Race Day Preparation

Organization is key –mental, physical and logistical components of being ready for Race Day

“Fail to plan and plan to fail”

Write out a check list of everything you need for the race about 2 weeks out. Clothes, race information, number, number of gels, sunglasses, etc.
Write out your fueling plan for the race. “Every 30 -40 minutes I will take a gel.”
Clothes – Practice in them before race day. Imagine all the extremes. Have Plan A, B and C. Rain or Shine.
Few days before the race– start arranging piles with your gear laid out, your gels counted and set aside, put together everything you think you will need.
Check a day or two later to be sure you have it all and then forget about it. The better organized you are the more calm you will feel on race day.
Race Morning- what will you eat what time will you leave? Have your car packed. Get up – get ready and go.

If you haven’t done your mental homework in practice you have nothing to fall back on at the race
Break the race in sections and imagine the most positive scenarios. See yourself feeling great at mile 15, 20 and 24, etc.
Plan how you will run or walk the bridge, up hills, down hills
Take time out of each day within the last month of training to visualize the race.
Few days out- refine plan and become more specific, ie 2 nights out- what will you eat? 1 night out? When will you go to the Expo to get your bib and number?
Race morning- Arrive at the start line with everything taken care of. Take a few minutes to talk to yourself. Stay calm and relaxed and smile a lot. Remind yourself of the work you have put in and the struggles and triumphs. The last thing to remind yourself is to have fun.

Control Your Attitude

(Positive Thoughts) Set yourself for a positive experience with positive thoughts! Visualize:

Control your Thoughts

Break the run down mile by mile. Never try to gulp it all at once. Take baby steps.
Develop a moti-quote or moti-chant: “Another mile another smile.” “I think I can, I think I can.” “Happy Feet Can’t be Beat.”
Daydream of your vacation, your celebration, your victory, recall where you started, why you started and how far you’ve come.
Think of other challenging workouts and how you persevered through them.
Count dogs, red cars, trash cans, coffee shops, cute guys/girls, you get the idea.
Don’t count backwards! (mile 26, mile 25, mile 24, etc)
Always move forward, instead of backwards.
S.T.A.R – Stop thinking and run! If you’re brain gets overloaded, stop thinking!

Manage Pressure:

When situations arise that are beyond our control….Turn it around! Instead of focusing on how far the finish line is focus on getting to the next aid station. You can control the situation, rather than the situation controlling you.
Fear = False Evidence Appearing Real

Visualize and stay motivated for training and racing