Training for race day success

Training is easy. You feel great when you get your endorphin boost, you can control your environment (or select your terrain), there is no pressure because no one is watching or tracking you and you know that if a workout doesn't go as planned, you always have tomorrow to try again.

On the other hand, race day is stressful! Feeling pressure to perform - especially in an unfamiliar and/or uncontrolled environment - brings anxiety, nerves and expectations. It's easy to compare yourself to other athletes and experience a heightened fear of failure. Never in training do you feel what you feel on race day. Far too many athletes complain that they can train better than they race - finishing a race feeling like they underperformed, relating back to all the amazingly great workouts that they crushed, yet feel defeated as to why they were unable to perform on race day, despite feeling so prepared. 

One of the great challenges for triathletes is translating training into a great race day result. Despite feeling overly confident in training, it's important to master the necessary confidence, physical skills, nutrition readiness and mental strength for race day.

Competing like you train seems like an obvious strategy but a better approach is to train like you want to compete.

If you think about all that you (try to) do on race week/day in order to set yourself up for success, why not put that same focus, energy and attention to detail into training? 

• Restful sleep
• Organized and planned diet
• Good mobility
• Planning, focus,, oganization and time-management 
• Relaxation and visualization/meditation
• Good warm-ups
• Proper fueling
• Great daily hydration 
• Reviewing the course maps
• Staying in the moment 
• Rehearsing pacing/strategy/execution
• Ensuring gear/equipment is in great condition
• Fine-tuning sport nutrition 

It seems obvious that if you are going to do something on race day, you should repeatedly do it in training - far too often is this not the case. Rushed and busy schedules, poor planning and lack of application causes athletes to lack confidence for race day. 

If you want to perform well on race day (who doesn't?) it is important that you nail the small (yet very important) components in training. 

For example, this means practicing your pre race and race day nutrition many times in training to ensure confidence for race day. The purpose of training is to build physical and mental skills, habits and strategies that will translate into an optimal performance by your body on race day. Sadly, many athlete get really good at performing workouts underfueled and undernourished and expect to put together a fail-proof pre-race and race day fueling and hydration strategy. I think of this like riding a bike - if you are always riding with poor bike handling skills, you can't expect to master bike handling skills on race day, just because it's race day. The same is true for nutrition. If you are putting together a complex, detailed and precise diet and fueling/hydration strategy for the 48 hours before a race and for race day, but you never practice this approach in training (repeatedly), you've been training half prepared but you are expected to compete 100% prepared. Unfortunately, success doesn't happen this way. You must give 100% to your training if you want to compete well on race day.

The more you treat your training decisions like it's race week/race day, the easier you will find it to perform at your highest level when it counts. Simply put, don't do anything drastic on race week/day that you didn't practice in training. 

Traveling tips for the perfect race-cation

Enjoying the sunset in St. Croix.

Although I consider myself a competitive triathlete, triathlon is an outlet, a stress reliever and an opportunity for me to have my “me” time. Triathlon is much more than the hobby that keeps me healthy and active but it provides me with valuable life experiences. For me, one of my most favorite things about triathlon is having the opportunity to combine traveling and racing - two things that enrich my life. Traveling to a race, although a bit stressful and expensive, can be a fun and exciting experience, filling you with lots of great memories in your triathlon journey and showing you different places and faces. 

Feeling cheesy in route to Madison, Wisconsin. 

When planning your next race-cation, there are a few important considerations that you need to take into consideration to help you minimize the stress and oh-$h!t situations (let's get real here, traveling is not easy-breezy).

My tips below are not requirements but rather suggestions based on our experiences as athletes and as coaches so that you can have the best race-cation experience possible and most importantly, put all your training to good use come race day.

Just lounging around in Mont Tremblant, Canada. 

1. Don't wait to register for your race until the last minute. Not only will you risk your key race selling out but you will likely pay more for waiting until the last minute to register. The earlier you register for a race, the earlier you can start planning for you race. More so, registering for a race commits you to the upcoming journey so you can mentally and physically start preparing.
   
2. Before you register for a race, do your research about the requirements traveling to your race venue (ex. international) as well as projected costs for flights, hotel, etc. Signing up for a race may be inexpensive but the costs can add-up quickly when you factor in the lodging and travel.
   
3. Don't wait to book your lodging! I can't tell you how many athletes wait until a few weeks out to book a place to stay for a race that they registered for 6-12 months in advance. Not only do you risk having limited options near the race venue but you will likely overpay due to your last minute booking. Keep in mind that most places let you cancel (without losing any money) in advance so do yourself a favor and book your lodging as soon as you register for a race. This also goes for rental cars. Flights, however, may increase/decrease in price over the year so you may need to wait until ~3 months out to book an affordable flight.
   
4. For triathletes - review the guidelines for flying with your bike and call the airline ahead of time, letting them know that you will have your bike (at least 2 weeks in advance). Be mindful of the weight limits when flying international versus domestic as well as the price fees for different airlines. Always print out the important details of flying with your special item, just in case you need to help the gate agent with your precious item (your bike is actually a special item - not a oversized item). Other options for traveling with your bike include BikeFlights and Tribike transport. If you plan to fly with your bike, make sure your rental car can accommodate your bike, luggage, you and any other people in the car.
   
5. We all love having our support team at the race but it's important to weigh the pros and cons of traveling with your family versus traveling alone (or with a training buddy or just your significant other/spouse). Race day should be all about you and that includes the time that you need to dedicate to yourself leading up to the race, as you get in the zone and take care of what needs to get done for you to have a great race. For an athlete, the days leading up to a race include a lot of exercising, resting and eating with little time for exploring and entertaining. Post race should be all about your family so consider the best way for you to deliver yourself to a great race day performance and still show your family how much you appreciate their support.
   
6. Traveling to a race can be costly and this brings a lot of stress. But consider the many ways that you can cut down on costs or save money for your upcoming event. Reduce the extra spending on eating out or buying alcohol or put away $50-$100 from every paycheck into your upcoming "race-cation" fund. While staying close to your race venue (within walking distance) may reduce the need to have a rental car or pay for parking, you can't put a price on a stress-free race experience. Spending a little more money on a place that meets your needs close to the race venue may provide you with a great race experience versus saving $50-$200 by staying 20-30+ minutes away. Another way to reduce stress and to cut back on extra spending is to book a place to stay with a kitchen. You can prepare all your meals in your home environment and avoid overpaying for food or eating unfamiliar food. There are many ways to reduce the costs when traveling (like sharing a big house or a hotel room) but this requires you to plan well in advance. Above all - pay for the things that will help you race better.
   
7. Be sure to arrive early to your race. You'd be surprised how quickly the 48 hours goes before a half or full distance Ironman. Although it may feel like you are just waiting around for the race to start on the day before a race, it's important that you arrive to the race fresh and not exhausted from your travels. We suggest to give yourself at least 3-4 days to settle into your race environment so that you can take care of your workouts, food and anything else that needs to be done before the big day. Seeing that your big race was months in the making, don't put yourself at a competitive disadvantage by arriving the day or two before the race and feeling rushed, overwhelmed and exhausted.
   
8. Keep yourself on a schedule in the 72 hours before the race. The earlier you arrive to your race, the easier it is to develop and maintain a routine leading into your race. Consider the new time zone as it relates to sleep, traveling as it relates to digestion, where you will eat, where and when you will do your pre-race workouts and anything else that needs to be on your schedule. You put a lot of work to prepare for your race so don't jeopardize your performance by trying to squeeze in too much in the 48 hours before your race.
   
9. Avoid the freak-out moments by planning ahead. Whereas you may not run into any issues if you are traveling to a running race, a triathlon event requires a lot of gear and equipment. Always bring more than what you need and consider what could go wrong so that you have a plan B.
   
10. Stick to what works for you. It's easy to deviate from your plan and to start changing up what worked for you - training, nutrition, gear. Avoid the impulse gear and food buys or changing up your race day nutrition in the last minute. While it's good to keep your ears open for suggestions and tips, don't assume that the advice from someone else will work for you. Trust your own plan and have confidence in what worked for you throughout your season. 

Aloha!

Who's ready to travel???!!!

How to plan your 2017 race season

Do you love to race as much as you love to train? 

Training is fun because you are in control, in your own environment. No one is watching or tracking you. You have nothing to prove. 

Racing can be scary as it's filled with unknowns. You are nervous and you feel a lot of pressure to perform. You have expectations that you feel must be fulfilled or else you term the race as unsuccessful. 

While it's great to be passionate about your training, don't forget why you train...so you can be physically and mentally prepared for race day. 
And just because you race, it doesn't mean you have to PR, podium or beat your closest competition.

Carefully selecting your races is a great way to set yourself up for a great upcoming season as it’s the map that helps guides your training. It's also the easiest way for you to envision and visualize yourself developing as an athlete so you know where your training is going.

Planning ahead also shows your coach (and yourself) that you are committed to your long-term journey as an evolving triathlete.

While racing is a great way to test your fitness, be mindful that fitness improvements happen over an extended period of time. For example, I have been racing endurance triathlons for 10 consecutive years and my best race results have occurred in the past 3 years.
Certainly, the bigger your goals, the more patient you need as big goals aren't achieved in just a few seasons.
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TRIMARNI TIPS ON PLANNING YOUR RACE SEASON


1) Select 5-6 possible key races for your season (which you will then narrow down to only two or three). These races will be the most important races in your season. You are willing to make the necessary investments (time, energy and money) for these races.
-Consider any and all family, work and life obligations before selecting your key races.
-While you cannot plan ahead for everything in life, consider that your greatness commitment to training will occur in the 8-10 weeks before each of your key races.

-Consider the distance of your race so that it makes sense in your season development (choosing a key half ironman in March/April or an Ironman in May/June will not make sense in your season development – some exceptions may apply in the case that you were injured or sick late season so you don’t need the typical “off-season” in Nov/Dec).

-Consider the timing of your event based on where you live (if you train indoors until April/May, choosing a key race in May/June may not make sense if you need to acclimate to the heat).

-Consider the logistics (and cost) of getting to your race and allow adequate time to see your race course, settle into your race environment and to not feel rushed with travel to and from your race venue. We suggest to arrive to an Ironman race venue at least 4-5 days before your race – if your race is on Sunday, you should plan to arrive on Wed or Thursday. For a half IM, plan to arrive at least 2 days before the race.

-Think about your key races - Consider races which have a swim/bike/run course that you feel confident racing on (flat, long climbs, rollers, etc.). While  it's not always necessary, your race should have a similar terrain that is similar to your home training environment. If not, plan a few long workouts to train somewhere else in a similar race environment. Also consider typical weather (cold vs hot), water conditions (wetsuit legal or not, lake, ocean or river), competition (if you are wanting to qualify for a World or National championship), elevation (altitude at race venue and total elevation on the bike and run course), or anything else that is important to you when selecting your race.

-While we love the idea of a race-cation or racing with teammates/friends, you should select races which suit your athletic strengths and provide a race venue which makes you excited for training and racing.

Write down your top 5-6 possible key races (name, distance and date/month)--------------------------

2) Establish a few goals for your key races. Are you chasing a time goal, a PR, a podium or overall placement, a qualification to a national or world event or something more personal?
We encourage at least three goals for your key races, with at least one or two being a non-metric or non-placement goal.

Write down your personal goals for your key races---------------------------

3) Based on your responses for #1 and #2, you should now have a good understanding of the two or three clear choices for your key races for your 2017 season. 
You should plan to commit to these races now, which means registering for the race after you get the OK from your coaches.

Write down your top 2-3 key races and goals
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4) Now it's time to select a few lower priority races throughout your season.
These races can be used to practice pacing, to put yourself into a race environment, to break-up the monotony of training (especially if you train indoors or alone a lot), to practice transitions, to get out some racing nerves and anxieties or to test your fitness.

Some athletes see these races as tune-up races before a key because there should be little emphasis on time goals and placements. Never use a low priority race to validate your fitness or readiness for a key race. Low priority races are a great way to learn, which means it's ok to make mistakes.
You should plan to go into these races with no expectations (and not always with a taper) and these races should not require a big cost (money, time and energy) from your life.  Many times, low priority races will be incorporated into your training.

While these are low priority races, you may surprise yourself as to how well you perform at these races, especially when the pressure is off, you are building fitness and you are not overly focused on the end result.

I find great importance on selecting low priority races as they assist in your journey as you prepare for your key races. Many athletes don't like to spend money on low priority races because there is a "why bother" attitude (why spend money on a low priority race?) but there is great value in putting yourself in a race environment as no workout will ever simulate the same motions and emotions you feel on race day. On race day, you are put into situations that you never experience in training and only on race day, do you have to figure out how to get through those oh-no situations.

Although you can register for your low priority races ahead of time (ex. if the race is known to sell out and it's your only feasible race option or to keep you mentally committed to racing and not just training), you should never ever risk your health or race with an injury in a low priority race. The same goes for a key race as very few exceptions apply that it is worth racing sick/injured.

Please keep in mind that lower priority races should still be sport specific and should assist in your development in your primary sport.

Write down your lower priority races (name, distance and date/month)
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5) Now the fun part. Select a few “fun” events that you can incorporate into your training in the off-season or early season (Oct-Feb). 
You do not have to register for these races ahead of time but instead, you fit them into your training when they make sense in your season. Fun events include: a local 5K or 10K, a swim meet, a cycling event (ex. Gran Fondo) or sponsored group ride, a duathlon, an aquabike, a sprint triathlon. You can do fun events with friends or family as not ever race has to be a "hard" effort. These fun events are great for involving loved ones who sacrifice their time so you can train and race.

Write down your fun events (name, distance, date/month)

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6) Now that you have your season planned, you need the OK from your family, spouse, boss, etc. to make sure that your planned season makes sense. Once a race is approved, it’s never too early to start planning your upcoming travel so that you can get you (and your family/friends) to and from your races. Always be sure to discuss/consider the financial costs that are needed to help you achieve your goals/dreams.
Consider planning a few days after your race to enjoy with your friends/family for sight-seeing as you recover from your race. 
Example of a well-designed racing season for an athlete who is training for two half ironman distance key races.
November - Start 2017 training, 10K Turkey Trot (fun race)

December - No race – family time over the holidays

January - keep on training

February - Swim (pool)/run event (fun race)

March- Olympic tri (low priority)

April - Half Ironman tri (low priority)

May- Half Ironman tri (key priority)

June - Open water swim event (low priority)

July - keep on training

August - 4 day triathlon camp

September - Olympic distance (low priority), then Half Ironman tri (Key priority)

October - 50-mile bike event (fun race)

Planning your 2017 race season

Cheers to your 2016 season!
If you haven't started already, it's time to start thinking about your 2017 year of racing.

When it comes to season planning, there are typically two types of athletes who fail with season planning.

Athlete 1 - signs up for races without any thought as to the season as a whole. A race is open, looks "fun", wants redemption from racing it in the past or knows other athletes who are racing the same event are all typical responses as to how athletes plan their races. There's little thought as to the logistics and timing of these races and many times.

Athlete 2 - So overwhelmed, doesn't like to plan or commit and just waits to register when the timing is right (typically, races close and the athlete has to find other options). 

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With so many races to choose from and so much unpredictability in life, you may be overwhelmed with the thought of having to register for races, book hotels/flights and ask time off work, so far in advance.

We understand that your mind and body may be exhausted from your last season of racing and that it may be difficult to think about your 2017 goals right now, let alone planning your racing schedule, but as a performance-driven athlete, careful consideration of your races will allow you to not only peak appropriately for your key races but you will find yourself developing as the season progresses. 

A common mistake is for athletes to only train for one race at a time. Example, Half IM in May  - Starting on January 1st, I am training for Ironman ______ for the next 5 months. Ironman in August - from January 1st until August, I will be training only for my Ironman.

In order to ensure smooth development throughout your season, your focus can not be on one race. Sure, you may want to excel at that race or it may be a high priority race but this thinking does not foster long lasting performance gains. Generally, athletes get too fit too fast and can not maintain that fitness throughout the season. Or the opposite, they try to train too hard for too long and get burnt out or injured and can't peak appropriately.

Many athletes have a tendency to become hyper focused on training and racing and ultimately, every race on the schedule becomes a key priority race (with too much pressure to be very fit for every race). The athlete races too hard, too often and the athlete is unable to properly recover from each race and maintain consistency in training. Consequently, when the athlete needs to really commit to peak training for the real key race of the season, the body is exhausted.

Or the opposite happens – an athlete doesn’t race enough and too much pressure is placed on the one or two races on the schedule (ex. Ironman in September and only 1 or 2 races prior) and sadly, the athlete lacks the necessary mental and physical skills that are needed to perform well on race day because great racing is built on prior racing experience.

A haphazard approach to selecting races (start too early/late, finish too early) combined with an “all-in” training attitude can often leave you needing an extended off-season, and you may struggle to transfer your accumulated fitness from one season to the next.

In my next few blogs, I will help you properly plan your 2017 season of racing/training. 

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Here's a look at my tentative season of racing (and a few other events):

March 19th - Great Clermont Olympic triathlon (concluding our 4-day Trimarni all-level Clermont, FL training camp)

April 9th - IM Haines City 70.3 (Haines City, FL)

May 6th - IM St. George 70.3 (St. George, Utah) - Key Race

May 21st - Mountains to Main Street Half IM (Greenville, SC)

May 26-28th - Trimarni skills camp (Greenville)

June 22-26th - Trimarni endurance training camp (Greenville, SC)

August 6th - Lake Logan Half IM (Canton, NC) - Key Race

August - Purple Patch Fitness East Coast camp (Greenville, SC)

August 30-Sept 3rd - Trimarni advanced training camp (Greenville, SC)

September 9th - IM 70.3 World Championship (pending qualification at IM St George) - Key Race

October - Hincapie Gran Fondo (80-mile cycling event)

Even though my early season half, St. George 70.3, is a key race where I hope to qualify for IM 70.3 WC in September, I am not expecting myself to be in peak racing shape. While I will be strong and fit, I will not detour my entire summer of development simply to ensure that I am in my very best race shape in May. It is important that I go through all my developmental stages of training in November - May to help me maintain great resilience throughout the entire summer of training and racing.
Also, as I have mentioned in past blogs, after 3 consecutive years of IM racing (6 Ironmans), I will be taking an intentional break from IM racing to focus on the half IM distance so that I can race more and fine-tune my skills and advance my fitness. This is all with the intention that in 2018, I will return to IM racing with better skills, resilience, strength and fitness. Speed is all relative but I do hope to get "faster" this season.

Triathlon racing - how to plan your season

You may be asking yourself why I am writing about planning your triathlon season now, instead of waiting until the off-season?

Back in November, I wrote a blog about our racing season as well as 10 tips on planning your season. 

Although this blog was written just before the New Year, Karel and I actually discussed our 2014 season back in the Spring 2013. 

For triathletes who are choosing to do an Ironman, it's likely that you have to sign up in a year in advance. So if the Ironman is your ultimate goal (or a half IM), it is important to consider how you are going to plan your season. And you may want to consider your season planning before you register for your endurance race. 

I realize that a lot can occur in a year, most of which is out of your control especially if you are unable to plan for it to happen (or not happen). 

Over the past three years, I have been able to peak appropriately for my races (despite overcoming some obstacles along the way) all because of how my season was laid out for my body, my racing goals and my life (that of which I could control). 

If you are interested in reading any of my race reports from the past few years, you can visit my website to read more about how the races went down. 

But there are a few considerations that I would like to discuss to help you better plan your season. 

RACE PLANNING
-It's very easy to register for a race, especially if it is new, your friends are doing it or if it is in a cool location. However, consider the timing of the race, where the race occurs and any logistics that may impact your racing experience. 

-If you are considering a long distance triathlon in Feb - June as part of your season, consider how you will prep for the race as well as any other races that will occur after that early season race. I find for many athletes, it is too early to peak appropriately for an early season race that occurs before late Spring and even if you race it for fun or as a tune-up, it's very easy to skip over important parts of a periodized training plan that will help you properly peak for the more important races later on in the year. Now, this may be no big deal to race in an early season race just for fun but also consider the time and money that you are spending on a "fun" race so early in the year and the impact that it may have on your more important, later season races. As an athlete, you have to think long term and not just stay in the moment when it comes to planning races. 

-If you are training indoors throughout the cold winter months, how many outdoor workouts will you be able to perform before your key race? These outdoor workouts with "real" course situations are very important to help with acclimating to the heat, dialing in pacing, nutrition and mental focus.  

-As mentioned before, an early season race may force you to skimp on base training (ex. speed work, strength work, weaknesses) and you may find yourself with a 1 month off season and then right into heavy training again. You need to build a strong foundation if you want to prep appropriately for your key race and you may find yourself a bit burnt out if you start your season training in Dec/Jan and have another key race planned for March and then another in Sept, October or November. Consider putting your key races within a 14-16 week time frame so that you minimize the chance of burn out (or peaking too early). Tune-up races are encouraged to practice transitions, pacing, nutrition, etc but with this comes removing pressure of "what if I qualify" for another race, PR's or specific time goals. Consider tune-up races as part of the bigger picture. 

-You can't control life but if you have a stable life (ex. a routine with family/work, etc.), consider races that work with your "normal" life. If your job/family requires more from you at certain times of the year, that is a big sign that you should not be peaking for a race during that time. Sure, it can be done but it's a short line to balance on to ensure that you do not get injured, burn out or too fatigued. 

-Ever athlete wants to peak at the right time. Be sure not to put too much pressure on yourself that you have to PR at every race. Keep your focus on your season goal that means the most to you. If you are aiming to qualify for a World or National event or place on the podium or PR, all of your training and racing should be designed in a way that you have the opportunity to put that hard work to the test, when it counts. 

-I am constantly finding athletes racing on courses that are not best suited for their strengths. There's nothing wrong with stepping outside of the comfort zone but before you sign up for a race because it is local or a race because it is a destination, do your research to ensure that things like weather, terrain, altitude, travel logistics, competition, etc. will not negatively affect your performance. You deserve to do well in your races based on your prior dedication to training so be sure to pick a race that suits your strengths. Additionally, if you love the course that you get to race on and you know it's the "right" course for you, you will find yourself with less stress/anxiety going into the race. 

-As an age group athlete, it's unlikely that your life revolves just around you. You have responsibilities, bills to pay and it's hard to balance it all. Racing triathlons (and training) is expensive and cutting corners does not give better positive outcomes. Embrace the journey which requires time, patience and the ability to understand how your body adapts to training stress. 

-Avoid haphazard training. Your training plan should have a purpose, just like your workouts. If you want to be a runner, train like a runner. If you want to be a triathlete, dedicate your training to three sports so that by race day you are strong enough in each discipline to put everything together. 

-Be extremely careful when it comes to planned or unplanned races. Every time you "last minute" decide to do a race, it has the potential to impact your training and health. Furthermore, if you have a race on your schedule that you feel you are not prepared for (or in the best health), it's always better to play it smart than risk long term damage to your season or health.  

Before every season, Karel and I develop a ATP (Annual Training Plan) for every one of our athletes which maps out the entire season and along with the scheduling of races (and priorities), we have a tentative plan written out as to when the athletes will build, recover, peak and taper as well as any other potential conflicts such as vacations, travel/work events, family obligations, etc. This way, we are able to create a training plan that is specific to our athletes goals and to help our athletes peak appropriately. This ATP is never set in stone for when it comes to one-on-one coaching, we are constantly adjusting training when life happens. 

-Having raced triathlons competitively as an age group endurance athlete for the past 8 years, finished 8 IM's (with 3 recent PR performances) and won a few races (2012 Iron Girl Clearwater Half Marathon overall winner, Branson 70.3 overall female amateur, HITS Ocala half ironman overall female) I have also had my share of races where I have learned and grown from a race performance. I never put race expectations on myself that are so big that I am hard on myself for not being more prepared. If I have a plan, I know where I am going and even if training doesn't go as planned on the plan, I still focus on how I can keep myself moving forward. Ultimately, every race day plan is based on my current level of fitness ON race day. 

A successful performance can be defined in many ways and many times, it does not happen when an athlete chases a finishing time. I encourage you to plan a racing schedule that allows you to peak at the race that maters the most and if there are two key races on your schedule, be sure you understand how to structure your training so that you can excel when it really matters. Many times this means scheduling breaks in your season so that you avoid overtraining and burnout. I see far too many athletes put in so much work in training (along with spending lots of money) and they are unable to put the training to the test on race day. Now, there are many situations as to why an athlete may not perform to an optimal level on race day (and it's not always within your control) but your odds of reaching success are much greater if you have a plan so you know, not only where you are going but also when your hard work will eventually get to pay off. 

Happy Race Season Planning!