Question from Client:
“What do you think about when you’re racing? How do you maintain your form after mile 10?”

This is a great question I got from when of the age group athletes I coach. When I race, my thoughts evolve as the miles go by.

Before the race, I focus on music, visualization, and getting mentally ready. I focus on seeing the race unfold the way I want it to in my head. Once the race starts, it’s about control: staying relaxed, relaxed breathing, monitoring my pace (for my typically reminding myself to slow down), checking in with how I feel, and doing quick form checks.

I think about my fueling plan aiming for around 250–300 calories per hour (about 60–90 grams of carbs) — and making sure I’m getting through three-quarters to a full bottle of electrolytes and water each hour.

Around mile 10, if things are clicking, I’m in that flow state where everything feels right, smooth, strong, and efficient. So I continue to think about those same things above as well as life and how I am enjoying being out on the race course. But if fatigue starts to creep in, that’s when the mental game really begins. I remind myself of my mantras: “I'm just chopping wood. I’m strong. I’m capable.” I try to get rid of any negative thoughts creeping in. I focus on the present.

Endurance racing though often teaches us the true meaning of the word endure — the ability to push through discomfort without giving in. There are always moments when doubt creeps in. If one muscle feels tight, I redirect my focus: “Okay, but my glutes and quads feel great, keep moving forward.”

I think back to races where I’ve run through hail, cold rain, or total exhaustion. In one 50 mile ultra run, I looked up in the middle of a storm and told myself, “This is amazing.” That shift in mindset, from suffering to gratitude can change everything. That race I saw a lot of people go to dark places in their mind and keeping positive kept me going strong and also made something that could have been unenjoyable more enjoyable.

When things get dark and I feel like quitting. Something I have felt in races and during training I remind myself that stopping would disappoint me far more than finishing slower than planned. I just focus on doing my best in this moment. Again I try to think of the positives in life and with my body. That I trained for this, that I am capable of doing something many can't, or sometimes it just takes looking at something beautiful or uplifting, taking in what is around me. Another thing I think about is survival, and if I was in a survival situation I would have to keep going forward even if that is walking. Sometimes it gets so dark, your goals are not going to be achieved. You just have to fight. I'm a fighter, I have always been a fighter.

Sometimes it gets dark and your goals can still be achieved. I remember running the Carlsbad marathon many years ago, when they still had the section that went up into the hills. My goal was to run a sub 3 hours. The last 3 miles were so painful, I just kept telling myself over and over, "one step at a time, one step at a time." I ran through the finish seconds below the 3 hour mark and hit that race goal.

During my last Ironman, I hit a bad place mentally at mile 15 of the run. No way was I hitting my goals. Pushing forward at mile 20 a little girl out there cheering on her mom or dad on the sidelines read my name on my race bib smiled at me and said, “Joseph, you’re amazing. You’re going to finish.” I didn’t feel amazing, but in that moment, I believed her. She reminded what I was doing was pretty amazing for me, my 6th Ironman. It reminded me that was my original goal was to finish my sixth Ironman. That’s endurance. That got me to the finish, not strong but accomplished.

Some races go perfectly. Others completely fall apart. But every single finish line brings pride because I didn’t give up. The hardest races are always the most meaningful. They demand more of us, and in return, they reveal more of who we are.