Tips For Primal Quest Success!
Posted on 12/05/08 12:51 PM| by Kraig
Awhile back we requested that experienced Primal Quest racers share their tips and experiences. Our first submission comes to us from “Earring” Doug Judson of Team Tecnu Extreme/Staphaseptic Adventure Racing. Doug writes:
Aaaahhh, the million dollar question. How to prepare for a PQ or a longer expedition competition?? Well, after racing off and on since 1997, I have had many good and some not so good races. I have made ALL the mistakes, and generally learned from those mistakes. Having a successful race is about controlling the variables, so that also translates to training. The more you control your environment, the less apt you are for injuries, the better aptitude for success, and the better race you will eventually have. I was pulled from PQ MT because I had severe pneumonia, and near kidney failure from my illness, the altitude change, and by generally just NOT taking quite as good care of myself as I should have.
So word to the wise, train the way you want to race. If that’s as an adventure racer, train that way. If it is as an adventure travelor, train that way. Know your expectations, and be flexible. Be consistent in your training. Also be VERY consistent in your rest days. Train with your team, and know their strengths and weaknesses. Try to be as well rounded as you can, and make sure you are comfortable with ALL the events you will be doing during the race, and feel comfortable with the equipment you will be using. And most importantly, make sure that you are as complete a racer as you can be. don’t just focus on physical preparation. Mentally you need to be on the same page as your body. P repare to let things go as the race approaches. Streamline your life. Rely on your husband or wife more as the event nears. Let them help make your life easier. Enter the event calm, cool, collected, and without hesitation. Fear the race. It will keep you sharp. What you are about to do is something VERY few people will get to do in their lifetimes. Cherish that moment, but relish it. Respect it. Absorb it. Don’t waste negative energy thinking about “”what if.” do visualization dreaming about the race going as planned, very little mistakes, and the team crossing the finish line safe and as friends. And don’t forget to attend as many navigation clinics, and rogaines, and orienteering events as possible as a team. You have 4 sets of eyes. Use them. Get everyone involved in helping you travel the terrain faster. Eat during your race what you eat in training, just MORE of it. And don’t sweat the small stuff. Things happen during an event that will bother you, but you need to refocus your energy in a positive direction and just let it go. you need that energy in the well. Savor the moment. Take pictures with your team of the amazing sights your eyes will feast on. You will treasure that forever. Enjoy testing the boundaries of human endurance.
Sage advice indeed! Thanks Doug! If you have tips to share, send them to us at info@ecoprimalquest.com
Photo by Mike Hedge
