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Where's your head at?

by Matt Slater - BBC Sport (U1647490) 31 July 2007

World triathlon champion Tim Don in action

As discussed last week, I’m calling this “week 13” of my training diary despite knowing that it is actually week 14. This will be acknowledged formally when “week 14” of my diary arrives in a couple of days.

Now, I know there have been a few complaints about my habit of banging on a bit, so here is a Ceefax version (normal service will be resumed afterwards with a Sunday colour supplement version):

“Matt Slater’s first attempt at an Olympic distance triathlon takes place in London on Sunday.

The 34-year-old journalist has been training for the event for the last three months and is now putting the final touches to his preparations.

‘I have had a few injuries in recent weeks but seem to be healing nicely for the big day,’ he said.

‘All that remains is to work out what to eat and when, and how to get my head out of the way of my body – that could be tricky.’”

Right, back to the full-fat, self-indulgent waffling.

Regular readers will know that I got knocked off my bike last week and found myself in a position that no Londoner would sanely choose to put themselves in – flat on my back, on the road, in rush hour.

What I didn’t explain was that I was on my way to meet “mental performance and lifestyle coach” Midgie Thompson to discuss sports psychology.

Having always been a bit of a sports psychology agnostic, the thought did cross my mind that the incident was less accidental than I first imagined. Could my scepticism have pre-programmed a negative outcome?

The reason I have been a cagey about all this in the past is that I have seen the likes of Jos Vanstiphout at numerous golf tournaments and been stunned to discover how much they earn for appearing to dress up common sense in vaguely scientific language.

As fellow agnostic Mark James put it: “I once had a session with Jos. He spent an hour emptying my mind of clutter but when he did that there was nothing left and I could hardly stand up. It took me at least an hour to fill it back up with clutter again.”

If you only have one goal you only have one chance to succeedMidgie Thompson

But then a couple of things happened to make me reassess my views on “the mental side” of sport.

First, I witnessed a very nervous Sergio Garcia – another sports psychology refusenik - throw the Open away by playing like a man more worried about failing than excited about winning. And then I started to think my own humble triathlon efforts were “cursed” because of a few setbacks.

I needed to get my head sorted out almost as badly as Sergio does. So I phoned Midgie, who has been helping professional and amateur athletes for 20 years.

To go into the full details of our 70-minute session would tax the patience of even my most indulgent readers so I will try to paraphrase what was a fascinating and informative chat.

The basic scoop is that it is vital to examine why you are doing the (insert your own sporting challenge). What are your goals? How much pain will you endure to reach those goals? How important is this to you?

Answering these seemingly straightforward questions is harder than you think. I have no idea why I do half the things I do, and I’m sure I’m not alone in this. How else can you explain Facebook, reality television and kebab shops?

The answers I went for were: I like challenges, my goal is to do “a good time” and enjoy myself, how much pain I am willing to suffer depends on the amount of pain and where I am in the race and the importance of this is reasonably high but below really big stuff like keeping my other half sweet and paying the bills.

These were all reasonable answers, according to Midgie, though she explained the importance of not getting too focused on one goal, such as a time.

“If you only have one goal you only have one chance to succeed,” she said. “So I say have more than one goal and actually define them.

“They could be completing your preparations, crossing the finish line or dealing with the internal dialogue everybody has – this way, if you don’t reach your time goal you have other measures of success.”

As well as lots of goals, Midgie stressed the importance of having clear strategies for every eventuality.

You’ve trained your body - it knows what to do - you just have to get your mind out of the wayMidgie Thompson

Visualisation is helpful here. Imagine yourself fixing a puncture calmly and quickly, see yourself swimming powerfully through the water like Michael Phelps, feel yourself getting a stitch and then blowing the pain away as you surge towards the finish.

Stitches (or exercise-related transient abdominal pains as I like to call them down the pub) are my personal bogeyman. Despite never getting them as a kid, or suffering them when I play football, I get them all the time when I run now. They have become the ultimate self-fulfilling prophecy.

Midgie suggested I imagine I’m playing football during the run to distract my brain. So if I jump into you for no apparent reason and then start screaming at an imaginary “ref” you’ll know why.

“This is probably a case of your mind getting in the way of your body,” said Midgie. “You’ve trained your body - it knows what to do - you just have to get your mind out of the way.”

The internal dialogue issue is another one I know all about. There were times during the British Cyclosportive when I was convinced people near me could hear the Greek chorus in my head yelling at me to “just stop, nobody needs to know, and why are you doing this anyway? Get off the bike and go home, it’s easy”.

Negative thoughts, if left to run riot, will have a negative impact on your body. So being ready for them and knowing how to deal with them is crucial.

My Midgie-approved strategy is going to be something along the lines of “this will be over at 10ish, I’ve done the training so I know I can do this, if I’m hurting others must be hurting too (nobody said it has to be nice) and just think how great I’ll feel at the finish”.

We talked about numerous other things - pre-race nerves, focused energy and pivot points – but I think that is all I have time and space for now. What I will say is that on Sunday I am going to be a funnel, not a sieve, and a great white shark in the water, a machine on the bike and a stallion on the run. So get out of the way.

I should also tell you that I have been back to my mates at Pure Sports Medicine, not to brag but really just to say that if you are worried about any strains or tightness ahead of the race, treat yourself to a sports massage.

My calf strain and stiff neck are well on the road to recovery and even my rusty hip joints are starting to move more freely than they have in years. So well done, Alex Manos.

I also promised I would reveal a little more of performance coach Leah Dunthorne’s nutrition advice. No real surprises here but you should be aiming to eat lots of good carbs this week – about 75% of your plate at each meal.

And don’t forget to keep yourself hydrated. The colour of your urine is a good guide – like treacle, stop eating burgers; like straw, give yourself a pat on the back.

Leah’s day-of-the-race breakfast and intra-race fuelling strategies will have to wait until Friday. Enjoy your muffins, pasta and tapers, folks.

Here's my tale of inactivity:

Swimming 3x30mins Cycling 2x30mins Running none (I have a sick note)

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comment by MontysStylist (U9043029)

posted Jul 31, 2007

Hi Matt,

I get to eat muffins too???? Hooray! I should do this triathlon milarky more often then.

As a bloke I should also have no problems getting my mind 'out of the way'. I have to stop walking whenever I fancy chewing gum.

Seriously, thanks for your tips on goals and positive attitude as I had already made up list of 'sub-goals' apart from the big 'time goal' one. It's good to hear im not a complete fruitcake and someone else is doing something similar.

I'm trying to visualise 'calmly repairing a puncture' while all these bikes are flying past me but its not really happening. [In my visualisation] I'm thouroughly cheesed off and there is this guy in the crowd with his calf strapped up sporting a finishers medal shouting abuse at me! More work needed in that department me thinks.

Good Luck on Sunday!

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comment by Johansen230 (U9222822)

posted Jul 31, 2007

Hi Matt
Just wanted to say that I've been following your column with great interest. Bad luck re the accident last week, but it certainly sounds like you've got it licked and are in the right frame of mind for success on the day. I did the olympic distance at London 2 yrs ago and had started my journey aged 40 with just a half decent swim to my name, I really was a hopeless runner and hadn't cycled for donkeys years. But that is the great thing about triathlon, being good at one of the disciplines gives you a chance and makes you feel good about competing regardless of where you finish. After a hard winter of training I did a 23 swim 1.17 bike 54 min run, these times combined with a dreadful T1 (I couldn't find my bike - am going to write my rack no on my arm this time) meant I crossed the line in 2.41. At the outset I had hoped to come in under 3hrs, so was delighted with the eventual result. I knew I would be unable to compete in 06, so set myself a goal of getting under 2.30 this year. Life has thrown me all sorts of curved balls but I've done the work and feel ready. Seriously Matt, if I can do it so can you. My tips to help you on your way based on my own experiences at London and other races are: Don't underestimate your abilities when seeding yourself at the swim start line, I guarantee most of the others will be just as nervous and full of self doubt. Try to settle into a swim rythm early on, try to relax and only turn up the heat when/if you've got a bit of space to play with. Kick your legs hard on the last 60-100m of the swim so you won't feel dizzy when you get out. Cut a few inches off the legs of your wetsuit, this will make it easier to get off and I find it less risky in terms of getting cramp in my calfs (do be careful not to cut above the internal taped seams - the suit could come apart if you do). Do something to help remember where your bike is. Try and familiarise yourself with as much of the course as possible. Have family and friends at swim exit for support. Vaseline around the entrance to your bike shoes will help you get them on quicker with wet feet (am sure you know about talc already). Get elastic laces for your running shoes. Above all enjoy it, there will be pain, but it soon fades and the feeling you have when you cross that finish line makes it more than worthwhile and will (like me) have you hooked forever. I'm in the water at 13.10 on Sunday, by which time I'm sure you'll be blowing the froth of a few celebratory pints! Good luck and thanks for the column, it's been really helpful reading about your exploits.

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comment by finelytuned (U8457929)

posted Aug 1, 2007

Hi Matt,

Good column with lots of simple advice, but things we always tend to forget on our mission to eat well/rest/train hard etc etc. Mind is very difficult to try and fool, but can be done.

I am in the last wave at 15.40 but have missed the last two London Tri's due to a broken collarbone in 2005 and severed tendons in 2006 (hit by a black cab while out on a training ride last June !!). I am just glad to be in a position to actually get to the start, so everything else is a bonus.

Time goals are good for me but broken down into smaller chunks, swim is an easy one, but then working out how much time I have on each of the bike run laps gives me an overall on where I need to be to break 2.45 total.

Good luck, race well and I am sure London will welcome you next year and in years to come.

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comment by robrobson (U3316851)

posted Aug 1, 2007

Interesting article - but why use a "life coach" when you could use a sport psychologist?

I honestly would expect a decent triathlon coach to teal you the things that you've included, so where's the value-add?

Yes, I'm a sport psychologist. It bothers me when we are not represented in an article like this (by the way Jos whatshisname isn't a psychologist either). Would you have been as careless in choosing your sports medical advice? I doubt it.

For future reference, the two main bodies in the UK for sport psychology are:
http://www.bps.org.uk
http://www.bases.org.uk

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comment by Rich1stTri (U9170267)

posted Aug 1, 2007

Hi Matt, thanks for all the good advice really enjoy your articles. Good luck for Sunday one and all.

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comment by hhowla (U8852174)

posted Aug 1, 2007

Good Luck with the Tri on the weekend!! I got my first beginners Tri in sept and then after a good winter of training step up to olympic distance hopefully next summer. Will be watching how you do!!!

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comment by TriingJimbo (U8569615)

posted Aug 1, 2007

On a very grim Sunday last winter I entered my first cross country race as part of winter training and upon wishing one competitor luck on the line he replied to me "its not about luck, its about training". This gem is what often gets me through the tough days of running in the rain and cycling in the wind and hopefully will get me tearing through the london streets on sunday morning.
Im persoanlly getting very excited about sunday morning although im sure the 4am breakfast alarm wont be greated with such enthusiasm.
For all the other London Triers have fun and I hope you achieve your goals.

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comment by Matt Slater - BBC Sport (U1647490)

posted Aug 2, 2007

Hello all, and thanks for your comments and best wishes. How is everybody feeling today? Nervous? Excited? Scared? Impatient?

All of the above for me.

robrobson, you make a fair and interesting point about the difference between a "life coach" and a sports psychologist but there was a very straightforward reason I opted to speak to Midgie - she came highly recommended from running and triathlon circles. I also think you may have got the wrong idea about my levels of professionalism! This diary has been a catalogue of beginner's mistakes and naive preconceptions, only occassionally punctuated by the expertise of the people I have eventually found to remedy the errors I have made.

And to be fair to Midgie, I have condensed and simplified a lot of what we discussed to make my story more readable. I appreciate the fact that psychologists would delve deeper and perhaps more scientifically but Midgie would normally have done that too - we just didn't have the time.

I am clearly no expert on this (and would love to return to this subject to delve more deeply myself) but I get the impression that for fairly straightforward cases of amateurs like me (who just need a bit of a pep talk) there isn't much difference between what you and Midgie would have said....but I may be wrong.

Anyway, all the best everybody.

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comment by triandtriagain (U9233813)

posted Aug 2, 2007

Best wishes Matt for Sunday. I hope that you can rise above all your recent set-backs and have a good race.

I have greatly enjoyed your training diary, which I think matches most people's rather haphazard and random approach to life in general and training in particular. Have learnt useful stuff on the way, too. Cheers :o)

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comment by Matt Slater - BBC Sport (U1647490)

posted Aug 4, 2007

Apologies to the half dozen or so of you who were waiting for "week 14" of my diary to arrive on Friday, unfortunately the day job intervened again and my second life as a triathlon agony aunt/guinea pig had to be put on hold.

I would bash a new piece out for you now but it hardly seems worth it with the first wave of super-sprinters set to jump off the pontoon into the inky black waters of the Thames any minute now.

So what I will do is very quickly give you those last few bits of advice I got from world champion Tim Don (who is racing on Sunday) and Pure Sports Medicine performance coach Leah Dunthorne.

The Don's words of wisdom were about your final bits of preparation and the race itself. With further ado:

1. The days immediately before the race are key so make sure you keep yourself hydrated with water and energy drinks, eat lots of carbs and get lots of sleep.

2. Write a checklist of everything you are going to take to the race with you and then make sure you have it all so there are no panics on race day. Tim takes no chances at all with his kit and he brings everything from spare goggles to toilet roll.

3. Remember to enjoy yourself! Triathlons are fun.

I will probably have more to say about number 3 on Sunday evening when I write my next proper (and final) diary entry.

And Leah's advice is all about fuel. I am starting at 0730 on Sunday so she advised I get up 0430 for some porridge and golden syrup. I could go back to sleep for a bit but I can't see that happening. She then suggests I scoff a banana at about 0600.

For the race itself, her plan was that I have a 500ml bottle of carbohydrate drink on the bike and a 500ml bottle of water (I have two cages) that I use depending on the temperature and how much I am sweating (it's hot tomorrow but I'm out early so it shouldn't be too bad). She also advised a give myself a little lift by wolfing one of those pleasant sports gels at the start of the run.

And that, in terms of advice, is that. It's just you and me now, all on our own.

So good luck to one and all. If you do want to say hello/throw flowers in my path my number is 4442 (which sounds like a formation I would like to see Southend United use this season) and I will be wearing a black wetsuit. OK, that's no help. I will also be wearing a black and grey tri suit...and I'm tall, skinny and hairy.

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