Triathlon is complicated. You have to do three sports and figure out how to transition between them. In this post I share a video with you to help make race day go as smoothly as possible.
The preparatory technique of choice is visualization. I visualize every race regardless of distance. The Lake Nighthorse Sprint in Durango, Colorado is just a few days away and I'll be ready for it.
As I write this post, I am sitting in London, England. By the time I get to the race I may have an issue with jet lag. Here are a few things that I practice in my visualization:
Jet lag. I know I'll be super tired on race morning. As I visualize dragging myself to the venue, I'll be thinking of how to overcome that jet lag feeling. One way is to have Lori drive so I can sleep a little longer.
Panic in the swim. Last year, at this race, I had a panic attack about 100 meters or so into the swim. You can read about it here. This year, I am visualizing swimming without a wetsuit.
Pot holes. The bike course has some nasty pot holes in the road about 150 meters out of transition, Although I will visualize the entire course, I will pay special attention to that section of road. I'm thinking Paris - Roubaix.
Running. The run is my slowest sport of the three. Any unexpected detours or hills or anything can really bring me down mentally. As I visualize the running, I'm feeling the gravel under my feet and how I'm going to change my stride and arm swing for going up the hills.
Oxygen. This race is at 2130 meters altitude (that's about 7000 feet). Although I've trained at 1600 meters, I've been at 30 meters altitude in London for the last week. I may have to be very careful about monitoring my breathing and heart rate. There's not much I can do about it, so just knowing that thin air is a possibility will help keep my head in the game for the duration of the competition.
If you are racing this weekend, good luck.
Until next time...
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