Your training is almost done and the countdown to your big race is under way! You might be wondering what to do with your time now that your taper period is about to start. Here are some things to pay attention to in the final few weeks before your race to make sure you are truly prepared.
- Athlete guide – make sure you have the current year’s guide, which is usually published a few weeks prior to the race. Race organizers have a multitude of details to put into place for race day, so when that information is available – read it and take note of any changes to what you may have seen in the past. Covid and safety protocols may have changed some of the procedures you would be accustomed to seeing previously. Don’t mess up because you are working with outdated information.
- Nutrition – By now you should have dialled in your own nutrition strategy and determined how you will carry it. The athlete guide will include information about what nutrition will be on the course. If you haven’t been training with these products already, be very careful about deciding to rely on what is offered on the course to avoid stomach troubles. Carrying your own products might take some effort to manage but is far better than having to stop during your run to take care of business.
- Pre-race eating – Staying hydrated and following a nutrition plan in the last few days before the big race takes extra effort, especially if travelling. Too many athletes try to avoid making pitstops and don’t hydrate enough or rely on restaurant food and travel timing for meals. It’s worth packing food, snacks and hydration – and stopping when you need to – to avoid going into your race dehydrated, depleted or full of high fibre, fatty foods.
- Skills – Did you do some training swims in open water in a wetsuit – and practiced taking it off in a hurry without getting hung up on your watch? Have you practiced mounting and dismounting your bike at a dismount line? Are you comfortable with taking a water bottle from a volunteer riding through an aid station? Has your training included getting enough hydration and fuelling while navigating uphill and downhill efforts? These are all skills that may not have been part of your training plan but can present challenges on race day.
- Packing – Don’t leave this until the last minute – it takes far longer than you think. Getting your gear organized and into the appropriate bags means walking through each step of the process and anticipating what you will need at each step. Even before setting up in transition, you may have a special needs bag that will be dropped off in advance. Check the weather forecast for race day so you can be prepared if it’s likely that a big drop or increase in temperature or if foul weather may come in. Better to have it and not use it than to be stuck out on a bike course and freezing.
- Mental Preparation – This is tricky and unique to each athlete and, sometimes, to each situation. Your race strategy is only one aspect of being mentally prepared. If you haven’t experienced rain, big winds, extreme heat, flat tires, dropped chains etc. during your training and are suddenly faced with one of these challenges, your mental preparation will become your back up plan. Think through how you will deal with these situations in advance, so you have already made your decision about whether you are willing to DNF or deal with it and finish.
- Remember your ‘why’ – Going into an endurance event takes courage as well as training. In training, you have learned something about suffering during the hard rides and tough runs. You started for a reason – so keep that reason in mind if you slip into a ‘dark place’ during your race. That can sometimes be the only thing that gets you through to the finish.
Remember your why. You started this for a reason – be prepared to keep that in mind if you slip into a ‘dark place’ during your race.
