While most of the northern hemisphere is gradually wrapping up its race season, the southern hemisphere, as well as here in the UAE, the new race season is about to begin.A fairly classic situation that can occur is athletes training really well but not quite performing to their abilities on race day. During training things are going well. They are focused, they are hitting their numbers, they are executing the sessions as they should be done. But come race day, it somehow seems to fall apart. The nerves of the occasion seem to get the better of them and things unravel. And this can be a very demoralizing experience for any athlete, no matter what their level. Though usually the more experienced athletes are more able to control their nerves. And effectively that’s all it is. Nerves getting the better of an athlete, the athlete questioning their ability to cope with the race and perform well as per their training, effectively comes down to the feeling of control. Particularly with triathlon when so many things are different from one event to the next, like for example the profile of the race course and the impact of weather conditions for example which can determine whether a swim is in calm waters or whether you have to deal with waves and strong currents, can leave an athlete feeling helpless and out of control which subsequently affects their confidence and thereby their performance. During training, the competition effect isn’t there. You are with your training buddies, in familiar surroundings, engaged in your regular routine. You’re in control. Even if your session isn’t quite going as you want it to be going, you are still in a certain amount of control and within your comfort zone. Competition can blindside athletes, it can hit them like an avalanche and they may not even see it coming. The expectation, the crowd, the weather conditions, the likely scenarios, the other athletes… the list can be seemingly endless. All those hours of training come down to this one event.
So how can you as an athlete get through this confidence crisis. The best way to deal with this, is to switch to autopilot. Before a race have a routine so very well rehearsed that you don’t event have to think about it and that it elicits a feeling of total control. Having set things that you do, simple things, that as so well rehearsed that they work like clockwork, can help an athlete calm down, feel in control and regain their focus. Its like a little mental check list and every little tick on it, gives you a little confidence boost.
In the weeks leading up to the big race, the one you’ve been training for all season, visualisation can be a very good tool to practicing your race tactics, practicing getting over any possible mishaps or things going wrong, and practicing the perfect race. Just like physical training, where repetition helps bring about physical and physiological improvements so that performance is enhanced, mentally rehearsing your tactics, or mentally practising and playing over race scenarios of things happening and how you deal with them for example a bike mechanical or a flat tyre, makes the situation, should it occur, more familiar; and the more familiar you are with something, the more in control you feel, and the more in control you feel, the more able you are to deal with it.
Last but not least, and probably a far more simplistic way of dealing with things, is to simply allow yourself some time. Take a step back. Take a few extra seconds, take a minute longer in transition, don’t rush things. Slow it down. Take a deep breath. Take another. Think about what comes next. Focus on what you can control. Yourself. Your breathing. Your effort level. You’ve done the training for this. You can do this. Take your time. Sometimes a minute lost for this, will saves you more time later. Yes it’s a race, yes time is of the essence and we are ultimately looking to be fast. But sometimes, it pays to slow down. Calm yourself, focus your thinking, and then take a step forward.
The above suggestions and strategies may seem simple enough and in many cases just like plain common sense, but the reality of competition can play tricks on you and totally throw you off balance. And just like you practice your swim technique, and practice how to change a flat tyre, practicing these little mental skills is just as critical to race day. Try incorporating some of these regularly within your training, starting initially with your longer steady endurance sessions and gradually look to incorporate them into some of your more structured high intensity sessions where your mind and your body are already engaged and locked into the session. See how you fare.