Race Week Tips
All training tips are courtsey of Oliver Harkin, he can be contacted on +44 7834 041 993 or info@primed4fitness.com and his website is www.primed4fitness.com.
Training:
Train early in the week- short sessions in each discipline to aid recovery with a few shorts sprints thrown in to keep you on your toes for race day. Two days before the race take a full day off and get plenty of sleep that night . The day before the race do a very short spin on the bike and a very gentle run afterwards. Check the bike especially your brakes and tyres and make sure to pump your tyres to the correct pressure.
Rest and Sleep:
You cannot add to your level of fitness the week before a race by training more, this will just leave you tired and heavy legged on race day. Makesure to get plenty of rest and sleep leading up to the race.
Nutrition during the week:
Keep yourself well hydrated and continue to eat a normal balanced diet. Cut back on the fats and fibre a few days before the race and increase the amount of carbs you consume to make sure your energy stores are full come race day. Only eat foods you are used to – this is no time to experiment with exotic foods.
Equipment:
The night before the race, check you have all the equipment you need and pack it away. Also bring spares in case things break before the race.
RACE DAY:
- Eat your last main carb meal no later than 3 hours before the race start, porridge is the traditional favourite. Give yourself plenty of time to get to the race location and arrive early. Avoid a last minute rush as this can leave you stressed.
- Register and then attach your timing chip to your ankle straight away. Get to transition area about 90 minutes before the race start to set up. Set up your gear in a logical order of what you need first being at the front. Leave room on your transition mat or towel to dry your feet or to wipe the sand or muck off them.
- Don't try anything new on race day. This includes drinks, food, gels, bike, wetsuit, goggles, runners etc. Without having tried these in training in advance they may not meet your expectations and can ruin all your hard work during the race.
- Do a thorough warm up and stretch. Check your bike again and make sure it is in an easy gear for you to start pedalling in as you leave transition. Walk through transition area from the swim exit to make sure you can locate where you have left your bike.
- Listen to the race briefing as there may be important safety or course change information.
- With 30 minutes to go, sip on some energy drink and try to relax as much as you can. If the race is a sprint distance then water will be enough to see you through. If the race is longer then energy drinks and gels will be required to top up your energy during the race but you must have tried these in training before hand.
Swim: Before the race start position yourself in the pack according to your true ability, i.e. weaker swimmers to the back of the field. During the swim make sure to look up to sight for the marker buoys where you are going - there is no black line to follow in an open water event. Near the end of the swim, kick your legs a bit faster to get more blood into your leg muscles in readiness for the bike ride to come.
Bike: Helmet must be on before you touch your bike. Near the end of the bike spin your legs a bit faster to get you ready for the run section coming up.
Run: At the start of the run your legs will probably feel heavy or jelly like, don't worry this feeling will pass. Ease yourself into the run and find a comfortable pace initially that you can then raise later.
After the race, have an energy drink and an energy snack such as a bar or banana to start the recovery progress straight away. Cool down and stretch. If possible get back into the cold water to help your legs recover.