Hands up anyone who has raced in a team and been in these situations:
You’re on a featureless moor in the pouring rain with two team-mates arguing about which way to go, thinking ‘If only I could get rid of those two idiots’
You are biking up a big hill, struggling away in granny gear only to look up and see a team mate waiting for you at the top shouting “Hurry up slowcoach”
You are really tired and decide to stop for a kip only to be woken 5 minutes later by a team-mate who says you have had 15 minutes sleep and it’s time to go.
You can all put your hands down now.
Any of this sound familiar ? It is popularly know as ‘the joy of working in a TEAM. Granted, there are lots of great things about racing as a team, like sharing a double sleeping bag with someone you fancy, eating others food when yours has run out and having people to carry your kit for you. However to really get rid of those annoying “I want to kill my team-mates” moments the only way is to race solo. Remember – there is no I in TEAM, but if you look hard enough there is a ME.
Joking aside, solo racing does have a lot of good and bad points to it, so here are my ten golden rules of solo racing:
Golden Rule No. 1 – Be positive You are bound to feel tired at times or that things are going against you, we all do, it’s only human. Remember this and use it to keep a positive mental attitude. It can make all the difference. So you must work on being able to keep positive and keep going. Everyone will have different ways, but things like – “I’ll have a bit to eat when I get to the next control”, or “I’ll feel better soon”, or “Everyone else will be suffering” are great pick-me-ups.
Golden Rule No. 2 – Know your limits and be honest with yourself Competing solo is very tough mentally, probably more so than in a team as you don’t have the support of team-mates in those wobbly upper-lip moments. However with the correct mental approach you can really get a lot out of the experience. This is something you can work on during your training. Take off those rose tinted spectacles and really look at how good you are at the various disciplines, running, biking, nav., nutrition etc. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses will allow you to better plan and anticipate your performance.
Golden Rule No. 3 – Focus (and I don’t mean the car) At times in a race, usually the start, there will be lots of people around. It is very easy to be distracted by this and make mistakes – more so than in a team. In these situations focus on what you are doing more than ever.
Golden Rule No. 4 –Navigate, Navigate, Navigate Not many races where you don’t have to do some navigating – or route choice, in a team you don’t have to be the navigator, however by yourself praying won’t help you. Get out with a map and compass regularly or even better do some Orienteering/Trailquest events – they are prefect training.
Golden Rule No. 5 – Just do it yourself (cos there’s no-one else to do it for you) One of the great things about solo racing is that you don’t have to rely upon other people – however it’s a double edged sword, someone has to do it and that person is you. Don’t wait for other people to do it for you, either during the race or beforehand.
Golden Rule No. 6 – Like the Scouts, Be Prepared! So, you do all the training and just have to turn up to do well – right? Well wrong actually. You need to make sure that your gear is ready, bike working well etc. The few days up to the race are really important and should be used wisely – saying that don’t beat yourself up about it – all of us have left it to the last minute from time to time (as most people seeing me at an ACE Race would agree!).
