Tips from Heather Gollnick

Thanks to Robin at Fitness Fanatics for arranging the visit from Ironman pro - Heather Gollnick.

Heather was the winner of IM CdA in 2003 and placed second in 2004 and 2006 (same year I raced). heathergollnick.com

Its nice to meet a pro triathlete that is so friendly and approachable. I was able to get my Timex hat signed along with the following photo.

She gave an hour discussion about her past races which is always interesting to hear how much time they spend training and the nuances or detail they invest prior to each race.

During the Q&A, I asked her for any race tips. She commented how you experience many ups and downs through out an Ironman race and a key tip for her is to visualize a traffic light that has a red, yellow and green lights. Often times you experience problems (ie. nausea, flat tire, wind, boredom, etc) that start to erode your confidence and racing performance or cause you to be mentally enter the 'yellow' or worse case 'red' light zones. When this happens she has a list of positive mental images that she uses to increase her motivation and get her back into the 'green' zone. Things like focusing on the scenery, your heartbeat, any supporters, a funny story or joke, etc can really help out. Her ability to be very prepared for this constant mental battle during races she feels is what makes her an Ironman winner.

I also like how family focused she is by having her family attend many of her races which provides lots of motivation when she get tired or low mental motivation. So thanks Heather for the mental race tip of trying to always stay in the 'green' zone and the importance of your family!