It is official that the inaugural Ironman China in Tianjing has now cancelled its swim leg. Having experienced my first non-starter in the watery stage at Ironman New Zealand in 2006 (90-100kph winds) and IM Korea 2006 (choppy, white-water, sea conditions), I have learnt to live with emergencies and exigencies. Peter Principle is always operating in the background. Guano happens! Time to convert it into manure or organic fertilizer! With the additional day, I can ensure I leave no stone garden unturned in my packing list, and enjoy another good night’s sleep (and naps) on my own bed at home.
Over five years of Ironman and marathon racing, I have learnt to bring extra, just-in-case stuff (nutrients and equipment). Other than flammable or potentially-explosive items like CO2 cartridges, I bring all my equipment and food I need for race-day. The costs for buying forgotten items at race-fairs may be punitive. In a foreign land, with no other nationals racing with you, you may have to travel with a tyre-pump, patch-kits, and your own assembly tools (traveling with a Frequent Flyer who has 20kg excess baggage certainly helps!). You are your own bike mechanic, race advisor and meal planner. If you have peculiar race rituals or eating habits (or condiments) prior to the race, ensure that you bring enough and clear with custom officials as you enter the immigration gate. Declare or denounce – that is the convention.
I now bring my own race-day food as I may not agree entirely with that offered at aid-stations. Energy gels and Special Needs food are your personal preference. Use what you trained with and bring enough. Apply the Plus-20 Percent Factor: on a particularly bad day, your need for energy and nutrients will increase. You tend to consume more calories in cold climates, raining days, rolling terrain and a bad section of the race.
Through years of planning, organising, directing and control (PODC) I have learnt that we can implement entry and exit strategies. We create options for ourselves when we also factor in seemingly uncontrolled factors. There is no stopping Acts of God, cancelled flights, baggage theft, and staff going on lunch-breaks or union-led strikes. We do what we can do under the circumstances, and seek assistance wherever we can. I am sure we know enough people, within our span of Six Degrees of Separation, to be able to consider our next route of advance or retreat. There is always a solution, or somebody with a solution.
The weeks leading to (and possibly after) an ultra-endurance race such as marathons, Ironman triathlons and ultra-marathons can be risky. Our immune system may be compromised and we can get ill. Colds, coughs and flu may be the repercussive effects of taxing our body’s stress hormones. Increase slightly your intake of vitamin C, B-vitamins (to calm us down), zinc, antioxidants (from natural sources), water, L-glutamine, and protein. Reduce stress as much as you can – however, avoid getting fussed and flustered in the process.
As we load up on training, we need to ensure a corresponding increase in nutrients and sleep. There is no one single Secret Formula, however there may be many formulae we can apply in this mega-formula. Stick to the Basics, and then some. Go back to nature – that is, eat natural foods, cooked within your control, and not tainted by the glamour of food science. You don’t have to be vegan to learn useful things from them. Learn how to eat fresh, prepare safely, and eat wisely. Avoid biting off more than you can chew. Anything more than a mouthful is a waste! But I digress…
If it is your first time as a triathlete…live and learn!
