EXECUTING ON RACE DAY- A Good Racer Always Leaves Hope
I don’t know about you but I get really excited for race day. It’s a day of celebration where we can celebrate the work we have done over the past weeks and months in our training. Race day is by no means easy but it is surely exciting. Now, you might be asking- how do you execute your perfect race? The answer is simple and it does not lie in wattages, paces or secret formulas- it lies in one thing- how you execute mentally on race day.
There are dozens of articles and books that focus on being in the ‘moment’ or achieving a state of ‘flow’. For me, I know the only things I can control are my attitude and effort. So, I do my best to bring my best attitude forward. Here are a few tips that I live by on race day:
Small World, Small Problems: There might times when things get tough. If they do, I make my world as small as possible. That might be as simple as bringing my gaze down from the horizon to within a meter of myself. Simply by lowering my gaze, I can focus on the next few steps instead of the looming stretch of road or hill ahead. Additionally, I might focus on one part of what is going on. For example, if I am on the bike, I might focus on the tempo of my breathe and cadence or how the pressure on my pedals feels throughout the pedal stroke.
Think about getting stronger: It feels good to get stronger as your race goes on. It feels even better when you are going past other racers. Set yourself up to not only race faster but to build your confidence as the day goes on. Prepare yourself mentally and physically to get stronger as the race unfolds.
A Good Racer Always Leaves Hope: This is the most important rule I live by. Let’s say you have a bad swim, you gotta say to yourself ‘I am going to have the best transition and bike’. If that doesn’t go as planned, ‘I am going to have a great first 2 miles on the run’. If that doesn’t work and you find yourself coming to the finish chute, say to yourself, ‘I am going to have my best finish chute ever.’ I personally have went so far to say to myself- ‘I am going to have a great post race celebration and car ride home.' At the end of the day, always leave yourself a chance to succeed.
These tips are great for race day and can also be used in your daily training. Just remember that if you can bring your best attitude and effort to your training and racing, you can set yourself up for many successes.
Give Me Five,
Andy