Minimize pre-race stress - You have trained hard. Race day is here. When you arrive at the race, you realize you forgot your helmet or your shoes or something. This fact only serves to make you more nervous!

By the time you start racing, you are quite jittery.

Many athletes need to learn to relax before races.

But just how can you LEARN to relax?

Let's look at some things to do before the race that will ease your nerves a little.

Make a list

Before any race, have a list of things you need to take. Mention your running shoes, cycling shoes, helmet, bottle, towel (if you use one), racing kit, warm up kit, sun glasses and …toilet roll! Yes, pack this item as how often have you been to a race and there are not enough toilet facilities or the queues are a mile long? And sometimes the toilets do not have sufficient loo paper. So, always carry a “handy roll” with me in case the good ‘ol African conventional “BK” is required. There have been athletes who start races late because they were waiting for the toilet.

By having a list you minimize the chances of things going wrong on race day. This list contributes to a more relaxed feeling. You are comfortable with the fact that you have everything. Pack your race bag the night before the race so that you do not have to worry about it in the morning. Simply get up, have something to eat and go to the race. One thing is guaranteed: you want things to go smoothly on race day.

Get there early

Get to a race early. What is “early”? Usually about an hour beforehand. This is normally enough time to rack my bike, pay entry fee if still necessary, and have a decent warm up.

For races where a big field in expected, get there earlier so as to not waste time looking for parking, that can create unnecessary stress before you race. Rather leave earlier and drive in comfortably and have plenty time to spare.

Know where you racked your bike!

Sounds obvious hey! There have been cases of people known to lose their bikes in the transition! Losing your bike can be humorous but stressful too!

A routine could be: rack bike and then run in and out of the transition area. Look for little landmarks, count the rack number you’re in; maybe even time approximately how long the run takes from the transition entrance to bike location. Repeat this until satisfied you know exactly where your bike is stationed.

When you rack your bike, have sufficient space for your equipment. Some triathletes are determined to find the closest possible exit point. They “create” space for their bikes, squeezed in between a few other bikes. Quite often this causes a disturbance. Someone’s helmet gets dislodged from the bike or wherever it is situated or the running shoes get “moved” for you! Believe me, you do not want to run into the transition area and suddenly wonder where your helmet is. BIG STRESS!

Rather find a spot where you AND the people around you have enough space so that everybody has a smooth transition.

Avoid noisy, ”worried” people

Everyone deals with a race in different ways. Some people are really quiet, while other chat away non-stop. There are also those people who will come to you and say: “Oh, have you seen that hill on the run/bike? It’s a monster!” Negative comments are not good for you at any stage, let alone before a race!

Suggest you hang around people who think similarly to you or just stay on your own if you prefer your own company.

In conclusion, we can control quite a few factors that can adversely affect our race nerves. It all comes down to one word really: planning.

Good Luck!