How to nail your race day
You’re a week or two out from race day. You’ve trained hard. You’ve put in the work. And now you’re ready to go!
So what else do you need? How do you make sure you nail your race day?
Let’s break it down into two sections; the lead up and then on the day preparation.
Leading into race day
There are various elements we can and should be focusing on leading into a race. This includes your training, nutrition, recovery and most importantly - your planning.
Firstly, your training. Tapering before your race is important, however the last thing you want to do is stop moving all together. You want your body to feel strong and energised leading into a race. Coach JK recommends dialling down your training volume during your taper to about 60-70% of a normal training week. This could be as simple as reducing your usual one hour training sessions to 40 minutes, or training for three days during the week instead of four. Consider moving any intense or heavy workouts to the beginning of the week to avoid risk of injury and ensure you’re giving your body enough time to recover.
With this said, you need to keep in mind that there’s nothing more you can do in the week leading into race day that will improve your overall fitness. By now you should have done the work, so any training this week should be purely to keep your body moving and the blood flowing! If you’re worried about over training or a reoccurring injury, then consider replacing your usual workouts with active recovery sessions. This might include a yoga class, light walks or jogs to avoid the lethargic feeling that can sometimes come from doing little to nothing during a taper week.
Next comes your nutrition. Think of your body as a car and food as your fuel. Cars run best when they have a full tank of the right fuel (key word being ‘right’ here!) Ensure you are eating enough of the right foods leading into your race. We’re not nutritionists here so our advice is general in nature, but one thing we will say is…carbs is KING! You want to be fuelling on complex (or slow-release) carbohydrates in the days prior, such as brown rice, vegetables and whole-wheat pasta. Simple (or fast-release) carbohydrates will be your go to on race day. The biggest thing to remember is to avoid eating anything unfamiliar. Stick to what you know and your body will love you for it.
Recovery is one of the most important elements for your race day preparation. This is everything you do outside of your training, such as your sleep, hydration and rest. Be sure to rest as much as possible prior to your race. This means quality sleep and hydrating adequately. Coach JK’s number one tip is to reduce your external stressors where you can. If you can work from home, then great. Delete social media for the week? Even better! Anything that may cause unwanted stress or worry in the week leading up to your race, forget about it. Remember - there is only so much you can control. Focus on what you CAN control rather than what you CAN’T.
Finally, your on the day planning. Whether it’s a Hyrox, DEKA or another type of race event, planning your day is absolutely key. This means having a rough schedule for travel to the venue, event registration, getting familiar with the course or layout and warm-up time. You should know when your event is on and how much time you need beforehand to feel adequately prepared. Also - know the details of your event! Don’t get caught out on the day by not having done your research on the course layout or rule book. It could be as simple as spending 10-15 minutes the night before looking at the event website or social media page to familiarise yourself with anything you don’t already know.
On the day
Your on the day preparation is simple - focus on what you CAN control, not on what you CAN’T. There is no point working yourself up over things such as the weather, a change in race time or a judge’s decision. Control what you can and try your best to forget about the rest.
Some examples of what you can control include your nutrition and hydration. Be sure to come prepared on race day with the right food, snacks and hydration to keep you going. It might be enticing to want to try some new electrolyte drink or energy bar at the venue prior to your race, but we highly recommend sticking to what you already know and bringing your own food, snacks and drinks on the day. Save the experimenting for after your race!
Another key factor you can control is where you put your energy. While it’s great that you want to be there to support your friends, watch the other races and be part of the day, it’s important to make sure you’re saving enough energy for your actual race. Your mental energy is just as (if not more) important than your physical energy on the day. Don’t let your energy go to waste - you only have so much to give!
And now it’s time for your race! We’ve already said it, but we’ll say it again - control what you can control. It’s not about what happens on the day - it’s about how you react. Things may not go to plan and that’s okay. Know your race strategy, have confidence in your preparation and be ready to adapt when needed. It’s all about how well you recover in moments of weakness or unfamilarity.
Most importantly - enjoy the day! Don’t take it all too seriously. You’re there to have fun and challenge yourself.
And when the going gets tough, make sure you remember your why.
