I’m writing the blog while lying on my hotel bed in a Mediterranean coastal town. Its registration day for my A-race. I’m not quite sure where my bike and my main bag are, having shipped them overland in a truck. They’re out there somewhere, in a hotel car park, I’ll figure out exactly where later today. Having flown here with just hand luggage, I have with me perhaps a tenth of what I need to race. For many this might be a stressful situation.
Pre-race nerves affect many athletes and the effect is rarely positive.
In a recent exchange with an athlete I coach from time to time, he asked me why he became so nervous before every race and what he might do to prevent it. I shared with him the techniques I have used in the past and the practices I use now to prevent pre-race nerves disrupting my day.
In almost every circumstance, the sequence for triathlon is swim, bike then run (I have in mind the epic Arch to Arc spanning from London to Paris, which is Run-Swim-Bike as an exception). When in a heightened state of anxiety, putting your face into cold water, while being pushed, kicked, elbowed, dunked or generally swum over, may not be the best combination.
When mitigating a risk, removing oneself from the hazard, should be the first line of defence. Consider your point of entry and proximity to other swimmers. I always prefer to swim on the edge of the pack rather than in the middle, despite being a strong swimmer. I want my stroke to be long, strong and uninterrupted, so keeping others physically out of my way is a good starting point. Assuming then that you can give yourself a relatively clean start, you’re left with the environmental conditions and any pre-race anxiety to deal with.
Firstly, for the vast majority of athletes, this is ‘just’ triathlon. It’s what we love but it’s not something we depend upon for our livelihoods. Whether we get the PR we’re looking for today, or maybe next time out, really isn’t that big a deal. It’s too easy to just say “go out there and enjoy it.” While it’s OK to say that, it somehow feels too superficial, as the intention alone won’t necessarily make it a reality. Do however, keep performance in perspective. You’re really not Gwen Jorgensen or Jan Frodeno and putting too much performance pressure on yourself will almost always have a detrimental effect.
Surround yourself with positive peers. Before this ‘A’ race, a friend of mine, Paul ‘Bear’ Machin, simply asserted “you got this”. He didn’t feel the need to extrapolate every possibility but conveyed the confidence that provides a strong foundation for successful race execution. Bear uses his own mantra of “suffer but never surrender” to see him through ultra endurance events that are almost unbelievable in duration. While that doesn’t address pre-race nerves, I’ll borrow that one, deep into the run, maybe you could too?
Use positive affirmation and objective data to help yourself accept that you’re a good swimmer, that you’ve done this many times before in training, you’re happy with your performance level and that your usual performance is factored into your race plan.
I use imagery to prepare myself before a race, thinking about and visualising myself slipping easily through the water, a stream of bubbles from my easy, relaxed exhalation and the peripheral view of swimmers’ feet, wetsuits, pulling arms and catching hands, as I gradually ease past them with each stroke.
If you have a deep water start, get in and have a short practice swim before the race to acclimatise to the water temperature, or for beach starts, as a minimum, splash water over your face and neck to reduce the cold water shock of a running and porpoise dive entry.
In middle and long distance races I’ve done this year, people have commented both in person and on social media about how calm I was before the race. This isn’t by chance. I follow the processes outlined above to keep myself in check and ready to perform the way I’d planned.
Whatever your preferred distance, by the time you’ve rounded the first buoy, the nerves will be gone, you’ll be into a rhythm and can get into and enjoy your racing.
If you suffer debilitating pre-race nerves, carry this into your 2017 season and see the results.
Paul
GI Tri Coach
GI tri coach 