Tips & News from "The Coach"

Pre-event Routine

You’ve experienced it. That nervous and sickening feeling you get hours and sometimes days prior to an event. Known as “jitters”, this emotional and physiological state can possibly lead to self-doubt and premature fatigue causing less than desirable performances. As a consolation know that everyone – from a newbie to an elite athlete – experiences jitters. Jitters can help you perform at your best. This sort of hyper-nervousness increases arousal and awareness. The trick is keeping stress levels just high enough to keep your focus on the event but not so high that they careen you out of control. Developing a pre-event routine will settle those nerves, allowing you to focus on the event and leveraging the most from your fitness.

Pre-race routines are different for everyone. Typically, a routine begins to develop when we experience positive results. We go back and look at what we did in our preparation to explain those results. In sports, it’s very difficult to perform consistently so as athletes we look for any elements of our preparation that lead us to success. Be patient with yourself and take the time to see what works best. To help you establish a routine, I’ve got a few suggestions on how to leverage those jitters to help you experience your potential as an athlete.

Pre-race Day

The best way to prepare is to create a checklist of activities to perform, almost like an airline pilot going through a preflight check of the plane. The checklist should include ensuring that your equipment is in order; that you have appropriate clothing for the weather you’ll encounter, adequate food and money, and that you’ve made lodging reservations and obtained race venue directions.

The evening before the event have a sensible meal for dinner and don’t attempt to eat something you haven’t tried before. The days leading up to your event should not be used for experimentation. Stick to what you know works best from your training and daily life. Drink six to eight ounces of fluid every hour that you’re awake. If possible, try to go to sleep as close to your regular bedtime as possible. The key is to keep relaxed by following a routine. Preoccupy your thoughts by focusing on the routine instead of the event.

Race day

Attempt to get up at least two hours before the start, and go through your everyday morning routine. Eat a sensible but hearty breakfast of once again, familiar food. Be sure to drink water with your breakfast as digesting food consumes water. Plan to arrive at the race venue at least an hour before the start time (or 90 minutes if you haven’t pre-registered).

As you prepare for the start, work a cue into your routine. A cue is signal you use to put yourself into “race mode”. The cue can be a certain time, such as 15 minutes before the start, or some activity that you consistently perform, such as pinning your numbers on your jersey. After the cue, take a few minutes to relax and visualize yourself performing well in the event and focus on the positive feeling you experience when you perform well. This type of reinforcement will lessen your jitters and help you focus on the routine rather than the event.

Warm-up

I generally recommend a 25-30 minute warm-up which includes giving you time to use the bathroom facilities or make any necessary adjustments to the bike. Ease into the warm-up routine. Ride easy for 5-10 minutes to collect your thoughts and ensure your bike is in good working order. Go through a mental checklist to see if you’ve forgotten anything. Over the next 15 minutes, perform a series of short efforts. Three to four 1-1.5 minute efforts work really well at increasing your respiratory rate and “waking up” your legs. Over the course of each effort, slowly increase the intensity to 70-80% of maximum effort. Allow 2-3 minutes between efforts to relax and refocus. Go back to the car to ensure you have everything for the event. Take a few minutes to relax. Stretch a little if you have time. Again, the key is to calm your nerves and focus on the routine. Head to the line a few minutes before the event starts. Take a deep breath and relax. Tell yourself you’re as ready as you can be at this moment in time.

Establishing a pre-event routine that works for you will be a matter of trial and error. Remember to try new, different things in your training and not the day of event. Focusing on completing the routine and giving yourself a stable, controllable environment will allow you to achieve maximum performance.

BACK to Todd Nordmeyer's Main Coaching Page