Enter a Race!

I love to tell people what to do. This is why I became a lawyer. It's one of the few professions you can enter (besides medicine, which means you have to take the "math" path in college, rather than the "no math" path) where you can mouth off all day long, and get paid for it (sometimes).

Motivation in working out is a strange animal. It comes and goes, and sometimes when it goes, it goes so far away you can't see it with binoculars. Losing weight and staying healthy are great motivators. However, sometimes when the 5 a.m. alarm for your morning run does battle with the warmth of the down pillow, the down pillow takes no prisoners.

Nothing--and I mean NOTHING--motivates you as much as entering a race or event. Be it a 5K or a full Ironman (TM) triathlon, as that date looms closer on your calendar, you will find an amazing way to spring out of bed with that alarm and get your running shoes on. Therefore, I mandate that everyone who wants to keep motivated must enter a race or event. Today. I mean, not tomorrow. So what if you can only run a quarter mile of a 5K. Go enter one, and plan to train to run a half of a mile for it before race day.

Here's how you enter a race or event:

1. Find an event. It's easy to find races (from 5Ks to ultramarathons) in the World of Al Gore's Internet. Www.active.com has a list of all kinds of events. In addition, if you will just go to Google and type in your state and the word "sprint triathlon" or "5K"--for example, those of you in Iowa (a shout out to my inlaws in Rockwell City IA) can type in "10Ks in Cedar Rapids IA" and lo and behold you will get a long list of events to come up.

I like to enter an event early enough to give me time to prepare, but not so far away that I feel I can slack for awhile. This can be difficult if you are choosing to run a marathon or a long distance triathlon, because you will probably need some long preparation, but you can enter smaller, shorter events in the interim. For example, I'm going to do my 70.3 triathlon in April-May 2011, but that is too far away to even get sweaty palms about yet. So I'm signed up to do a sprint triathlon on Labor Day, and also plan to do a half marathon in December. Since the sprint is only six weeks away, I'm starting to motivate already for that one. I'm eager to improve my times from last year in all four areas (including transitions).

Enter early enough as well to miss any numerical cutoffs. Many triathlons and marathons have a number limit. Some popular ones fill up within hours of opening.

Some events require that you qualify at a another event before you can enter--like the Chicago Marathon or Ironman (TM) Kona. But you weren't entering those anyway, right?

2. Research the event. Look at reviews on the previous races. Check out the race site and course maps (if they are up; sometimes course maps don't get published early enough for me). Is it hilly on the bike or run? Is the swim in a lake, river, ocean, or pool? How many aid stations and what do they offer? Do the reviews say the race is disorganized, or too hard, or too crowded? What's the weather like that time of year--hot, cold, rainy? Will the water be wetsuit legal? Do they have great post race snacks? (Hey--always important). Decide what type of race is best for you at this time of your life, and enter it. PS don't always just enter the "easier" races, except for your first ones. Push your goals a bit at a time harder and longer each time. Perhaps you will start out with a sprint tri with a pool swim, or a run-walk 5K for a good cause, and then move up to a longer sprint distance with an open water swim, or a 5K with more hills, and so on.

Right now, I am having difficulty deciding on my 70.3 race in 2011. I'd love to do the 70.3 Hermann Memorial in Galveston. I was born in Galveston and salt water still flows in my veins. The course is flat (nb: the only hill in Galveston is a bump near the seawall that housed an old Civil War bunker, and that was affectionately known in the 60's as "Boss A Go Go"--what a 60's name!--and that as a youngster, was considered Mount Everest in our minds and for our bikes. Recently, I visited Galveston and was amazed at how much the hill--now a site of a four star hotel--had shrunk in 45 years). The temperature is usually moderate. The race organization is awesome (it's a very big race), the T shirts are cool, the area is lovely. However, there are some downsides: the water IS salt (which helps in bouyancy, but when you are considering partially consuming 1.2 miles worth of it, is not so good to the gastric system during the 13.1 mile run), the wind is usually simply brutal, the humidity can be nasty, and it's a very, very crowded and popular race. I entered it last year in the Olympic division and they ended up canceling the swim due to thunderstorms and high winds (it's always a bad sign when all your marker bouys blow away). I ended up bagging the race and doing a Denton area Olympic tri four weeks later--more hills, less wind, no salt water, and no cancelation. But very hilly and very hot. Still, I'm debating--salt water versus fresh, lots of wind versus lots of hills, humid but temperate versus hot. Someday soon I have to make up my mind.

3. Enter the event. You can enter nearly every event on line from your chair. If you are entering a triathlon, you will need to be a USAT member or buy a one day USAT membership before you enter. For most running races, you'll just need a credit card and your T shirt size. Enter it. Do it. Life's short and it gets shorter every day.

For most pool swim triathlons, you will be seeded by your estimated swim time. Be honest. Don't lie. It's annoying to be waiting in line to get in the pool and see people in front of you doing the mega-slow sidestroke who should have been at the end of the line. Plus, you will get run over if you overseed your time. Maybe by me. Definitely by the Patient Spouse, who tends to blow it all out on the swim, and then spend the bike and run portions cussing at himself for doing just that.

4. Tell everyone you entered the event. This is a crucial step. You must publicize your entry to the world. So if you even entertain the mere thought of not going through with it, you will have some 'splaining to do. Great motivator.

5. Get ready for the event. Obviously, you will need to train for your event. Your training should be based on whether you entered this for fun (which I recommend you do for any first time event) or for a bit of a challenge that is still fun. Even if it's just for fun, you need to be in some kind of reasonable condition to do the event. Even walking a 5K requires some motor power from your feet and lungs. Get out there and get ready. Then, before the event, do a taper. Depending on the size and nature of your event, this can be a 10 day to 1 day ease off in reduction and volume of training to get your body prepared for its max efforts on race day (this is not a cessation of training--far from it--but a reduction. If you just quit training you will be flat on race day).

Plan your hydration and nutrition for the event (will they have goodies and water for you? I found out--Terry's Hard Way again-- in one half marathon that they offered nothing to eat, only sports drink, and my system needs a carb boost after 10 miles of running).

Check your gear and make sure it's ready. Don't try or wear anything new on race day or even the week before. Clean your bike, check your goggles, check your shoes and sunglasses. Charge your iPod (music players not permitted by the way in triathlons, but permitted in many types of foot races).

6. Do the event. This should be the easiest part! Find out from the website about packet pickup (many races do NOT permit same day packet pickup. EVERY triathlon requires you to pick your packet up in person--no sending the spouse for it), parking, what time to arrive. For your first events, get there earlier than you think you should. You may end up having 45 minutes to wander around and feel nervous, but it's way better than dashing in with five minutes to set up transition, use the portalet, and find the start line, only to realize you forgot your goggles back in the car.

During the event, just relax and enjoy the day. Unless you are an elite, this is what you are doing for fun and fitness. Push yourself--if any time requires it, this is the time, leave nothing on the course, use it all up--but don't kill yourself. Finish with a smile on your face and arms thrust high for the camera. Whether you come in first or last, it doesn't matter to anyone--you finished. You are a triathlete or a runner.

7. Brag about doing the event. Oh, gosh, buy a finish line photo, wear your medal, wear that T shirt until it falls apart. Tell everyone about it, post it on Facebook, start a blog, host a dinner. Go out to lunch afterwards at your favorite place to celebrate (eat sensible. No sense in blowing your good workout immediately).

8. Repeat 1-7 above as often as necessary.

Having said all that, I had a pool workout last night where I simply could NOT get motivated to push harder than a slow slog. Consequently, my main set of 4 x 400's was slower than I wanted. If I want to improve my swim time on the Labor Day sprint tri, I have to get myself in a bit higher gear. I did my 2300 yard workout, but it wasn't my fastest or crispest. Then again, I know to leave a bad workout behind me and move forward. A 45 minute run tonight--indoors on the track to ease my hamstring back into gear after hiking the Tetons. Hopefully I will be more charged tonight than last night.

Go enter a race. Today.