The week before your big event.

With just one week before your big race, it is time to do a number of things that will enhance race day.

1. You will now be scaling back on both distance and intensity of training. That means that your body will not burn as many calories as it has during your big training weeks. If you don’t eat slightly less, you might find yourself adding weight before race day.
2. With point 1 in mind, try to eat high quality foods during this time. Unless you are on a Paleo based diet, you should eat foods high in carbs and protein. The list includes: rice, cereal, pasta, eggs, potatoes, chicken, etc.  Salads are fine but remember that they tend to be low in carbs.
3. Drink lots of water. Carbohydrates convert to glycogen, which is the fuel that you will need during the race. The conversion of carbs to glycogen is made easier when the body has enough water.
4. Don’t drink too much alcohol. In fact, you should eliminate it all together in the week leading up to the race. Alcohol dehydrates your body, and that is the exact opposite of what you want to do at this time.
5. Make sure that you can get healthy foods at the town that you will be racing at. Some of the smaller towns don’t have shops that stock healthy food. You might need to do a bit of research beforehand as to which shops are in the area and where.
6. Drink lots of water if you are flying to your event. Flying at high altitudes causes dehydration.
7. Stay away from anti-inflammatory meds before race. They can decrease blood flow to the kidneys thus causing unwanted complications. Please chat to your doctor if you need to with regard this point.
8.  Watch what you eat the night before your race. This is not the time to try a hot curry or eat lots of salad (roughage). You really don’t want digestion problems on the day of your race.
9. Try getting some extra sleep and reducing stress at work. I know what you are saying at this point, “Yeah, right”. Well, it was worth a shot.
10. Go for a massage during the week if possible. The object of the massage is to lightly relax your muscles.
11. Cut down on tea and coffee on the day before your race. Both contain caffeine and will make getting to sleep more difficult.
12. Check and double check that your equipment is in working order.

Enjoy this last week leading up to your race. The hard work is done; it’s time to relax a bit. Realise that everyone is just as nervous as you, and that come race day, your preparation will all pull together.

Regards

Mike