable mind!

Keep training hard and recover well.
​
Coach Mon

Click HERE to learn more about Coach Mon!

By Head Coach Scotty Farrell

“Without a struggle, there can be no progress” – Frederick Douglass
 
It’s talked about regularly – in order to achieve that next level result, you have to be prepared to endure a good sold smattering of cold hard suffering on race day. But how many of you are prepared to ‘suffer’ just a little more than the rest, on a daily basis? How much are you really prepared to sacrifice in order to put yourself in a position to even attempt to reach the outer limits of what is possible? Do you take the easy option? Are you doing the mundane, extra little things, that makes the difference between a successful and mediocre performance?
 
These are big, somewhat deep questions – but honest questions nonetheless and questions that for those of you who want to go next level, need to be asking yourself on an almost daily basis. Stick a post it note on your mirror – “have you suffered a little today?”
 
The word suffer can mean a few different things depending on what angle you’re coming from, so let me explain what I mean when I say suffer, for the purpose of this article at least. Firstly, keep it in the context of triathlon and your life bubble, and relate it directly to your ultimate goal (ultimate goals – this is a whole other blog, but for now, let’s just go out on a limb and suggest that for most of us, this means putting together a truly honest, grit filled performance that you can step away from and smile with pride. Not so much a number on the clock, but a performance worthy of a deep, intrinsic smile and maybe a few tears of guts and heart). I digress (sorry, I’m a tangent master at the best of times – mum called me a day dreamer). Back to suffer and its definition.
 
The Oxford dictionary defines the word suffer as “To experience or be subjected to (something bad or unpleasant).” Let’s define suffer for our bubble as ‘putting yourself in situations you’d rather not be in and enduring it for want of facing fears and improving your weaknesses’ – much the same as the dictionary, but with a slight twist, geared at performance.
 
If you’re still with me and you’re willing to endure a few more tangents (possibly suffer a little), I will attempt to share with you, my thoughts and opinion on what it takes to suffer on a daily basis and take yourself closer to living your potential.
 
How to suffer 101

1. How big is your ‘why’? This is something we aim to spread and foster within the culture of T:Zero and speak regularly about. This is your reason behind your ‘being’, your ‘carpe diem’ – is your reason for doing this sport bigger than the comfort of your nice warm bed early on a cool winter’s morning? If it is, then your have your ‘why’. If it’s not, then you may need to search a little deeper until you find your reason why and make that sucker prominent in your mind – cause without it, you ain’t suffering one iota more than the next comfy soul. I believe this one factor is the master key to unlocking your ability to suffer on a daily basis – combined with a few of the following.
2. Get a coach – and I’m not just saying this because I’m a coach. Nobody said you have to do the journey towards mastering your process solo. Sure, the first part of any forward progress is you deciding where it is you want to be in life, but geesh, she’s a hard lonely road if you’re attempting to conquer your demons and reach your true potential if you’re trying to mono your way through it all by your lonesome. So, choose carefully, someone who inspires you, some with some street cred, someone who cares and is prepared to endure, feel the feels with you and will keep you sane/healthy in the process – all the while, gently helping you suffer a little, each and every day. The accountability, reassurance and guidance of a coach is huge – done right, working with the right coach for you is a must. When my ‘why’ and my motivation to go next level is at the forefront of my current focus, whether for life, business or specifically for endurance related goals – I get myself a coach and always will.
3. Get set up properly – if your goal is go next level, you have accepted your fate and are ready to suffer, you need to be organised. Unless your name is David Goggins, you are a mere mortal person getting amongst the daily grind and it’s our default mechanism to take the comfy, easy option, most days of the week. If you’re organised however, you’re taking the sleep in and do it later option out of the equation. Simple things like setting your bike, training gear and nutrition up the night before so you can get up and get amongst it in the early hours of the morning, can make that split-second decision a whole lot easier. Go to bed thinking you’ll do it all in the morning = sleep-ins and cuddles – we both know that isn’t going to help you suffer a little each day. Sure, it’s nice and I’m not saying cuddles and lie-ins aren’t required – but if you’re truly ready and willing to endure suffering, then get you’re A into G!
4. Work on your weaknesses – you’ve heard it a million times. But do you do it? I doubt it. “My left hip is tight and my lower back is sore” (If I had a dollar). Have you done your strength work, yoga, rolled lately? Working on your weaknesses doesn’t mean getting a massage every week (although this is very nice and good for the soul as much as the body). It means 2-3 times per week, consistently, for months/years on end, subjecting yourself to the planks, bridges, lunges, uncomfortable Yoga moves, rolling out your quads etc. The things we easily let slide are the things that make the difference. ‘Suffering’ and enduring working on your weaknesses are an integral part of you becoming the athlete/person you aspire to be.
5. Do it now – in a similar vein to step three above, you need to stop procrastinating and get it done. “I’ll do it later” won’t happen. Get yourself out of bed and do it now. Stop putting it off and just get it done. It’s so easy to put it off until later, but it won’t get you any closer to your goal. Stop making excuses for being soft  and lazy – do it now.
6. Love it – there’s no denying it, suffering is an integral part of what it means to be an endurance athlete. So, you may as well enjoy the pants of the process while you’re suffering your way through hours and hours of training each week, in pursuit of that stellar performance you’ve been searching for. Embrace the moments, the good and the bad, but mostly the uncomfortable ones. For those moments are the ones that build character and resilience. And most of all, smile your way through it, you chose to do this sport, so quit whining and get after it!

 
It’s a broad and subjective term is ‘suffer’. We can define it in a few different ways. But ultimately, it’s the collective ability to consistently put yourself in positions where you feel discomfort and work towards being a better person/athlete. You don’t have to be a navy seal and put yourself through hell week every day of your life, but if you want to take your performance to the next level, then you have to be willing to suffer, every day, period – even just a little.
 
Want to know more about Head Coach Scotty Farrell? Click here!