Attention Race Fans
"And once I had a job cleaning toilets for a living - on the night
shift, for chrissakes. Got that? I didn't even rate cleaning toilets
during the day. My bosses actually thought to themselves, "Yeah,
Miller's good, he's real good. He's just not ready for The Show yet."
Dennis Miller Planning the perfect race is next to impossible. There
are so many variables: the heat, the humidity, the race directors
organization, the water, the wind, your mood, the mood of the guy next
to you at the first buoy who's swinging his arms like hatchets, the
driver of the Acme Tack and Nail truck who's trying to keep his load
from bouncing all over the bike course on his way to the Quackenbush
account in Oxnard. You can't cover all the bases, but you can set
yourself up for a good race by making smart choices. I write this with
the team championships at Zuma in mind, but these hints can be applied
to most races. Think "Rest" 5 days out Even the coolest triathlon
veteran will sleep poorly the night before the race. If you're headed
to your first event, you may find yourself glued to the ceiling at
midnight trying to talk yourself down from spastic visualizations of
the swim and from triple checking your gear. If you're sleeping at a
hotel, or as a guest in someone's house, you can experience any number
of pitfalls - pillows that are too thick, or oddly distracting (but
intriguing) nearby noises. Plan for and get solid nights of sleep for
the five nights prior to race. If you only get a few hours sleep the
night before the race, you still have stored rest from which to draw.
If you don't know a race taper from the Mark Taper, don't sweat it: the
basic elements to shoot for are shorter workouts with only brief
moments of intensity. If your plan is a week on the couch before the
race, you may find your body going into shock on race day. On the other
hand, if you're killing yourself a few days prior to the race with ten
one-hundreds on a minute in the pool, and a track workout, you may find
yourself too tired on race day to make the finish (or the start). Find
a balance that keeps you fresh and active. Hydration is also critical
as early as four days prior to the race. Too much water can actually
wash away critical electrolytes so consume 8 ounces of Powerbar Perform
or a similar beverage between every 1.5 liters of water that you drink.
Eat Smart The dinner on the night before the race should be something
you know and like. Twelve hours from the race start is not the time to
be experimenting with Uncle Leon's new double barrel Cajun recipe, or
testing to see if that childhood peanut allergy has faded with age. Eat
a simple, balanced dinner. Try to avoid foods that may congest you,
like red meat and dairy. Carbo-loading is important for events lasting
several hours, but for shorter races get a good lean mix of carbs and
protein and don't overstuff yourself. The Morning of One of the most
successful short-course triathletes in the LA Tri Club is Jamie Silber.
One of Jamie's best secrets for a successful race is maintaining warmth
before the race. From the moment you wake, get warm and stay warm until
the gun goes off. Go with layers that you can peel off to get down to
your race wear - sweats, a jacket and even a winter hat will help your
body prepare for the effort to come. Use the facilities at home. I
cannot stress this enough: get up early, have your race breakfast, and
use the toilet at home rather than at the race site. There are always
lines at the site, the restrooms are rarely as clean or as comfortable
as the one in your own home, and you can spend that time at the site
double-checking everything. Know the Course Use the internet, ask your
friends, and check the maps until you know where the course goes. Find
time to cover most of the course (especially the bike and run) in the
days before the race. If you have never participated in this event
before you must go to the "course talk". If you have done the race
before you probably should go to the "course talk" because there may be
changes or new hazards. After you set up your transition, walk to the
"swim entrance" of the transition area - sight your space and make a
note on how to find it when you come out of the swim. Then walk to the
"bike entrance" of the transition area - sight your space and make a
note so you can find your shoes when you come off the bike. Finally,
check out the swim start. Walk the line from the start towards the
first mark of the swim - look for rocks, holes, sand bars, etc. You
will be running this route later so get to know it. Also, get out into
the water and check for currents, learning the currents can save you
several minutes in the swim. Know the Rules I've tried to read the USAT
rulebook - correction: I did read the USAT rulebook as a part of my
certification. The book is pretty thick, it has many chapters, and is
written in fairly fine print, but I came away remembering three "big"
rules: one about the helmet, one abut drafting and one about blocking.
The helmet is easy; it must be on and be fastened while with the bike.
There are notes about "fastened until dismounted", but why test the
officials - just leave it on until you rack the bike. Drafting always
interests me because it is the most divisive and religious element of
our sport. Here's the gist of it: there is a "drafting zone" around
each bicycle - it's in the shape of a box. The box measures 2 meters in
width (1 meter on either side of the rider) and 10 meters in length,
and they measure that from the front wheel. When you pass, you need to
move through that zone in 15 seconds. Blocking basically means if you
pull out to pass, you need to check back to make sure you don't pull
out in front of a faster rider who is passing you. Humans who have
different perspectives judge all these rules. For example, it seemed
that the drafting zone during my ride at Wildflower in'99 was the size
of a shoebox and measured off of the rear hub. The bottom line is:
don't draft unless you're in a draft legal race, keep your helmet on
and fastened, and look back before you make a move. By keeping just
some basics in mind you can reduce the number of unpleasant surprises
that can come up in a race. For many of us in this sport, racing is
recreation. So keep it fun and enjoy the experience.
