Unconventional Mantras and Motivation

Published by Bethany on September 25, 2015September 25, 2015

As the biggest race weekend of the year is upon us, I have spent a lot of time lately talking to people about physical and mental race strategies.  Every first timer receives advice about getting to transition early, not starting out too hard, and managing race nutrition. But most people have some underlying things they think about that tap into their personal motivation and help them give a little extra effort. Here are a few of my favorites mid-race motivations.

1. If all these people can do it, surely I can do it too!

This is a really good one that I think speaks to the fear of doing something new and intimidating. First of all, the chance that you are the least trained individual out of the 500 or 2000 people racing is very small. That’s it! I like to tell this one to my athletes because they’ve all been training hard. They’ve been training so hard that they’ve hired a coach! Therefore not only are they not the least trained, they are likely among the most trained! Simple logic.

2. What if ‘insert thing out of your personal control’ happens (weather, rain, mechanicals, attacked by owl)?

There is no point in worrying about it so I dislike excessive talking about it. It’s okay to have these thoughts but just accept and then move on. Yes, you could have a mechanical.. or be attacked by an owl.. but the odds are low. And if it does happen it will make a great story.

3. If you just do it this one time, you never have to do it again

This mantra gives me great comfort in the swim. Here’s the scenario. Big wave or mass start, you’re getting clawed and punched so inadvertently use extra energy surviving the scrum, and you get really out of breathe to the point of almost hyperventilating. Here is where the moment of decision happens. You need to JUST KEEP SWIMMING and let it settle. Your heart rate will settle, you will find open water, and you be setting a bad precedent for the future if you stop or panic now. This moment is terrible.. but if you get through it it will be better. AND you don’t have to do it again if you don’t want to but you need to do it really well this time!

4. Swim Machine

During a swim of any distance I play a game called swim machine where you swim like your life depends on it and cannot break stroke for any reason. Every time you do, it’s a strike against you!

5. You can take it easier when you get to X landmark

On the swim, I tell myself I’ll take it easy when I get to the next buoy. On the run I promise myself a walk break at mile 8 on the IM. Whether those two things happen is doubtful but it’s all about breaking the task into bite size pieces

6. The promise of riches

A Snickers bar or a caffeinated beverage can feel like it’s worth a million bucks during long day. At mile 40 on the HIM bike, I give myself my Red Bull. During IM I have rewards timed out at mile 60, 80, 100. Something to look forward to can help you push through.

You have to tap into what motivates you. You can probably see that what motivates me is the thought that I could leave 5 seconds, 1 minute, any amount of time on the table meaning I did not give my best effort. If you’re trying to help someone else, you have to tap into what motivates them to try hard. Maybe it is racing with someone else who can’t race in mind, or conquering negative thoughts. What is your favorite pre-race mantra?