Your Endurance Lifestyle. Redesigned.

Sometimes the biggest bang for your buck has nothing to do with actual physical work. While we can obsesses about the time we have to workout, we can also take advantage of our ability to multitask to make other elements of our exercise-focused lives that much easier.  And no, I am not talking about driving and talking on the cell phone.  For all I know, you are reading this on your PDA as you surf the web at a traffic light (also not recommended). I am talking about dialing in the right mental zones for race day.

While I have no data to support my claim, I am convince the majority of your competition isn’t even ready to compete with you on race day.  Nailing the workouts is the easy thing…being 100% ready on the day to execute is entirely another thing. There are three distinct stages to preparing for your next race that are easy to do if you get a head start on them.

Step 1: Outline Your Plan
Time: 5-10 minutes, 1-2 weeks out.
You have to have a plan if you are going to execute on race day. There are too many distractions, so we draft a plan so we have something to follow – as well as something to weigh any decisions against. Your plan should be simple: Start your goals for the race (rip it, have fun, etc.) to set the tone. Then begin with Pre-Race for any warm ups/maintenance stuff, then make notes for the Swim, Bike and Run sections. Don’t forget to include a quick note on transitions. Keep this quick and to the point.

Step 2: Review Your Plan
Time: 5 minutes, 1 week out until race day.
Take five minutes a day – I prefer that time just before I go to sleep – to review your plan in your head. You won’t need the hard copy, just lay down, close your eyes, and visualize yourself executing the plan.  If you come up with any changes / adjustments, make a mental note to add them to your hard copy version in the morning.

Step 3: Race Day Review
Time: 10 mins, Race Morning.
Once you have your transition area all set up, and before you head down for the swim start, take a few minutes to review your hardcopy plan TWICE.  I use the hard copy here b/c your brain will be all over the place and you’ll forget some stuff…or worse yet, you’ll do that race day “rounding up” that is so common.

If you can complete these three steps, you are ready to execute on race day. Get out there, have fun, and don’t forget to go back and review the plan vs what you did in reality. That will only make you stronger for race day!

Good luck!

Coach P

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