Race season is finally here! In this episode, we cover everything you should be thinking about in the 1-2 weeks leading up to your goal race. Sub-topics include: bike prep and maintenance, race week sleep and fueling protocols, final workouts, tapering, mental preparation, what to do at the race site, and a whole lot more. We also spend time on some coaching and training insights related to carb intake, resilience data points, bike handling, TT bike position, and more. Happy racing!
Extended show notes:
Coaching & Training Insights
Katie:
Getting comfy with bike handling
Rocket pocket for snacks; pre cut and unwrap bars
Taking one hand off to drink a bottle
Practice in a parking lot
Slight uphill can be a good place to hydrate/fuel
If you aren’t comfortable, best to stop for 30 seconds at an aid station to drink/eat than not fuel at all -- you will pay for it later
Listener question on optimizing fat oxidation that is worth an insight/ quick rant. Worth it to take in less carbs for Z1/2 efforts? Three big points:
If any pros are doing this, it’s because they are trying to get from 99.98 percent to 99.99 percent (and a ton of supervision with a dietitian rather than DIY low carb). We are recreational athletes, and our goal is to get you from 75 to 99 percent first. Start with improving your swim/bike/run threshold paces, getting a TT bike, and getting 9 hours of sleep per night, and then we’ll talk (and when we talk, we’ll just tell you to get an aero helmet).
Especially female + young athletes have such a low threshold for slipping into LEA/REDs. NOT worth the risk for what is dubious science at best
Messaging in the endurance sports space can be so toxic re: food/body/sport that I think it’s easy to have motivated reasoning about random headlines re: underfueling (see clickbait type info about fasted training or carb restriction). Instead, let’s listen to the messaging that clearly shows us eating a lot of carbs during activity is the best way to perform.
Return to the four golden rules of triathlete nutrition which we have covered before:
3 meals and 3 snacks per day
No fasted training
Carbs before, carbs+protein after, healthy fats throughout the day
70-80 g carbs minimum during activity
RDPs -- resilience data points
Bike in 3 hours of steady rain the other day
Wanted to quit in the first hour, stuck to it, ended up having an amazing ride
Broader point: Do hard things to build RDPs and recall them when the going gets hard.
Hard things do not need to be fitness related!
Jim: Document your RDPs in TrainingPeaks. They will become super useful during race week.
Justin Ross 12 week sports mental skills program sample: You've heard the saying, "Trust your training." It's a well intended trope, but it's not specific enough. You have to trust specific things about your training. Part 1 of building trust is thinking about this most recent training block in preparing for your event or race.
When you think about what you've accomplished over the past few weeks and months, what you've done, what types of workouts you finished, the total volume or miles/kms completed, what stands out to you to inform you that you're ready?
What stand out moments in your training remind you of your mental strength? Those times you may have doubted your ability to be successful or continue, but did so anyway? - Dr Justin Ross
Jim:
Importance of training on your race bike (and shoes/wetsuit).
Muscle activation is very different on TT bike than road bike. Don’t expect to push the same watts on TT as road (at first).
Bike handling is very different. You want to be 100% comfortable on your race bike on race day.
Feeding/fueling is very different.
Avg speed is very different. Have mph as a primary data field on first screen as this will tell you when to be in aero (under 14mph, sit up), when to pedal (no pedaling over 30mph).
Principle: Specifically train for your race. Nothing new on race day.
Racing and lots of Race Sims going off. Peeps are crushing it! Consistent work over many months/years pays off. Many people are changing the narrative of what they are capable of.
Calling an audible. You have a set workout and intention but things don’t always line up, for many reasons, as you get into the workout. That’s OK. Important to employ the art of modifying workouts. Principle: the training plan is a map, not the territory. Many athletes the last few weeks making great calls on modifying based on real-time factors:
Had limited pool time so cut down warmup, focused on Main Set
Hotel bike was funky, cut down the bike and saved something for the swim
HR wasn’t responding on the run so focused on having a good time, letting go of expectations and freeing the heart.
Tempo run turned into a trail run with a buddy. We pushed on the uphills.
Feeling really good on base run, threw in some pickups.
Charlie comments, capturing the ups and downs of long distance training and big challenges:
“Really felt like the block was on life support yesterday. With some patience, we’re going to change that. “If I’m happy and healthy, I’m gonna be pretty dangerous” - Ollie Hoare in an interview recently. As someone who isn’t particularly happy or healthy at the moment, this quote really provided something to chase over the coming weeks. I’ve had some hard days reconciling why I should keep pushing for Placid, only for that to be turned up to 10 by one of the most painful runs of my career. Yesterday I let the demons run wild. I gave every ugly voice in my head an unlimited podcast deal.
“You’re not training hard enough and you got injured anyways”
“You’re not eating clean enough and you don’t look like someone who competes in an Ironman”
“What did you expect? You were never cut out for this”
“Every decent effort you’ve ever put out was just a fluke. This is your real normal. This is who you are.”
After listening to them all I finally remembered. I re-read the training logs, the old race mantras, and journal entries. I found supportive texts or comments from my village. I remembered again. Placid, and more specifically this build isn’t about the race. While bombing hills in the Adirondacks on race day is going to be just Batman levels of badassery, this training is about a future version of myself being able to do whatever he wants. Wake up and ride hard for 80 miles? On it. Swim in the ocean however long I want? Hell yeah. Run like a fucking animal? Always. It’s also about weeks exactly like this: when we’re getting hit with haymakers and we don’t have anything to answer back with. I want more than anything to be able to show my future kids that even in a low point, we can find our balance and keep going.
The last thought I had was I reminded myself that at the end of the day that we do this for fun. That this doesn’t fill our cup, it simply tops it off. Even with the running and swimming complications, I'm blessed with a tall glass of cold chocolate milk. A rocky 48 hours but the sun is going to rise tomorrow. The sun is also going to rise on July 21st. And most likely on July 22nd. This race will come and it will also pass. I don’t know what the coming weeks will bring, but now I’m in the hands of professionals to show the path. Pending no terrible news, I know where I’m going to be.
Main Content
1-2 weeks out:
Check your bike: Is your bike squeaking? Shifting smoothly? Is your chain and cassette clean? Do your race wheels fit with your brakes? Make sure you consider all of these factors with ample time to make adjustments. For important races, consider bringing your bike into your local shop for a tune up. Don’t wait for race week. Ideally, have all of your bike gear sorted before the last Week 4 Race Simulation.
You should have bike storage for an extra tube, two tire levers, two CO2 cartridges, an inflator and the knowledge of how to change a flat. If you are using deep, carbon wheels, ensure your extra tube is long enough to account for the rim depth or have a valve adapter. (80mm is the longest valve stem and safest option to fit most aero wheelsets.)
If you are doing an Ironman, your bike should have the carrying capacity for at least three water bottles. For Half Ironman, two bottles are sufficient although three can be ideal (one for pure water, the other two for water with electrolytes).
Tire pressure: Hot take: 99% of all triathletes and cyclists pump their tires up too much. If your wheels/tires were made within the last five years, you should check the wheel manufacturer website for recommended tire pressures. You will probably find that PSI recommendations are in the 70s and 80s. Some manufacturers recommend tire pressure into the 60s! They have the data to back up these recommendations. Lower PSI results in less rolling resistance and helps smooth out the bumps. Every road bump is absorbed by your soft tissue. Bumping reduction equals less body strain. Always aim to increase comfort on the bike to maintain pace, reduce body strain and set yourself up for your best run.
Practice bike-run transition: If you are aiming for a specific race time, have speed laces for your run shoes. (More important in HIM than IM.) In addition, if you have not practiced any fast bike to run transitions, take time this week to practice up 4 - 5 bike to run transitions. You can do this in your front yard. Bike in, make the transition to run, run 100 - 200 ft, then repeat. Practice until this feels smooth and efficient. Bonus points if you do this with your race belt!
Tapering: What it is, how we do it, why we do it, etc.
The last two weeks are all about shedding acute and chronic fatigue that has built up over months.
“The hay is in the barn” Don’t try to gain any fitness in the last 2 - 3 weeks despite all those race Facebook posts.
You should feel like a caged animal by race week.
Don’t be surprised if you feel terrible during the taper. That is very normal. Your body is fully repairing and is probably sending you signals that it needs time to repair. You could be feeling a mixture of being very antsy, on edge but also not wanting to really exercise.
1 week out (race week!):
Sleep: Try to “bank” sleep. It works. Expect that it will be hard to sleep the night before the race, so instead focus on sleeping well the nights leading up to the race. Don’t stress if you don’t sleep much the night before the race; instead think about “resting.”
How we think about carb-loading during race week:
Increase fraction of plate taken up by carbs rather than major changes to overall food volume.
Don’t go long periods without eating; snacks and hydration on hand always. Hunger cues may be disrupted due to change in overall volume, so fueling needs to be super intentional to make sure you are getting enough. We don’t want to go into race day with any deficit.
Fueling and hydration 1-2 days out from race day (reduce fat/fiber, stick to what you know, hydrate with electrolytes at all times)
Nutrition plan: Write out your nutrition plan for the actual race. Ask for our nutrition calculator and template. Ensure you are getting sufficient grams of carbs per hour. Ask your coach to review your nutrition and hydration plan together. (Ideally, we have planned and tested all your hydration and nutrition during the Race Sim Weekends.) Plan what nutrition and hydration you will start with on the bike and run. And if you are doing an IM, write out a plan for what you will pick up in your bike (and possibly run) special needs bags. (Special needs bags are available to athletes halfway through an IM bike and run.)
Weather: Check race day forecast but don’t obsess over it. It’s uncontrollable, so instead focus on what you can control, such as making any necessary adjustments to your bike and run nutrition plans to account for heat, humidity, or cold. Check the direction of the wind in relation to the swim and bike course.
If the forecast calls for cold and/or rain conditions, consider an extra layer on top such as a light jacket and gloves. While we often experience very hot and humid training days, race mornings can be cold especially if it’s raining or an early/late season race. The one consideration for extra layers is you either have to carry them back to T2 or drop it at special bike needs for an Ironman (no bike special needs drop for Half Ironman) but you may not get that gear back; special needs bags are often thrown away by the race organizers.
Sample packing list: Start packing ~1 week out or earlier to make sure you have everything you need and can order or buy anything you don’t have well in advance.
What kind of workouts we do during race week:
No longer building fitness.
Activation workouts, test gear is in working order.
Key principle: If tired, skip it. The hay is in the barn and this week is all about rest and recovery.
1 - 2 Days out from race:
Considerations for travel / destination races (especially air travel or international):
If you are flying with your bike, use a generous amount of bubble wrap and tape around your bike. Take a near equal amount of bubble wrap in your bike bag for the return trip along with tape and scissors. It can be very difficult to re-use taped bubble wrap for the return trip. (Masking tape is easier to remove from bubble wrap than packing tape.) Put all small bike components, screws, skewers into a ziploc bag. Double check your work area to ensure all pieces are in this bag. It’s common to take something apart, set aside the screws or components and forget them! Put all your bike assembly tools into another Ziploc bag. While many races have bike mechanics on hand before the race, aim to be self-sufficient with your bike packing and assembling skills.
Once you assemble your bike at the destination, be sure to test it out briefly. Check for rims rubbing, brakes, shifting.
If you have electronic shifting bring an extra battery and/or charging cable. It’s not uncommon for bike to fully discharge during travel.
Course Preview: If your race is not local, use the preceding days to drive the bike course, bike the run course, and plan race-day parking/time from parking to transition. Familiarize yourself with the swim/bike/run maps, elevation profiles and bike aid stations. (Run aid stations tend to be every mile but worth confirming that on the run maps.) Race course knowledge is free speed.
Race day parking: make sure you scout where you will park on race day. Some races also utilize a shuttle to a swim start or if transitions are in different locations. Know exactly where you are going and when on race morning. You do not want to search for parking at 4am in an unfamiliar, dark location. Share this plan with your support team. Detailed logistics planning will drastically reduce race day stress.
Day before race workouts: Use these to engage your body but not overload. Ideally, get to the swim venue at about the same time you will start the race. Check the direction and angle of the sun. Are your swim goggles appropriate for any potential sun glare? Check the water temperature and confirm whether wetsuits are allowed or not. Either bike the run course or bike the first few miles of the bike course. Keep running to the bare minimum. You want to stay off your feet as much as possible today.
Race check in: Try to do this as early as possible, a day or two before the race. Confirm time when you need to drop off your bike and gear (usually the day before). There are many shiny objects in the race expo. Minimize your time at the race expo if you are there the day before the race. Your job today is mostly logistics, keeping out of the sun, hydrating, and fueling.
Mindset prep: Review your “why” you have chosen to race. You will call on these core reasons on race day. Reach out to your network to thank them for all their support. Gratitude creates happiness, perspective and meaning.
How to deal with pre-race nerves: Breathwork, journaling, visualization
Listener Questions
How should I execute planned Zwift bike workouts outside? Are there times that I should definitely ride inside vs. outside?
Beginner HIM and IM: Just ride Z2 for long endurance rides outside. Especially if you are riding somewhere windy or hilly, you will get some tempo work in naturally. During the week, getting in some intensity indoors can be helpful and time-efficient (i.e., sweet spot or AC intervals on trainer).
Advanced HIM and short course: Good to practice race watts outside if possible, but be sure to find a road that is safe with minimal traffic and stopping. Avoid being in aero without access to the brakes when in busy areas. Still valuable to do some trainer workouts inside for convenience.
What should I do for a pre-race warmup if I’m not allowed to get in the water before starting?
Arm swings and other dynamic activation in the corral can help if feeling particularly tight
Even if you can’t swim, try to get some cold water on your face (stand at shore and splash on face)
Take a gel 15’ before you start
Broader point: for most races in HIM and IM, the swim itself should be your warmup for the rest of the race, so don’t stress it too much if you can’t get your usual warmup in.
If you CAN get the warmup in, aim for 5-10’ easy swimming and practice sighting to make sure that your goggles are adjusted properly and that you can see the buoys. Evaluate race conditions and sun position in the water. Make sure your wetsuit is comfortable. Include 2-4 short pickups (10-15 seconds) with faster arm turnover/ race pace.
Don’t put your wetsuit on too early pre-race. Don’t walk around a lot in your wetsuit or if you to wear it to the start area, put it on only up to your waist.
Challenge of the Week
Katie: If you are starting to do big outdoor rides, consider a bike tune up; after an entire winter on the trainer, you may very well need a new chain/ new tires etc.
Jim: Start to work in open water sighting in the pool for at least one set.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6r3M4GGgIY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmRqDu8ApG4
Gear Pick of the Week
Katie: Nathan ExoDraw & ExoShot 2.0 Flask
Jim: Race Belt