nevergivin's group (Closed) (Page 19)

Race preperation/Performance

The best tip I can pass on to everyone is something I learned after my first year of racing, the more prepared I was at the start of the race the better I performed, it took me almost a year to figure that out! Nothing worse than getting out of the swim and trying to find your bike among 2000 other bikes, it happened to me. I will cover transitions later, my point is that you can do allot of preperation before the race even begins that will have a huge impact on how you race, regardless if you planning to place or just want to make it to the finish.

I will shut down all my training two days before any race, I call the prep days. Anyone will tell you that its better to go into a race well rested as opposed to training up until the last second, I fully take advantage of this by checking out the course if I can, I will also have a good idea where on the course exactly I will be getting food and drink, so I can plan accordingly. I will typically become somewhat familiar with how the swim is  set up so that I can plan on how to sight the bouys. The bike portion I will be paying attention to road conditions were I may need to exercise caution. The run part Im just looking at the difference in surfaces and elevation changes. I will put all of my mental notes together to form some sort of strategy or  goals based on this info. 

My second priority is to get my stuff together early so that I can have time to double check what I will be bringing, and how I will pack it in to my vehicle. One thing to always pack is a flashlight flashlight, if you are like me and like to get a good spot then sometimes you have to get there early when its very dark. And while on that subject, a good spot can save time, if you are a weaker cyclist try to get closer to the bike exit, as a weak runner try to get closer to the run exit. Once you get your spot setup go through a few trial run transitions, go through the motions for each transition, this does two things that are extremely important, it will get you very familiar with where your spot is in proximity to all entrances and exits, you will know the proper exits and entrances to use! I promise you will see people lost, getting lost on the course,loosing thier spot, not knowing the correct exit to use! Practicing and using these tips will not only give you confidence on race day but will make your race go that much smoother.