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With the subject of tonight's discussion being on mental preparation for the upcoming race weekend, I can't help but emphasize the importance of communicating with your power animal.

If you didn't laugh, please rent the movie "Fight Club" and revisit The Daily Grind.

Seriously now. Sunday is the Saratoga Duathlon - an event very similar to the recent Shamrock, only a slightly less important race on my schedule. That is, Shamrock was what I considered a "B" race, whereas the Saratoga Du is one that I consider a "C" race. The primary reason for this is that this event is not USAT sanctioned, so it's sort of a "practice" race in my eyes (no ranking points awarded). These types of events are great because the atmosphere is a little bit more relaxed and they provide the perfect setting to try new things out. In this case, I'll be trying out a more aggressive race strategy, particularly with the run portions of the event.

As I've been reflecting on last weekend's performance at the Shamrock, as well as previous performances, I feel as though the one area that still requires improvement is how I run the run portions of these multisport events. With such an extensive cycling background, it's easy for me to ride at my full potential during the bike portion, knowing exactly where I am in terms of "reserves". But running (in a multisport race) is different for me. I tend to focus more on staying on people's shoulders than on trying to move up in the group. This has the greatest effect on my overall performance during the second run, where there are typically much fewer people on the course to work with. I think that by really pushing through my limits after T2, I'll be able to put myself several more places into the field. Moreover, this will be of the utmost importance in the triathlons this year, as the podium spots are usually decided in the run.

So, the question is: "what to do about it?"

My assesment is that it's primarily mental, and what's required here is to take my focus to the next level on race day. I recognize that I tend to go too much into survival/comfort mode during the runs - as contrasted with the aggressive/discomfort mode I put myself in on the bike. I'm guessing it simply comes down to having more confidence on the bike. The key is recalling all the running work I've done this year, all the volume during the off-season and all the speedwork I'm performing now, and know that I'm capable of doing more in the runs - know this as firmly as I know my abilities as a cyclist.

As I begin to draw my focus between now and race day, I'll keep these things in mind and look to racing Sunday more as a running race than a cycling race. I'll be aiming to pace aggressively, trying to approach my 5k PR time on the runs. The bike course of 20 miles is a circuit (4 x 5 miles) so pushing the pace here will be easier than an out-and-back route. With such a relatively low amount of pressure on this race, it should be a fantastic event and a good day of training.

Thanks for reading.