Ironman Racing 102: Decision Making

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Racing an IM is more like conducting an orchestra than lacing up your race flats on a whim and ripping your local 5k fun run.  There are so many different components to the day – your plan, your mission, swimming, biking, running, gear, nutrition, etc. – that it can easily get away from you.  Take a few minutes to review each segment, and you will be in a good place on race day.  The following is a review of some key IM elements.

Racing with a Plan
By the time race day arrives, most athletes have a “plan.” They know their target HR zones, when to eat, how to approach the swim start, where to push the bike, etc.  While constructing this plan is an important part of building a successful IM day, keep in mind that plans – like rules – were made to be broken.  Be ready to adapt when the environment forces your hand (saying goodbye to friends/family means you couldn’t seed yourself where you wanted for the swim start – what do you do?), and think instead to your overarching goals (you wanted a calm start) and then find a way to meet them where you are.  A good plan can help you on race day; an outdated plan can hurt you.

Your Day and The Zone
The keys to IM racing are (a) avoid making mistakes and (b) do not slow down.  Thanks to your training, your body already knows what to do – don’t let your mind get in the way!  People, when fatigued, begin to slow down.  When they lose focus, however, is when they start to make mistakes.  Keep your focus by targeting a specific zone for each element of the race.  As I mentioned before, The Zone is defined by what you can control.

Swim Zone: Your swim zone is your immediate area – and seems even smaller with your head in the water! Focus in on the elements of your swim technique (long strokes, fluid breathing) that will help you remain smooth; block out things you can’t control (like the dude next to you with the pointy elbows).  Remember – focus on what you can control.

Bike Zone:  Your bike zone is aimed directly ahead, focusing on the next 5 miles. How will you ride it? Where will you eat? Seated? Standing? Time to hydrate? You can’t go back and re-ride the last 5 miles, so focus instead on what you can do for the next five. If this is earlier part of your ride, don’t think about miles 105+.  You’ll have plenty of time to deal with them later.

Run Zone: Your run zone – also forward-focused – should contain the next 2-3 aid stations. How long will it take you to get there? What will you do when you do get there? What food do you need?  Set a run benchmark (i.e. 18 or 20 mile mark) where you know your personal battle will begin – focus on getting yourself there and then focus on winning the battle to get to the finish line.

Managing your Zones
Coach Rich Straus (www.cruiciblefitness.com) talks about the “OODA Loop” for dealing with race day scenarios – remember that you are constantly assessing where you are in your plan, how it has played out on race day, and what you can do next. Rich sums this up in the OODA loop, which helps you “react to events rather than anticipating them”:

- Observe the situation or problem.
- Orient yourself to possible courses of action.
- Decide on one course of action.
- Act to implement the course of action.

IM 101 | IM 102 | IM 103 | IM 104 | IM 105



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