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Pre-Event Practices and Mistakes to Avoid
An important component to any individual competition is your pre-event routine—the habits you adopt the few days before your race. It’s Thursday, and you’re getting ready for Sunday’s marathon. Your habits over the next few days can make a dramatic difference in your race performance, and how well you recover.
Sometimes even subtle stresses can have significant effects on your race performance. Being aware of the most important ones, and making the appropriate adjustments, can help you have a more efficient and enjoyable race day:
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Question: Why are some endurance athletes—I am thinking specifically of Mark Allen during his Ironman Hawaii heyday—so much better able to handle stress than their peers? Pre-race day, they seem so relaxed and calm. Or are they just better able to hide pre-competition jitters? Others, however, seem like basket cases—tense, stressed out, and nervous.
Answer: Part of an athlete’s ability to handle stress better is associated with their confidence. They know the training has gone well, they feel good, and the discipline carries over to race day. Some have previously experienced the stress of race day in a negative way and have made a conscious effort to find a way to deal with it. But even Mark Allen had pre-race tension—it didn’t show because of his powerful focus on the event at hand. Others have trouble controlling their stress, not just at a race but in all other facets of life. They get to the start on race day and it’s as if they’ve already raced but now have to do another one.
- Perhaps the most common nutritional deficiency in athletes before racing is water. Dehydration may increase with pre-race stress and especially during hot, dry weather. Athletes are too often dehydrated, with the problem more prevalent in the days before an event. The best way to remain hydrated is to drink small amounts of water—perhaps four to six ounces each time—throughout the day and evening, rather than a couple of high-volume loads here and there. Carry a water bottle around with you at all times.
- Keep workouts to a minimum, if at all, in both duration and intensity. The best rule regarding training before a race, especially the few days before, is “less is best.” You’ll receive no race benefits by training during these last few days, but only potential stress that adversely affects your race. However, you want to keep loose and relaxed, as too little activity can make you stiff and jittery. Walking is the best option when you’re feeling this way. And the day or two before the race you should consider taking off completely, using walking in order to stay loose.
- While most athletes ponder the power behind their muscles, they usually underestimate the power of the mind. But you can train it just like your muscles. You have control over some potentially stressful activity before you race, namely how you think. Negative thoughts about the race can and should be turned into a positive outlook with realistic aspirations. You are in charge of your mind, but traditions, past experiences (yours and those of other people), and other memories have major influences. So remember, you’re there to have fun and perform the best you can.
- Continue to eat the same kinds of healthy food you’re used to. Also, try to stay on the same time schedule. Late-night dinners with foods and alcoholic beverages you don’t usually consume can potentially be dangerous to your performance. Remember, the body doesn’t like too much change.
- Follow the same race routine that has proven to work for you, assuming it’s a healthy one. If you’re not sure what works, pay more attention to your body. Don’t just blindly copy what others do. Avoid trying new equipment, shoes, drinks, and food before and during your event. Experiment during training, not on the day of competition.
- Warm-up on race morning. Depending on the distance and the event layout, you can walk or perform the particular activity you’ll be competing in, but with very little intensity. If you have an adequate aerobic base, a good warm-up should total at least about twenty to thirty minutes for shorter races and at least fifteen minutes for any event.
- Eating on the morning of an event is very individual. Experiment during a hard training workout or a low-key event to determine what works best. Avoid high-sugar foods and drinks since these can adversely affect fat burning during the race, reducing endurance.
