Mental Training

Race day is just so many things. Different experiences at different times of the day. Really it's just about being "in the moment." None of the "I got 100 miles to go..." stuff. Just concentrating on whatever the next milestone is, and on hydration/fueling/pacing. As for the last 20km, I found it became very social. Talked with other athletes - cheered each other on. Was friendly with the spectators and volunteers. Smiling is great. Just take it all in and enjoy it.

Which Ironman?

Preparation for an IM mentally....I think just sort of happens if you train consistently for it. Mentally, the training was way harder than the actual race for me. I'll offer also that the mental toughness developed was not limited to only training. The changes were welcomed in all aspects of my life.  So, don't slack on the training. When you don't want to get up early, cause you're just tired, get up. When you want to walk the last mile of your run, keep running. When you want to cut your bike ride short by 20 minutes, don't. When you don't want to do 10 minutes of interval work in the middle of your run...do it anyway. When you don't want to rest, rest.  As far as race day is concerned...great advice above

One of the best articles I've read on the subject.

If you do your training and taper right, you should be well rested, and very anxious to get things rolling that day. Know that it's an Ironman, not baseball, so it will be hard. When it gets hard, recognize it and work with it. Visualization is a wonderful tool. I write about it in my book, a memoir on conquering yourself, THe Competitor in Me.

Like someone else said, visualization helps a lot. I took up meditation last year because I was freaking out too much. I trained alone all year so it was really boring. Meditation helped calm me through all the stress and visualizing the race helped me prepare for what to expect. I'd visualise every aspect of the race and everyday imagine something going wrong.. like image someone kicked you in the face and knocked off your goggles. Then id imagine how I "should" deal with it.. stop.. catch my goggles, put it back on, take a breath and carry on.. or pull out the extra pair I stashed in my suit. Then visualise the perfect race from then on. Next tine visualize getting a flat tire.. play it out step by step how you'd deal with this down to the tiniest detail. By the time race day came, I experienced ever scenario in my head and knew if anything happened I'd be prepared. Race day came and it was great, just think of it as another training day with thousands of new friends. Stay positive stay in the moment and enjoy it, if you've done the training the race itself is easy. Think of it as a celebration for all the suffering you've done.