No doubt 48 hours contests are hard, that is one of the things that attract me
to them. While not K1AR or KQ2M class in terms of quantity, I have probably
done about 30 full bore efforts. Some of those efforts are a source pride,
some were disappointments, and a few were total failures.
My experience is that, despite the grueling length, 48 hour contesting is still
more mental than physical. That said, as I learned the hard way a few years
back, food is an important factor. No amount of skill will overcome a lack of
nutrition and hydration. I have also found that exercising on a regular basis
has a big impact on performance.
The next hurdles, fatigue, loss of focus, and delusions are mental in nature
and there are techniques that can deal with them. Just a few tricks, realizing
that fatigue is cyclical and focus can be regained with very short naps,
relieves some of the panic that sets in when these symptoms occur. Delusions
are the scariest of all and can only be understood by those who have
experienced them, but they too can be overcome.
Admittedly, age will overtake all of us but my point is that knowing what to
expect and having some techniques in your arsenal for when you "hit the wall"
creates the opportunity for more stamina and endurance than most of us think is
possible. I have done serious 48 hour contesting for about 12 years, and it is
seems easier now than I can ever remember.
One technique that I would add to George's comments is to have a goal.
Counting down the final hours (14 to go, 13 to go, etc.) leads to fatigue and
the contest seems interminable. However, if you are pushing for a goal, the
time goes by faster. Precontest goals will prove to be too far off the mark.
I usually set a goal at the half way point. If that seems either too easy or
too hard after 10 hours, I will reset the goal or go to a points per hour goal.
It is incredible how fast the Sunday hours go by this way. Usually Saturday
night and Sunday morning are potentially slow times and are periods of high
fatigue. I usually set a goal to score X million points between 0Z and 10Z.
This keeps me focused when I can easily lose my mind. It also keeps you in the
chair.
None of this sounds pleasant but, no matter what the outcome, the sense of
accomplishment of finishing a 48 hour contest is one of the true pleasures of
radiosport.
You don't have to be smiling to be having fun
73, Tom W2SC
PS: I do not minimize the health effects/risks of sitting for nearly 48 hours.
I would be very interested in expert opinions in this area and precautions
that we should be taking.
-----Original Message-----
From: George Fremin III [mailto:geoiii@kkn.net]
Sent: Tuesday, July 19, 2005 10:01 PM
To: cq-contest@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] N3BB IARU SOAB CW (Long Comments)
On Tue, Jul 12, 2005 at 06:33:59PM -0500, Jim George N3BB wrote:
> posted. It won't accept any thing else. Here's my analysis and off beat
> musing stuff.
>
> Jim N3BB
>
> This contest was *hard*! It was a grind, and I concluded that 24 hours is
> my max. I just don't think it's sane or healthy to sit in a chair for 48
> hours and made myself a promise to avoid 48 hour contests. Right now, even
> two and a half days after the IARU ended, I still think how hard this was.
>
I think that if done right contests should be hard. If you are not
totally spent at the end then my guess is that you did not give the
contest everything you had. I find that I have to make an effort to
keep the pressure on, to keep flogging the second radio, to keep
looking for rate or ways to get new multipliers.
In most contests you do not know how others are doing so you have to
keep working as hard as you can to maximize your score - you can not
let up - and I find it very hard to keep that going hour after
hour without a measure as to your place.
But I also know that I can rest when the contest is over - but until
then I know I need to keep pushing for the next contact no matter how
hard.
The thing that helped me become more focused in contests was finally
getting it through my head that the contest only lasts for a given
period of time. As each minute goes by that is one less minute that
you have to increase your score. It took me many years but I finally
came to understand this and with it the need to get contacts in the
log because before you know it your time is up.
--
George Fremin III - K5TR
geoiii@kkn.net
http://www.kkn.net/~k5tr
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