To quit or not to quit? When to DNF.

As you may or may not know, the Trimarni blog started in 2007. Well before 'blogging' was a thing, I needed an outlet to express my feelings after my first DNF. You can read about it here. 

In the case of an injury, health issue, current fitness or long term goals, a DNF is often the right decision. This past weekend we had an athlete registered for IMFL. She recently qualified for the Ironman World Championship (2023) at Ironman Chattanooga. Originally IMLP and IMFL was on her schedule, but after learning about the extra Women for Tri slots after she competed at Ironman Lake Placid, we decided to make Chattanooga the priority. But instead of skipping IMFL, we thought it would be a very valuable training day for her. This athlete often struggles with nerves (due to expectations and pressure) which often result in stomach issues throughout the race. We also felt like our athlete was playing it safe in fear of the marathon and has the capability to go faster on the swim and bike. Because completed a third Ironman in three months was not ideal for this almost 60-year old athlete, she went into the race with the intention of not finishing after 6 miles of running. She made the most of her registration by swimming and biking harder than normal and surprising herself by feeling good running off the bike. And the best part - no nutrition issues from a nervous belly. She learned so much about herself by racing without pressure - had she skipped the race, she would not have had this incredible experience. But had she ignored our advice and ran the extra 20 miles to the finish line, she could have been at risk for long-term health issues.

In this case, the DNF decision was made in advance as a "racing" athlete brain does not always think clearly and can make decisions from emotions instead of out of logic. 

When it comes to a planned DNF, athletes may feel ashamed or embarassed. There may be a feeling of letting down family and friends or worrying about what others may think and say. Remind yourself that you don't owe anyone a reason for your decisions but if you feel the need to respond, let others know that the decision to DNF was part of your plan. Whereas you may think of a DNF as a failed race result, you can use this opportunity to inspire others. There are many athletes who refuse to DNF, ultimately sabotaging health in order to cross the finish line. And the next day, when emotions are gone, the reality sinks in that now they have to deal with the consequences. Even if you know you can't finish the race, there is still so much to gain on race day before the DNF occurs. From practicing your pre-race and race day nutrition to perfecting your pre-race warm-up or race week taper or working a bit harder on the swim and the bike, you can still gain so much from the race without risking your long-term health. The important thing to remember is that you must think about your short and long term goals instead of short-term satisfaction and that you stay true to your decision to DNF because you have your health and long term goals in mind.

Having said this, if health is not compromised, fight for the finish line. Long distance racing takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions. When you are alone with your thoughts, you are forced to make decisions on what risks to take and how much suffering you can tolerate. Then, when the going gets tough, it takes a tremendous amount of willpower to keep yourself going.

Because every athlete will experience that moment where quitting feels like the best option, it's important to remind yourself that racing is not pleasant. It hurts. It's uncomfortable. It crushes dreams. It's not fair. But that's why you race. To put yourself into challenging situations and to figure out how to get through them. When you can work through a problem and keep yourself moving, that makes you feel accomplished. While you may not have conquered your time or placement goal, getting yourself to the finish line when the odds were against you is worth celebrating.  

Wanting to quit is completely normal during an endurance event. We can all find that perfect reason to give ourselves permission to quit. The day is long. The body gets tired, sore and very uncomfortable. Things don't go as planned. You may find yourself stuck in a bad situation. Stopping and quitting may feel like the only way to stop what you are experiencing. 

I can only recal one Ironman where I didn't want to quit. 18 Ironmans and I wanted to quit everyone of them during the race. Why? Because racing for 140.6 miles is very very hard. During an Ironman, it's expected that you will have tremendous struggles, hardships, setbacks and very low moments. That's racing. Pushing yourself through discomfort takes a lot of effort and will. Even though quitting will stop the hurt that you are experiencing (and may feel like the best decision at the time), it rarely feels good the next day. Almost every athlete who quits a race will look back and regret making that decision. It's not the quitting that they necessarily regret but not trying more options to keep on going. But you better believe that quitting makes you stronger for the next time because you will address what didn't work and make sure it doesn't happen again.

The Ironman/140.6 mile distance is a beast of a race. It's incredibly tough - mentally and physically. There are plenty of obstacles to overcome that no amount of training can prepare you for. Every race is different. You may have a plan but there's a good chance that you'll need to deviate from that plan. Troubleshooting is a critical part of Ironman racing. Long distance racing requires a lot of skill and focus. The next time you find yourself in a challenging race day scenario, take a moment to understand the problem. Then remove emotion from the situation. Then try everything you can think of (at least 10 different strategies) to try to troubleshoot the situation. Working through a problem takes tremendous focus and skill. Giving up is easy and provides immediate relief but it doesn't teach you anything. When health isn't compromised, fight for that finish line. 

Be strategic - quitting doesn't have to be an option

Hello Trimarni followers!!
We are back from Lake Placid!! What an amazing trip!

If you were not following along on my Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition Facebook page, I will catch you up on how race day went for our athletes in my next blog.

But for now, I want to share a few tips on how to approach race day when you are faced with a situation that makes you question your desire, ability or motivation to continue.

We have all been there when race day doesn't go as planned but I can assure you that most of the time, quitting will not make the outcome any better. 

You just need to learn how to be strategic with these tips:

1) Unless you are injured or health is compromised, quitting is not an option

Far too many times, I hear of athletes (not Trimarni athletes of course) who drop out of races because the race day is not going as planned. Perhaps the body feels flat, the weather is not ideal or an obstacle arises on race day. Whatever the case may be, I never want you to believe that quitting the race is the best option (unless health is compromised - then you must be smart enough to stop). These athletes assume that if they quit, that there will be another race in the near future that they can sign up for and that race will bring a better performance. Let me tell you that in long distance racing, there is so much out of our control on race day and it is not easy to arrive to the start line with a healthy body and mind. If you are ever in a position when your race day is not going as planned, do not convince yourself that quitting your race and signing up for another race will then give you the perfect race. You didn't train hard just to quit. 

You never know what can happen on race day and this includes even after the fact, when the race isn't going as planned. Many times, we remember the races where we didn't quit and those race make for inspiring and motivational performances. 

I can assure you that it is the races when you feel like there is no way that you can finish or the race is just not going as planned, that you will experience one of the most proudest moments of your life. You will never ever regret a finish but you will really remember the finish when you were once a second away from turning in your chip and calling it a day. 

2) Readjust your goals

How many times have you seen/heard athletes who had a perfect race? Karel and I may have looked like we had perfect races at IMWI because we both reached our Kona qualifying goal and placed top ten overall amateurs and 3rd AG but let me assure you that there were many behind the scene moments for us both that made the race extremely challenging, difficult and even impossible at times to continue to push on. 

As athletes, there will often be times when a place, performance or time goal will fade away as you are racing. When this happens, you have to readjust. Your only goal at that moment is to find a way to keep yourself motivated. Always have a secondary goal. It can be as simple as "just finish" or maybe the goal is to high five every child on the course, thank the volunteers at every aid station or cheer for every athlete that you see who is struggling... or come up with small immediate goals that only have you focusing on 10 minute segments at a time. Just because you are not going to achieve what you originally set out to achieve going into the race, this doesn't mean that your day is ruined. You must search really deep inside to find a way to continue to give a best effort to the finish line. 

3) Stop and figure it out. Now!

From my experience as a coach and as an athlete, the biggest mistake that an athlete can make on race day is not stopping to figure out issues right when they happen. Now I'm not talking about flat tires but instead, cramping, low moments, nutrition issues, breathing issues. Whatever the issue may be, there is no shame in stopping and figuring out the problem. The worst thing you can do is pushing through the issue because your ego won't let you stop because stopping is seen as "failing". Never assume that your issue will magically get better by ignoring it. You'd be surprised how much of a game changer (and life saver) it can be to stop and address an issue for 5-15 minutes than to carry on to find yourself struggling for 30-90+ minutes later in your race. 

4) Go to your happy place

You won't know this feeling until you do a long distance race but you will likely enter a dark, lonely place in your mind at some point (maybe more than once) during a long distance race. Sometimes you will be in this place and your effort is still strong whereas other times you may find yourself unraveling and questioning why you are even racing. Go to your happy place.
My happy place is Kona Hawaii. It is a place that I find myself very calm (even on race day) and I'm in my element surrounded by nature, the ocean and sea life. I just smile thinking about Kona.
Now think about the workout that you nailed in training and made you feel like a million bucks. Take your mind to your favorite bike or run route, where you no matter the workout, you are happy to train. How about friends and/or family who make you happy or your furry child who always makes you smile. We will all have highs and lows in races and they are very unpredictable. Visualizing a happy place will allow you to take your mind away from the moment as you continue to move your body forward and before you know it, you will be in a better place. 

5) Accept the situation - you don't have to like it

We will all experience a race where we wish for a different scenario. You may find yourself saying, "if only things were different." Well, sadly, the situation is what it is. You may not be able to change the situation, but you can change how you approach and handle the situation. 

No matter how sucky, horrible or miserable you are with your situation - whether it's not racing, not finishing, not having the race you imagined to have, having a flat tire (or two), dropping your nutrition or feeling off on race day - you have to come to the realization that life will go on. There will be more races. You will get through your situation and you will be OK. Many times, situations change a person for the worse. Athletes become bitter, mean and hostile. Whatever the situation may be, accept it. You don't have to like it but if are going to let it get to you, be sure that it makes you a better person in the long run.