WHAT GOES THROUGH YOUR MIND: Pre-race thoughts

I am often asked “what goes through your mind?” before a big race.  Because I get the question so often, and I’m curious about what others think, I thought I’d write a little something and see what the community thinks about before a big race.

It’s also perfect timing, because I’m heading into a new type of adventure race this weekend.  I’ll be travelling to Puerto Rico in a couple days to attempt a 180 mile run across the island, with 46,000’ of elevation change in a self-supported race.  I will have 60 hours to complete the distance.

FUN!  The first thing that I always think about is how fun the adventure is going to be.  To me, there is not much better than being on your feet running.  Sometimes I’m running to something; sometimes I’m running away from something; and sometimes I’m just running aimlessly.  Experiencing the human spirit and body moving through space and across terrain is an extremely sensual experience to me.  There is an awareness of the present that I rarely get to experience in the “normal world” of iPhones, e-mails, radio, text messaging, etc.  When I run, I get a chance to be with myself . . . really with myself.  I sense the wind on my skin, the smell of my surroundings, the temperature, the sound of birds and things in the bushes, the feel of the terrain – all the time changing under my feet.  I also have extreme confidence and amazement that my feet and body could, literaly, carry me for days on end by putting one foot in front of the other.  And I get to do it in a focused manner.  All demands on me will stop for the duration of the run – whether it’s 3 hours at a marathon, a day for 100 miles or 2 ½ days for the Puerto Rico 180 mile Fun Run.

FEAR.  I always worry that something could go seriously wrong, and I might not come back from one of these outings.  My fear is that I might walk out the door, go to the activity and never come back to my children.  I talk myself through this fear by rationalizing it.  The simple fact is that everyday when we walk out of our doors, we are never guaranteed to come back to the ones we love at the end of the day.  When God calls us, we will go to Him.  I also rationalize, that by being fit my body can withstand traumas that otherwise would probably land me in the hospital or worse.  For example, I have been hit by cars several times.  Quick tangent – when a car hits you, never have your leg planted.  Jump up and tuck into a ball.  After you are hit by the car you will eventually hit the ground.  When you hit the ground, be sure to roll like you were snowboarding.  By using this technique, I have always been able to pop right back up, give the driver some sincere advice, and continue running with only a few scrapes and scratches.  Fear, like pain, is a feeling that let's you know you're alive.  It is not something that should ever paralyze or stop you.  You can overcome it, by just moving forward.

BREAKING POINT.  I also know that during any race where you give your all and push yourself, you will eventually be faced with a choice to go on or quit.  I call this the Breaking Point.  The longer and more extreme the race, the more Breaking Points you are guaranteed to encounter.  So what does this look like, you may ask?  For me, it looks like this – you’ve been moving for at least 18 hours, you have at least another marathon to go and it is pitch black.  You are stumbling, frustrated because you are tripping on everything, nobody can take away the fact that you are going blind, you are tired, you want to vomit, don’t want to eat or drink, and all you want to do is stop and sleep.  This is the Breaking Point.  You will either choose to throw in the towel and quit; or, you will choose to forge on and prove to yourself that you are limitless in potential.  This is the point mentally, where you MUST believe in yourself; and you must have some notion of Faith – the ability to believe in something larger than yourself.  One of two things happen when a person gets to this point – they will either “BREAK UP” or “BREAK DOWN”.  If they BREAK UP, that person will mentally make a choice to continue on despite whatever adversity they are facing.  The spirit & mind will lead the body, mask pain, gift alertness and you will continue on.  If the athlete BREAKS DOWN, the race is usually doomed.  If an athlete begins to “doubt” him/herself it usually sets off a downward spiral of increased agony and intense focus on the adversity.  It also magnifies any obstacle that the athlete may be facing.  Doubt will lead to self pity and excuses.  Eventually, the Break Down leads to quitting.  For me, the Breaking Point is a conscious choice, and it is the ultimate metaphor for how to approach life’s imperfections and aspirations.  It comes down to Choice, and the Choice is always mine to make.

TRAINING.  I’m always thinking about my training.  I’m not sure that I’ll ever train perfectly for a race.  I always think about where I trained well, and know that I can rely on my body for the parts of the race that will call upon those abilities that my body is prepared for, i.e., climbing, flat fast sections, cold running, etc.  I always isolate the areas of training where I was weak, and I develop strategies to minimize those weaknesses by maximizing my strengths, i.e., running technical trails in the dark is always slow for me due to limited sight, hence, I accumulate as many miles as possible in daylight to compensate for that weakness.  I don’t crucify myself for not doing something, and I always congratulate myself for doing those 3 am runs, multiple marathon efforts and tire drags.  For Puerto Rico, I did a 100 miler in November, then a couple marathons over the next few weeks.  I did another 100 miler in December and a marathon around Christmas.  I ran a 45 mile effort on New Years Day.  In between all of that, I did shorter runs, I swam a couple times a day, strength trained at the gym and tried to do some heat/humidity training in the steam room and hot tub.  I feel prepared, but have some nagging pains in a buttock, a shin pain has developed and I have an untreated tooth issue.  All of that will surely make this a great challenge and memorable adventure.

IT’S TIME.  Then, race day arrives and IT IS ON!  The day starts with Thunderstruck (AC/DC), Right Now (Van Halen) and Lunatic Fringe (Red Rider) . . . . the starting gun fires . . . . and another beautiful adventure begins . . . .

WHAT GOES THROUGH YOUR MIND BEFORE A BIG RACE?

Jason Romero is a highly sought after inspirational speaker and the 1st and only blind person to run across America.  Jason is a member of the US Paralympic Team, holds 11 world records in ultra-running, a former attorney and business executive, and a single father of 3 children.  More information can be found on Jason at www.relentlessromero.com.