Congratulations! You've qualified for your first Kona slot. Now what? Here are the Everyman Tri top-10 common-sense things to do in the days leading up to what will be your best Ironman.
10) Get Plenty of Sleep
I was a bit sleep deprived the morning of the 2007 Ironman Wisconsin, thanks to the drunk college girl who returned to the hotel at 2:30 a.m. and banged on every door until she found her own room...which happened to be next to mine.
After training for an expensive race like an Ironman, you want to get at least a few hours of sleep before the big day. Find a hotel away from airports, amusement parks and spring-break hot spots. Better yet, stay with friends or family (as long as they don't have crying newborns). Most of all, practice going to bed early. Staying up late every night except the one right before your race will ensure a night spent lying awake in bed thinking too much.
9) Swim the Swim, Drive the Bike, and Bike the Run
If possible, I recommend getting up close and physical with the swim, bike and run course in the days before the race. Learn the eccentricities of the course. Ask around or try emailing the local tri club. It cuts down on the surprises.
There was an especially enchanted part of the Ironman Wisconsin bike course my race buddies and I called Rude Monkey Forest. Why? Because somewhere around the 40-mile mark, when you plunge down into what can best be described as a tropical forest, you get pelted by something nasty from the thick canopy of trees. That knowledge in hand, I wasn't caught off guard when a mystery object smacked my helmet during the race.
8) Never Try Something New Before the Race
Don't even think about switching to a new type of seat for your bike, race supplement for your nutrition and hydration, or pre-race diet. The best thing you can do is the exact same thing you have been doing in the weeks and months before the race.
When your buddy suggests trying the new Indian restaurant down the street, just say "no thanks," make yourself a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich and call it a night. After the race feel free to go nuts.
7) Listen to Your Body, Not Your Watch.
I've pretty much given up on using any technology right before a race. There are two reasons for this: the official reason and my real reason.
Official Reason: There's a school of thought that claims endurance athletes have become too reliant on technology. Instead of listening to their bodies, they shape their training and racing based on what their Garmin, Polar or Timex says. Race-day performance is being influenced by data from the last, short pre-race taper training, not by how you actually feel.
My Reason: Just before the race, I have a hard enough time checking in and getting all my transition bags together to worry about heart-rate specifics or data from a brief taper run. I find it much healthier from a mental standpoint to just listen to my body. It can be very liberating to simply go for an easy swim, bike or run before the big show without worrying about numbers.
6) Visualize Victory
The week before your race, find 15 minutes each night and get yourself into a quiet place with no distraction. Try to remove all the daily clutter from your mind and visualize the race.
See yourself in the water swimming with a strong and steady stroke. Visualize yourself running out of the water and putting on your helmet, biking shoes and sunglasses, and heading out onto the bike course.
Did you notice what I just did?
I completely forgot to see myself removing my wetsuit. That's why you do this, so that at race time you know exactly what you will do and how you'll do it. It's a lot easier to go back to transition for gel in your mind than it is to do it in a race.
5) Stack the Odds in Your Favor
When race day comes, we are all betting on something whether we know it or not. Some of us are betting the weather will be cold, others are betting that it will be hot, while most of us are betting that it will be just right. More than one triathlete has called it a day after having a flat on the bike. They bet against this happening by not being prepared (or even knowing how to change a flat tire). When it happened, they lost the bet and were forced out of the race.
But every so often, the stars align just right and a perfect race emerges. That's why it is important to bet big on race day--especially when racing the longest and biggest race of them all.
Don't give yourself an excuse to fail, but give yourself a reason to succeed. Hedge your best by nailing down all of the small-but-important details (like how to change a tire). Then hit the water on race morning believing that you will tear up the course and exceed your wildest expectations.
4) Find a Comfortable Race Outfit and Wear it for the Entire Race.
Transitions are a time of profound confusion for most of us. Why add another layer of worry and waste time by changing clothes? Take a page from the professionals: simplify, simplify, simplify. If you need to, spend a little extra money on good-fitting garb. Just make sure race day isn't the first time you're wearing it.
3) Figure out Your Nutrition and Hydration Plan
In an Ironman-distance race, it is not unreasonable to say that success relies heavily on your nutrition and hydration.
Use a simple two-part strategy: 1) figure out what works best for you, and 2) train like you race. And always remember to bring your own food. There's a good chance that the race may not have your preferred gel or drink. This can be a disaster if your body is not used to what you get on the course.
I stole my best Ironman race supplement from my 10-year-old son: Uncrustables. These are peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches that come individually prepackaged and frozen so they don't make a mess. I put them in my bento box so they are ready to eat on the bike. They are small, crustless and about 250 calories each; for me, the perfect amount of fuel for a strong run.
This advice also includes pre-race dinner and morning-of breakfast. Don't rely on a hotel's continental breakfast. I learned the hard way that cereal, milk and Gatorade don't mix well in my stomach.
2) Chill
Probably the best thing that you can do before your Ironman is just chill out. Whether it's their first Ironman or their 10th, many people get caught up in the moment.
There are a million different things that can go wrong; most easily solved. That's just part of the Ironman package you signed on for a year ago. When these things happen--and they certainly will--take a deep breath and chill.
You have trained countless hours and given up mornings, lunches and weekends to be there, but freaking out before the race won't help. Save that energy and adrenaline for the race. You can buy almost anything at the typical Ironman Expo. Doctors are standing by, along with bike mechanics and race officials, ready to sort out these problems.
1) Thank the Volunteers
True, this is your big day. But there would be no Ironman without volunteers--at least not one that many of us could afford. (The first three Ironman events required competitors to bring their own support crews and provide their own nutrition and hydration.)
All those people checking you in, sorting your transition bags, getting you settled in the correct place in transition, watching out for you on kayaks during the practice swims, and all those thousands of people taking care of you during the race are volunteers. In fact, there are more of them then there are competitors.
Create a tradition of thanking volunteers before the race, because during the race you may just be a bit too busy or too fast to really show your appreciation.
There you have it, a fool proof plan to get you up to the starting line relaxed, focused and ready to race. Just don't forget to smile for the camera and, above all, have fun.
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