After putting in months of time training for your goal race (or maybe your first race ever) the last thing you want to do is blow it all with poor planning and race week preparation. Taking a little time to make sure your body is nourished and well rested, as well as ensuring you have all the necessary gear ready to go can help you show up feeling confident and ready to toe the starting line. So invest a little extra time and you’ll be one step ahead of the competition.
Training Race week isn’t the time to do long, hard runs and rides. By now you’ve gained all the fitness you’re going to get. Cramming may have worked for that chemistry test in school but trying to put in any serious training the week before your race will just leave you fatigued on race day. A basic taper involves a 30-50% reduction in training volume at least a week leading up to your race. Longer races typically require a longer taper but assuming your first race is a sprint, 5-7 days of taper is sufficient. The goal is to be rested but not lose that edge. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before the race, warm up, then do some steady, short efforts that bring you up to race speed. 30-45min is plenty long enough for a workout including warm up and cool down. Take a day or two off altogether. The day before your race you should do a “race-prep” session to get your body ready to go. I like to do a short swim/bike/run with some pick-ups in each sport (10-15min each is fine). If possible it’s a good idea to take advantage of your race-prep session to check out the course. Sleeping Concentrate on getting some good rest the entire week. It might be hard to sleep the night before your race, but one night's deficit will not hurt much. One week of less-than-optimal sleep will. If you aren’t a morning person and your race starts early it’s a good idea to get in the habit of waking up early in the days before the race and even doing your workouts at the same time as the race will be. Eating/drinking Do not skip meals during race week, and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate throughout the week. Don’t eat a late-night meal the night before the race and be careful about getting too much fiber in your pre-race dinner/breakfast meals. Stick with “safe” foods that you know your body handles well. Mexican is typically NOT a good dinner the night before your race...although I do love me some fajitas...save it for post-race celebration :) Equipment check At least 2 days before, pump tires, and go over your entire bike thoroughly. Check to make sure it shifts through all the gears smoothly, your wheels and seat post clamp are tight, and your brakes are in good working order. You don’t want to show up at the bike check on race morning and find you have an issue. Make sure you have all the other necessary gear ready and in good condition. Are your goggles leaking, or do they suck? GET NEW ONES RIGHT AWAY!!! The night before Pack your race/transition bag. Make a list of everything you’ll need for race day and check it off the list as you pack it in your bag. Essential items for your race bag:

• Wetsuit or swim suit	• Running shoes
• Swim goggles	• Sunglasses
• Swim cap	• Hat or visor
• Towel	• Bottles of sports drink
• Bike shoes and socks	• Energy gels/bars
• Bike or tri shorts	• Race numbers
• Watch or HRM	• Extra towel for transition area

You can make a more complete custom list here: Racechecklist.com Early bird gets the worm Know where you’re going, and give yourself time to get there. Get to the race early! There may be lines to check into the transition area (and also at the bathroom) so plan accordingly. Find a good spot to rack your bike equidistant from where you need to run in and out (unless positions are assigned). Attend the race briefing If you are new, then the race briefing is essential. It tells you what to expect during the race, and informs you of any changes that may have occurred since race info was posted. They will also go over rules, safety, and the course - which can be confusing especially if more than one distance is being run simultaneously. The pre-race meeting might also he held the day prior for longer races. Transitions Take the time to figure out the flow of the transition area before the race starts. Walk from the swim finish to the transition entrance to your bike. Walk from your bike to the bike transition exit. Walk from the bike-in to your rack position. Walk from your rack position to the run exit. Do it again and make sure you know where you are going and where your gear is with respect to the exit/entrance. Properly and effectively laying out a transition area Lay out your transition area on your bed the night before to ensure you have everything. Bring a sports bag to pack gear into the triathlon venue. Also, a small collapsible ice chest for hydration is helpful. Try to get on the outside end of bike racks – there’s more space, and it’s easier to find your bike. Some races will give you an assigned rack position, some will assign you to a rack and it’s first-come, first-served to get a specific spot. Knowing this ahead of time will help you plan sufficient time on race morning. Find out local rules – can you leave a bag in the transition area? Can you mark your specific location in the transition area? The set-up:

• Rack your bike

• Place a small towel on the ground next to your bike

• Take race belt with number for run and place running shoes/socks on top of number (you can also pin your number to your bike/run shirt)

• Make sure that your running shoes and laces are open

• Put your hat/visor on top of your running shoes

• Place bike shoes on the towel directly behind running shoes

• Loosen up the straps and ensure they’re open and ready…place socks inside

• Leave the portion of the towel to the rear of your bike open to stand on

• Place a water bottle near this area to wash away any debris from your feet

• IMPORTANT - Place helmet on bike so you don’t forget to put it on

• Put sunglasses inside helmet

• Place shirt/shorts on top of bike seat, so they are within easy reach

• Run through everything mentally to double-check and make sure that you haven’t forgotten anything

• Double-check to make sure you bike is in the right gear (small chain ring in front and a gear that you can easily push coming out of T1).

Other pre-race preparations Warm up with a short jog and striders and do some light stretching – just enough to break a sweat and get the blood moving to your muscles. If possible, jump in the water and swim 5-10min with some accelerations as close as possible to your starting time. If it’s a cool morning be sure to stay warm prior to the start -- throw on a sweatshirt or warm fleece jacket that you can hand off to a friend before you jump in. Relax and wait If you’ve planned well you shouldn’t be rushed and you might have some time to wait before your starting time. Use the time to warm up, then find a quiet place to read or listen to music. Stay warm and relaxed while you wait. Sip on water or sports drink, but don’t overfill yourself.