I got a funny email from a buddy who is doing the
STORM
race in November. He claims he's "training out of fear" for the
event. I've been there before . . . you're getting ready for a
race that is beyond your comfort zone and you are afraid of being
unprepared or letting your team down.
Some of that fear is healthy,
I think, as it can be a great motivator to train and to overcome your
perceived limitations. Of course, there is a point where fear can
become overwhelming but I don't sense that my friend is in that
category.
If you're uneasy about an upcoming event (but in a healthy
horizon-broadening way) here are some things you can do to make an upcoming trip outside your comfort zone go better:
- Coerce friends into joining you. This can be in the
form of racers, support crew, or just moral support as you
prepare. You'd be surprised how responsive people can be when
they learn you're embarking on a significant challenge. Make your
undertaking public and watch how much harder you and those around you can work. Making the
race into a collective challenge instead of just a solitary challenge
is a great technique for race day success. I can't tell you how
happy I was when I saw my wife at the Transition Area for my first
"real" adventure race with transition areas etc; it might be the
happiest I've ever been to see her! Better still, your friends
get to experience the achievement along with you and it makes for great
memories and fun stories.
- Train smart and hard. Time to be honest with
yourself. If you're uneasy about your paddling, get out on the
water; take a lesson or a class and build confidence. In a controlled situation, mabye you flip your kayak on purpose
and make sure you can handle a recovery. Don't do this in a truly
dangerous situation, but push your limits in a reasonable fashion.
Confidence
gained by doing is much more legitimate than confidence gained by watching a DVD or reading a book or talking to some guy at the local gear shop.
If your biking needs work, hit the trails and repeat problem areas
until they aren't problem areas. If you only encounter 1
technical area for your entire ride, it is far better to repeat that section
10 times over and get 10x the amount of "technical work" in than just
logging lots of boring mileage on the bike. Attack your weak points and
don't let them get the better of you. Same goes for navigation,
running, ropes, and whatever your race entails. Note that part of
training smart is also knowing when not to over do it and risk injury!
- Get a massage. I know it may sound odd, but massage can do
wonders to speed muscle repair and boost your recovery. It can
relax you as well. Try a 30 minute massage and see what you
think. I also think that psychologically speaking "indulging" in
a massage for your fitness can mentally help you recharge and better prepare you for more exertions to come.
- Bring comfort food.
While nutrition is a prime concern during a race, bring some comfort
food along and have extra in the TA (pringles usually work for
me).
- Pursue specific goals during the race. Adventure
racing lends itself to this by having a checkpoint (CP) every so
often. For example, don't focus on finishing an entire 24-hour race all at
once! Instead, strive to get to the next CP as best you can and
then refocus for the following CP. An entire race can seem daunting
but only an hour or so to the next CP is much more manageable.
Before you know it, you'll be in the middle of the race and well on your way to establishing a new personal endurance benchmark -- might be time to find a longer race?
The bottom line is that this adventure race stuff should be fun
and nobody "trains out of fear" unless they have a deep-seeded urge to
test their limits and push their personal envelope.