Getting ‘race ready’ starts from the moment you commit to racing. That moment could be months or even years before race day itself, but all the actions you take from that point onwards, are what gets you ‘race ready.’ Training and improving in the disciplines of swim, bike and run allow you to get ready for the physical and mental challenge ahead, but far too often we see people overlooking those last few days of preparation, which if not handled properly, have the potential to undo months of hard work.
As the pre-race nerves kick in and you start to freshen up through tapering, its time to get organised and ready to race.
- Have you got your nutrition sorted?
- Have you serviced your bike?
- Are your wetsuit and goggles all ok?
- Have you tested all of the above?
If you are a seasoned pro, then this process will be second nature but at a time when nerves are high, mistakes can be made. Just ask any veteran of the sport or coach, they will have made mistakes that could have been avoided through better organisation. Forgotten goggles, flat tyres, uncharged watches, no nutrition and the wrong start time are just the start…
I think the thing that I’m trying to emphasise here is that your own organisation in the last few days and hours of your preparation, will determine how well you can execute on all of the months of training that you’ve done. Don’t leave things to chance. Get organised and avoid all those last minute stresses that will affect your race.
What we’re looking for is to be calm, controlled and ready to race. Not wasting valuable energy stressing and rushing about doing last minute things that could have been sorted earlier. Remember, all that energy should be used on swim, ride and run!
Triathlon can be overwhelming enough, so we’ve kept things simple in order to help you out in getting race ready and getting organised. Here is a simple checklist divided into each discipline, of things that you should think through in the lead up to your race. Feel free to add your own additional check boxes to this, so that you feel in control and organised.
Let us know how you go!
Download your race checklist HERE.