Preparing for a destination race

In an effort to stay healthy as an athlete and not burn out, I have adjusted how I race this year. I have less A races and when I do go all in, the race styles vary from running, triathlon, duathlon, and adventure racing. I love to focus on an athletic goal, but I find that once I reach that goal and my next goal is too similar, I lose my edge and focus. Because of this, I am making a concentrated effort to truly hold back when I am not racing an event, both mentally and physically, and then to truly wring out everything I have into the events I am racing.

I haven’t done many running A races this year and to be honest, I am grateful. It makes me hungry when it comes to race time.

I am headed to Vancouver for the first time this weekend to spend some awesome time with close friends, see the sights and race my little heart out. I have been nailing my workout paces and have kept up with my athletic therapy. I don’t know exactly what time to expect but I do know it will be my best time ever and I feel ready. This is a novel feeling for me because so often in the past when I limited my recovery between races, I always felt like I could have done a little bit more to prepare, felt a little more fresh or had a bit more of an edge.

I know that when I race this weekend, that it will be the best that I can do right now and I am proud of that, no matter what time I end up running.  I am starting to prepare for my race now in order to have the best race I can this Saturday.

Pack Simply –

I am only packing a carry on bag with everything I need for the almost week I am away. Keeping things simple and only bringing what I need minimises stress and with me, the less things I have, the less likely I am to lose them.

Get to the Race Site Early –

All of the destination races I have done, I have gotten to the area as early as I could. When I race at altitude, if I can, I get out there at least a week in advance to try to begin adapting. For Vancouver, I am headed there a few days before the race to get the initial excitement of meeting up with friends over with so I can have at least one day of easy movement and rest before the race.

Minimise activity the day before the race –

When you are in a new place, it is tempting to tour everywhere and see all the sights. Be disciplined and choose activities that require less time on your feet.

Eat Well –

Travelling and eating well is hard enough to begin with, much less eating new places and foods which have the potential to upset your system. Stick to foods you know are going to agree with you and remember to hydrate. I drink Nuun hydration the day before to ensure I am hydrated, take salt tablets if I know it is going to be hot and start my mornings with greens+ in water to ensure I am keeping my inflammation low.

Have a plan and stick with it – 

Before a destination race, I always take a moment the night before to sit down with the race map and study it. I just think through how I want my race to go, how I want to start and the paces that I would like to be running at each point on the course. I think about when I will take nutrition and water and the next day, I don’t think – I just execute.

How many of you are racing this weekend? Will I see any of you in Vancouver?