Triathlon Race Prep
Triathlon racing season is here! With Ironman Melbourne, Abu Dhabi, Wildflower, and Oceanside 70.3 all scheduled to occur in the coming weeks, chances are your race is right around the corner. Before each race season, I like to do a few things to get my mind, body, and gear ready so that when race morning dawns I am ready.
Psychologically, I do a few things. I first begin visualizing and simulating the swim. Before I hop in the pool I will recall the feeling of standing on the beach before sprinting in or treading water before the gun goes off. During my workout, I will do my warm up and cool down “blind” (with my eyes closed) to mimic the feeling of not being able to see the bottom of the pool. I will also enlist the help of my friends and swim three abreast in one lane to get the feeling swimming with people all around me and practice drafting.
My training switches to more race specific work as well. My favorite workout to do is to do a 1600m set with the first 200 sprint then settle into a race pace for 800, build for 1400 and sprint the last 200. It hits on and simulates each of my paces during each part of the race. In each workout, I will do at least one or two sets at my specific race pace goal with shorter and shorter rest as the race approaches.
In the weeks leading up to my race, I will also prep my gear. I will dust off the wetsuit (if its wetsuit legal) and soak it the bathtub to loosen it up a bit and to see if it has any holes that need repairing. Traveling to open water to get the feeling of swimming with a wetsuit is worth the trip, but a few laps in the pool will do the trick as well. To get my goggles ready, I need to figure out my wave time to see if I will need mirrored lenses or not, and then break in a fresh pair at least two weeks before. That is a superstition I have; you do not need new goggles every time you race. I like the feeling of a brand new one though. However, nothing new on race day!
This is an exciting part of the year but remember there is no point in stressing or worrying about your race. Prepare for it as much as you can, then let the rest take care of itself. There will always be more races
Train hard!
Coach Chris and Kev
