C. I dig nervous anticipation. I'm like a kid in a candy store--the race can't start soon enough.

[QUOTE=deepbluex;50963]A. Killer aggression
B. Zen serenity
C. Enthusiastic restlessness
D. Robotic task-oriented focus
E. Class clown zaniness[/QUOTE]

A and E ... Im gonna kick your ass but i'm gonna make a joke when i pass you , lol

A through C in varying degrees almost at random.

[QUOTE=deepbluex;50963]A. Killer aggression
B. Zen serenity
C. Enthusiastic restlessness
D. Robotic task-oriented focus
E. Class clown zaniness[/QUOTE]

mostly A, but if we are in a teams race it's E.

envision my self TT'ing with lance and the disco boys
i usually hum higher by creed
repeating choice sentences like:

"Never look back" - Trifuel post
"Speed? I am Speed" - Cars
"run b#%&H RUN" - Various
"dont leave anything out here that you cant take with you" - LBS
"Competitor 256.........get her phone number later" - ME!
"Chase that MO FO" - Friday
"It's what you do right now that makes a difference" Black Hawk Down

typically - the song "Wheels" by Cake is running thru my head

Never A
Always B
Often C
D (as part of B)
Forever E (If you can't have fun...stay home and cut the grass!)

B until the gun cracks, then A seems to take over-- in a nice way though. :rolleyes:

Everything before the gun sounds
SWIM: C
BIKE: A+
RUN: D

D. Robotic task-oriented focus

CD for me by far...

Depends on the length of the race.

For a sprint, A. Go hard or go home! I will be honest here, when I'm racing a sprint I am all about speed, and I have no apologies about feeling rather aggressive. No time for goofing around!

For a 1/2 IM, C. and D. I am still going hard, but I must pay more attention to details of pacing and nutrition. I am going fast, but I am trying to execute my race according to plan. Any goofing around is purely inside my head, like I like to sing "Disco Inferno" to myself whenever I'm racing with my disk wheel.

For an IM, D. and B. rule, because it's all about patience and pacing, but when the occasion presents itself, E. (I stopped to dance on a "boogie" bullseye at IMC 2004 and that was my fastest race), and of course during the last mile, C.

Mostly A-C, depending. THough D creeps in for specific parts of the race.

A only happens on the bike or run. Prior to the start, it's always C...although I am getting a bit Zen-ny these days.

hak

[QUOTE=deepbluex;50963]A. Killer aggression
B. Zen serenity
C. Enthusiastic restlessness
D. Robotic task-oriented focus
E. Class clown zaniness[/QUOTE]

A. never
B. most of the time I am calm
C. I am excited about doing the event
D. I am focused but not to serious
E. Oh Yeah!! Send in the clown baby! :D

[QUOTE=deepbluex;50963]A. Killer aggression
B. Zen serenity
C. Enthusiastic restlessness
D. Robotic task-oriented focus
E. Class clown zaniness[/QUOTE]

I can reflect on Sunday morning easily since it was so recent.
I feel closer to E, but it's not so much zaniness as I'm just happy to be there.
No fear, no agonizing about how it's going to go.

Mostly wishing it would last forever and we could all just stand around waiting for the start enjoying having reached this point of being about to start and at the same time being a little bit reluctant to get going because I want the feeling to last a long, long time.

No D, I know what I'm doing without having to obsess over it.
No B, 'cos I don't believe in that crap.
Definitely no A, I'd stop and give aid to a fellow Ironman racer in a heartbeat even if it meant I was delayed (next year may be different though)
Not much C. I don't feel restless.

Good question.

Geoff

I wouldn't call it robotic but definitely focus. Each of the three events have phases and an overall goal. Never A, not me. Can't B cause I gotta be mellowed out I guess. C before and after the race and E is my life, but usually gets me in trouble :D

I think the day I'm not nervous before a race is the day I stop doing triathlons. Whats the thrill when there no unknown.

"Talk of the Town"
"Jungle Gym"
-Jack Johnson

Hmm.. there is a zen focused flow between B and D that takes over while mountain biking. When road biking, I'm just relaxed. I was chatting it up with some other competitors for half the bike ride last weekend.

I am totally D in the water. I get in a super focused state where all I think about is keeping perfect form, drafting, and maintaining stroke rate. Maybe it's just me, but swimming takes a lot of concentration.

I never get too aggresive. I try to keep a very steady pace.

[QUOTE=deepbluex;50963]A. Killer aggression
B. Zen serenity
C. Enthusiastic restlessness
D. Robotic task-oriented focus
E. Class clown zaniness[/QUOTE]

Swim: D
Bike: A+ /C+
Run:B/D

Before the race - D
Bike - B
Run - B - and as the run progresses - E

I seem to never remember specific details about 2/3 of the races, but I always remember the beginning and the last few miles.