Race Day Trouble Shooting Thread -- What To Do When...
Traveling to Lake Placid is one of the highlights of my year. The race is beautiful and always challenging. But standing on the side of the road during the helping athletes made me realize how much more we can do.
Specifically for races where the coaches are not in attendance. The biggest edge that veteran athletes have is that they have "been there, done that" are so many issues. Tingling fingers. Swollen hands. Extreme winds. Loss of focus. Belly aches. Calf cramp. Kicked in the face.
You get the idea.
So I was wondering if it's possible to create a Problem --> Action list that athletes could just scan before race. Ideally them, they would have one or two solutions to the back of her head for when the problem arose.
Just like it's recommended that you actually give your kid a phone when they practice dialing 911 so they know what to do in the case of emergency, so too I think this list could be useful. If you are in, awesome. Simply post your problem and solution, if you have one below.
Thanks!
~ Coach P
Comments
Tingling Fingers --> Eat a Banana
Ok
I've only done a few 70.3 races but here's what works for me.
On the run, any change in mood, feelings of uncertainty, dark thoughts etc- grab some coke/easily digestible sugar at the next aid station or as soon as possible and continue, until you are through the rough patch.
Low mood/dark thoughts ---> coke post haste!
X2 and goes for the bike too. Feeling moody/low? Eat something.
Tummy issues on the run? Your instinct will be to just drink water- don't. You need salt too, so turn to the Chicken Soup. It can be magic fairy dust.
The biggest issue to me is the negative self talk we all get into, for me it's on the swim... I have to remind myself that there are better moments coming, even on the swim that I will enjoy.. Then I Get Ps "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast..." in my head and get going.
I also remember that whatever the status quo is, it will change... If things are bad, they will get better. If things are going great, watch out for the gremlins and then figure out how to KMF while working the problem.
and yes, in the race of my life last week in LP, I had plenty of negative self talk on the swim & the run... I just got the positive self talk to win!
In a bad mood during the run -> Get Happy by Thanking Volunteers for being there to help
Great idea, Coach P! Although having raced at a few IMs with you on course dispensing real-time advice, I suspect that "Coke" is going to be your answer to about 150 race-day problems.
To me, the most frustrating thing about race-day problems is not being prepared for them, having no answer because I hadn't thought about it, hadn't prepared for it. We can't prepare for everything (I had a skewer just break off while trying to remove a wheel - WTF?). But I can't tell you how many times I've come across an IM cyclist on the side of the road struggling to remove their rear wheel and/or spraying Fix-a-Flat or CO2 all over the place because they hadn't done it in years. Or worse, had never done it before. So, to me, there is a (1) list of potential problems, (2) how to fix them on race day, but (perhaps most importantly) (3) how to prepare pre-race so that I can fix them on race day.
I think some fixes will be pretty universal, whereas others may be very user-specific. These are some of the bad things that have happened to me in IM, and my responses:
Swim
1) Stung by a jellyfish. I screamed and cursed for quite a while. Didn't help at all. I've heard Vaseline is effective on exposed skin as a preventative, but never tried it. I've also heard that peeing on it helps relieve the pain, but the bastard stung me on the neck, and I didn't have the reach.
2) Kicked in the face, goggles knocked awry/off. I'm prepared for this. Because my swim cap is always over my goggle straps, "off" will never happen. Roll over, take a few back strokes, kick while adjusting goggles, roll over, move on.
3) Complete scrum, usually at/near a buoy, "I'm gonna get pulled under, this is where I'm apparently going to die." For me, I get pretty immediate relief/comfort if I just hold my own and take absolutely no sheet. This is my space. Not a time to be passive and defenseless and let people actually come over the top of you. I won't ever intentionally punch or kick someone (well, I don't think I will), but I have no issue "re-directing" someone with a gentle or gentle+ push.
4) Seasickness in big waves/swells. I've only experienced this twice, and both times my solution was to barf all over the place. A better solution might be Dramamine or something similar/not harmful prior to the race if big waves are in the forecast.
Bike
1) Flat tire. Fix it. But for goodness sake, be fully trained and prepared to tackle the task. In Week 18 or 19, practice taking off your rear wheel a dozen times (look on YouTube for very effective ways to do it fast/easily, depending on your drop out), practice using CO2, practice using the crack pipe if you're running a disc, etc.
2) Tight lower back. Stand up every 15-20 minutes, do 10-15 pedal strokes while standing, stretch back, get back to work. On really flat courses, do this every 15-30 minutes to prevent it (my Garmin beeps every 15 minutes as a reminder to drink each one, eat/stand/stretch every other).
3) Bloat/stomach discomfort. Cut out the solids, maybe even cut out the gels and go all liquid calories, but try to keep getting the salt and liquid in. Arriving at T2 badly dehydrated, you're hosed. Arriving in T2 starving and in a calorie deficit, there's a 25-station, catered buffet waiting for you to fix that.
4) Chafing. If you just didn't get the long rides in during training, carry a single packet of Chamois Butt'r in your bento. Apply at SN. Been there. Life-saver. But if the chafing is because you just installed a new saddle, decided to raise your existing saddle 8cm while putting your bike together at the race hotel, or you're sporting a sweet new pair of IM-logo tri shorts you bought at the expo - don't.
Run
1) Blisters. I've only had one that completely wrecked my stride and eventually led to a 9-toenailed appearance. Stop and pop it. After that, I chose to avoid blisters by running without socks during many runs in the final weeks of training to make the skin HTFU, training in my race shoes and socks in the final weeks, then pre-lubing my socks in T2 (TriSlide spray is perfect for this).
2) Extreme thirst between aid stations. Grab an extra cup of ice, fold over the top, carry it. If it's really hot - and if you're really that thirsty between stations, it will be - it'll be melted and ready to drink mid-mile.
3) For late-run issues, I've relied almost exclusively on Coke and/or the Med Tent to address. One or the other always works.
I'm sure there are more, but I'm ready to stop thinking about all this bad stuff while trying to get motivated to train for one of these silly races.
Pain, discomfort, etc = don't think, especially about time. I don't do the math. I don't think about possible futures or the consequences of what's happening. So if pain exists, it only exists in this instance and I don't project that pain into the future. So while a may be in a nightmare world of hurt right now, I don't extend that into the future asking myself "what if, when/will this end." I just exist and operate in the present and that present is only as big as my ability to control the situation right now.
You'll find that when you remove considerations of the future from your management of the present situation, it makes the present much more bearable and manageable...because it's the only thing that exists right now.
-Wake race morning with a cold
-Woke up date due to time zone change (clock was set for home; didn't realize 1hr difference)
-AM: stub and split open toe on rock while walking around in race sandals
-no coffee available race morning
-stung by jelly fish
-no swim warmup
-stung by sea urchin
-goggles knocked off
-goggles' strap breaks
-bunched by other competitor (accidental)
-punched by other competitor (deliberate)
-contact lens washed out during swim
-t1: bag is gone
-t1: bag isn't where it should be
-t1: tire blew while bike was racked
-t1: someone knocked bike over / knocked off sunglasses / etc while bike was racked
-t1: no Garmin power
-t1: no powertap battery
-helmet strap won't buckle
-crank arm comes off entirely
-chain caught in spokes; chain snaps altogether
-flat
-drop entire package of nutrition During descent
-lose bottle / gel pack / etc
-di2 stops working (never happened to me - I'm a mechanical guy)
-disk cover comes loose and spins on hub
-spoke snaps; wheel loses true
-headset seizes
-brake cable snaps
-lose interest in riding / lose focus on ride
-crash
-Number 2 during bike
-GI during bike
-back problems during bike
-number 2 during run
-well-meaning family spectators running alongside (can't "pace" racers; risk of DQ)
-Garmin dies during run
-lose one or more metrics (pace, HR, etc) during run
-seam on shorts splits wide open during run
-aid stations run out of water / ice / gel / etc etc etc (bike or run)
-bee sting
-bears on run course
-lost / misdirected on bike course
-lost / misdirected on run course
-brush fire on bike course
-start hating triathlon / change in attitude (any point during race)
-trip and fall during run
-inexplicable vomiting
-elastic shoelace breaks and shoe flops around loose
Thanks for this. I might as well give up on sleeping between now and IMMT.
I made my life a whole lot simpler by deciding the night before that I was going to wear my wetsuit no matter what. (Knowing that the temp wouldn't change so dramatically that wetsuits would be completely ruled out.) With my decision made I slept great, then got to transition and was surprised about how much fretting was going on about what the official temp would be / what to do. For me, a simple Q&A worked wonders... "Do I plan to podium? No. Then does it matter if I wear a wetsuit? No. Do I feel more comfortable wearing a wetsuit? Yes." Decision made. (And as a bonus, I learned the wetsuit wave is called the "party wave" because of all the different color swim caps. I loved that! :-)
Turns out, many decisions get easier/faster if you ask yourself a couple of perspective questions. Silly as it sounds, I actually practice this habit. It works with things as simple as eating a meal out. I could examine the menu and debate what to order, or pick the first thing that catches my eye and go with that. After all, what's the biggest risk of choosing the "wrong" thing? A meal I wind up not finishing -- not exactly the end of the world. And then I've got more time to visit with whomever I'm with! :-)
The point here is making a decision early & moving on, enabling yourself to be present for what's next.
Borderline wetsuit legal race? --> Decide *before* race morning what your strategy will be.
Having trouble deciding what to do about 'x'? --> Ask yourself a couple of perspective questions and the decision may reveal itself.
Coach P,
Wetsuit zipper blows out prior to race start --> beg, borrow, see expo vendors/sponsors, go with out. Not sure what Coach P did but I saw this happen to a team make as he was pulling on his zipper in Lake Placid 2013/14?
Waiting in line at porta potty no toilette paper - I ascribe to the Dave Tallo donation to the IM God's always bring a roll and leave it for the masses. Just make sure this is your final stop
Hyperventilate on the swim --> Get to a canoe/paddle board, get out of main swim roll on back. Take time to calm down, more time than you think then restart slower.
Forgot Gatorade bottle for bike in am - Switched to other proven nutrition, water, gel saltab to save 1/2 a bottle for the bike.
Back stiffening up on the bike. Sit up and stretch reposition fairly quickly. If significant enough stopping to stretch for 30 seconds to 1' is better than continually sitting up.
Not enough running time and concerns about blisters on the run --> Towel and some duck tape in the T2 bag, particularly for my arches.
Overheating on the run ---> slow pace down, extra water/ice at beginning and end of aid stations. Carry a cup of ice out of each aid station.
Situation: Cleat falls off your shoe completely. You can retrieve the cleat from the road, but all 4 screws are gone (yes, this really happened).
Solution: You could:
A) Take off the shoe and do a single leg drill all the way to T2.
Pull out the duct tape from your toolbag (you do have a little in there, right?) and pull a Breaking Away move.
or
C) Cannibalize 2 screws from your other shoe/cleat to use to re-attach the cleat to your shoe.
In my case, I didn't even think about option C until I was about half way through the single leg drills, sooooooooo.......... next time!
Do stop and think. I have 4 hours and 15 minutes to do half the marathon but I feel sick and dizzy right now. Wait 15 min among spectators in the shade? Probably could have at least jogged to the end in four hours.
Goggles issue? Have a spare pair tucked in your kit/wet-suit on the side. It doesn't hurt. I forgot they were there halfway into the bike.
Great ideas above...but that is EN!
Just like in training, don't follow your race plan into a brick wall. Pay attention to your body and adjust as needed. I use all kinds of nutrition in my training sessions to train my stomach to handle them. My plan at CDA last week was to switch to gels in the last 30 miles of the bike, but it was hot so I switched at mile 30. It was probably the best decision I made all day except for dialing back on the bike intensity because of the forecast.
Try a little bit of something new. Everyone says not to try or use something new on race day. But I've found that sometimes a little bit of something new can be just the shift I need. I never drink Red Bull but I grabbed a cup during the first lap of the run at CDA and took a little sip and swished it around in my mouth before swallowing it. My brain perked up and said, "wow, that's different. Let's get this done." So I continued to do that every so often for the rest of the race.
Stick to your plan. Yeah that contradicts my first statement, but my brain is a good negotiator and very persuasive. I often get to the point where my brain says "You've done enough for one day." So that's where pulling out the plan and saying no, this was the plan and we need to honor that really can get you through the rough patch. Of course, your one thing of many things is a part of the plan.
Wow!. I'm checking my cleats and adding duck tape to the bottle holders I got behind my seat!
If you are freezing on the bike stick a plastic bag down your shirt
My Garmin died during the IM run at 18 miles. Turns out it was for the best, luckily. I think I will do some training runs without a watch going forward , to fine tune a sense of 'feel'.