Triathlon Race Week Trips

a triathlon bike
January 30, 2017

Mike Ricci

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Here are a few race week tips that may help you in your upcoming race:

Equipment:

Swim Wetsuit

Make sure the zipper works and add a little lubricant to make it zip and unzip easier.

See if there are any holes in the suit itself

Remember body glide or Pam spray this on your lower legs, wrists and back of you neck. This will help you from getting burns.

Swim Goggles

Check to see that the gaskets aren’t old and crusty or falling off

Bring two pairs to the race start in case you lose a pair or the strap breaks

Bring a dark pair and a clear pair to use if the day is cloudy or bright

If your goggles are scratched you may want to replace them|

Bike

Tighten all bolts on the bike

Check tire threads and make sure your tires are not starting to dry out from winter’s storage (if you are using race wheels)

Change over the magnet so that you can get MPH or cadence

Clean your chain the week of the race

Clean your bike the week of the race (that 2 lbs of dirt that you remove will make a difference)

Make sure your cables aren't frayed

Bring extra tubes to the transition area before the race

Your tire repair kit should have two tubes and two CO2 cartridges or you should have a frame pump with you on the bike

Run

Pick out your race socks and put them inside your race shoes so you don’t forget them

Bring your race belt

Bring your race hat

Bring your fuel belt or water carrier if you use one.

Nutrition:

Start drinking water on Wednesday before a Saturday race and Thursday for a Sunday race

No sugar

Try not to eat after 6:00 pm

Eat light and often

Mental Preparation:

Each night before going to bed focus on good form, seeing yourself do well during the race and reaching your goals

Give yourself a mantra to repeat to yourself during the race when it gets hard – when the bike gets hard for me during a race I like to say “ I am tough and my legs are pistons”

Focus on the mission, do not lose sight of your goals

Positive thinking will help you a lot, but negative thinking twill almost certainly doom your race.

Physical Self:

Do your workouts as scheduled

Get plenty of rest

Eat right – no sugar the week of the race.

Get your workouts in early in the day – more time to rest

Other Tips:

Pack your stuff long before you leave and recheck it again later

Follow the attached checklist

Get to the race sign in early – get this out of the way

If you have time – drive the bike course and bike the run course

Make sure you know when your wave starts!

Don’t forget sun block the morning of the race. I usually put it on before I put on all my race clothing.

        

Coach Mike Ricci is the Founder and Head Coach for D3 Multisport.  His coaching style is ‘process-focused’ vs. ‘results-focused.’ When working with an athlete, their understanding of how and why they are improving is always going to take precedence over any race result. Yes, there is an end goal, but in over 2 decades of coaching, experience has shown him that if you do the right work, and for the right reasons, the results will follow.

Coach Mike is a USAT Level III Elite Certified Coach, Ironman University Certified Coach, and Training Peaks Level II Certified Coach. He was honored as the USAT Coach of the Year.

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