Training Tip Tuesday #2: Approach the Line With Confidence

The irony of me writing this advice after the worst race I’ve had in quite some time is not lost on me. However, the rational still stands true- we have to approach the starting line confident that we will give everything we have to give that day and come out with a good result.  The last big race of the year can be very foreboding. It’s the accumulation of many, many weeks and months of preparation. On the other side of this relatively small snapshot in time is the offseason. A bleak period with long, dark, cold nights, no training or immediate race in sight and only the final memories of our last race of the year and what experience that brought us. That’s a scary thought and especially if our “A” race has us lining up against some of the best in the world it’s not a very comforting one.

Here are a couple tips I’ve found to be very helpful when facing a big race:

11)   Treat it like just another race. By this point in the season you’ve probably raced at least once or twice already. Some of us may have competed 10 or more times while maybe others have only done a few local races. Nonetheless, you’ve been through the routine, you’ve lost your bike in transition, you’ve waited in those long porta-pottie lines, maybe you’ve even forgotten something absolutely crucial like bike shoes (or insoles- true story, I did that last year), goggles or a water bottle. In summary- this ain’t your first rodeo. If you think of the big race just like any other race you’ve done- that is, maybe you don’t think about it too much, then there’s no reason to get worked up about it and you won’t have to combat those energy draining nerves.

22)   Look back over your training log from the year. Hopefully you keep some sort of record of the training you do throughout the year. If not well… I’ll address that in a different post. If you do have a log then get it out and start flipping through the year you’ve had. You’ve come many, many miles since the start of this season. You’ve probably had way more early mornings than you wanted and suffered a lot more in sessions than you originally planned to. Sure, there are some blank days in there and times you completely bombed the workout but let your eyes gloss over those and key in on the successful days you’ve had. Look at how you’ve knocked out some really good days of training even when you were tired. Recognize the strength you’ve shown grinding through sessions and sometimes even smashing them despite being fatigued. Draw on all of that for confidence and know that the hard work just doesn’t go away. You can execute on race day just like you’ve executed in countless training sessions.

33)   Know that all you can do is do your best. As cliché as it sounds to just “do your best,” it really stands true when it comes to racing. Pre-race anxiety comes because we are comparing ourselves to our competition or a time standard. If you remove all expectation of performance and just determine to give your best effort on the day then there is no need to be anxious. You KNOW you can push yourself hard because you’ve done it in training. You know what pain is, you know adversity, none of those things are new and you’ve triumphed already countless times in your daily training and life. A race is just another chance to give the best effort you’re capable of and push yourself as hard as you can.

44)   Be grateful for the opportunity to race. The physical talents we have are a blessing and the ability to do a triathlon should not be taken for granted. Many people race for a cause or after having overcome cancer or another disease. What a great reminder of how blessed we are to be fit and well enough to compete.

55)   Celebrate. Racing is a chance to express the hard work you’ve done. Treat the race as a celebration of your health, your fitness and the journey you’ve had along the way. We spend most of our time on that journey and racing is just a chance to commemorate all the good (and miserable) times we’ve had along the way.

So good luck with whatever races you have left this year. Relish the opportunities you’re given. Seize the day and have fun!!