Leadville 100 Run - Dealing with Changes
My pacer helping me out in Winfield in 2019.This room shouldn’t be that crowded in 2021.
This past weekend those of us signed up for the Leadville 100 run received notice that the race director was implementing important changes. The first of which was that no crew or pacers will be allowed at Winfield, the half way point of the race. Meaning that athletes will not be able to pick up a pacer until 62 miles at Twin Lakes. Additionally, several cut-offs have been imposed that are 30 minutes earlier than in recent years. Traditionally people could pick up pacers in Winfield to assist athletes over Hope Pass (12600’) a second time. Often considered the crux of the race.
The area of Winfield is a small ghost town, ten miles off the main road. The road can get incredibly congested on any weekend and much, much more so during the race. Additionally, the trail to Hope Pass narrows significantly making it difficult for people to pass, slowing down runners who are trying to reach the turn around point before the cutoff.
While these changes are a surprise, as an athlete they should be par for the course - we are bound to face uncertainty, distractions, and adversity at every corner. Especially during an ultramarathon.
Having and developing the psychological flexibility to adjust to theses changes will only make us better athletes in the long run.
Here are a few tips:
ADJUST and ADAPT. You are going to get punched in the mouth a bunch of times, this is just practice. How you adjust to adversity is going to be key to completion of the race. Think about what actions you need to take now to prepare for those changes?
Unhook from the distraction. Name it, note the feeling, be aware of it, maybe it’s fear, maybe it’s anxiety those are OK to have! Name them and note the feeling and take a slow deep breath and REFOCUS on what your process goals are and why you’re doing this race - NOW TAKE ACTION!
Reframe - Look for the opportunity - there are going to be a lot less people on the trail, that makes it more efficient to move around quickly, instead of pacers getting in the way.
Refocus on the challenge - not the threat. When we become hyper aware of a change, we can potentially see it as a threat. By being a threat our sympathetic nervous system is activated, heart races, ventilation increases - it’s as if we are preparing for battle. Not something we need when we are in the midsts of training or racing. Refocus on the challenge - mastery, how can I best overcome this? This subtle difference can make a huge impact on how you approach this race entirely. If you’re thinking of it as a threat - ‘I won’t finish,’ ‘I won’t make the cutoffs,’ ‘they are making it harder for me,’ I won’t reach my time goals. VERSUS What can I do in spite of these changes to better prepare myself? What actions can I take now?!
Focus on the controllable - your hands, arms, legs, mouth - what’s here and now, present, in front of you - the actionable things. The process.
Implement these things and I will guarantee you that you will have a much better race - I can’t guarantee finishes or a specific time goal (no one can) - but I can guarantee a much better race.
If you’re struggling with some these don’t hesitate to reach out to myself or someone trained in applied sport psychology that specializes in working with athletes.