With the Tri United 2 and 70.3 Phillipines races coming up and Timex 226 at the end of the year, you may want to read this:
Pre race
*Breakfast around 2.5- 3 hours before the race.
*High G.I carbs/reduced fibre foods best like white bread and jam or bagels etc. Bananas and coffee good if you are used to it. Caffeine is good for endurance but don’t suddenly experiment on race day. Keep it simple. If you are used to eating just rice, then that is ok.
*Don’t try anything new on race day or race week….i.e. don’t radically change bike position the week of a key race because you saw someone else doing it! Also don’t suddenly think you can do a flying mount with no prior practice. In Australia we call this a ‘brain explosion’!
*Base the nutrition plan around 1g carbohydrate per body weight per hour. Do the math. In general a mix of gels and other food is best especially in hot weather. If gels I find ones that are not ‘chocolate’ work best in a hot climate. Hydrate regularly. It’s almost impossible to drink ‘enough’ in SEA.
*Try food out before hand on harder tempo ride or run.
Race.
*Keep swim steady throughout. HR spikes are not a good way to start a race. If going for the podium or overall victory in an elite sense then a hard first 200 metres is critical to getting a good bike position on the road but in general age groupers respond best to a ‘moderate’ approach to the swim. After all, it’s a long day out there.
*Aim to negative split bike and run. You will have the best run and overall result relative to your fitness if you do.
Race is to the end, not T2! A common mistake of 85% of people out there. Watch how the women do it. They do this better! A lot of racing is controlling your emotions. C’mon guys.. it takes some balls to back off.
First 10k of bike and first 2k or run must feel ‘easier’. Settle in to go the distance physically and mentally.
Focus on each small segment of the race at all times. The bigger picture is often daunting. Break it down in smaller, more manageable sections.
Smile when you can, it works for the Kenyans.. and also Chrissie and Natasha!
