Friday Tri: Doing a Run-Through

One of the most useful things to do in preparation for a race is a run-through. In triathlon, it's particularly important to do run-throughs of transition. I try to arrive at the race venue about an hour and a half before the race starts, but my husband likes to arrive about 2 hours before the race starts because he is a little newer to triathlon and needs more time to think things through. Don't be the last one there, however, and not leave time to really be able to think.

If you can do it, many races have a Friday night or week-before option where they will do a race preview. This can be very helpful for visualizing the race, even if you only drive through the bike section and walk through part of the run. Obviously, you don't want to expend too much energy the night before a race. For me, when I did my first triathlon, I hadn't done any open water swimming before, so I got out into the lake and swam for about 15 minutes the night before so I felt more comfortable and that was a good compromise, not too aerobic. (Although I recommend doing a lot more open water swimming before a race than that—sometimes optimal conditions don't happen.)

One year, I drove down to a race venue and ran through the run course every other week for six weeks before the race. I dropped more than a minute off my time by doing this. I don't know why it works, but studies show that it does. Your mind does better when it knows what it is doing intimately well. And this is a race that I've done twenty times before. But still, the closer you do it to race time, the better. Mimic race conditions as much as possible, as well. Time of day, weather, etc. If you can, of course. Don't kill yourself. My first Ironman, I drove 12 hours to and 12 hours from the race venue to bike the bike course. It ended up raining the whole time and I got lost. Still, I was glad I had done it. I felt like I had handled the worst the course had to offer me. Great confidence builder.

On the morning of the race, I usually go check in, get my race bib, cap, bike number and timing chip at the registration desk. I get body marked and then head into transition. I often try to get a spot close to the exit with the idea that I run faster if I am not pushing a bike. Yeah, it's only a half of a second difference, but it feels important. Also, it can help keep you from getting into traffic through transition. Some races have preassigned spots, so then there's no question where you set up your bike. You'll figure it out as soon as you get to the race. I admit, I will sometimes move other bikes slightly to the side to make room for my bike at the front. I only do this if I feel like there is genuinely plenty of space and I am very gentle with the equipment of others. But be warned, not all competitors will sit by and allow this. You could be yelled at, even if there is no other space for your bike.

After I pick out my bike location and hang my bike on the bar, I get out my wetsuit bag. I make sure I have goggles and cap in it. Then I leave it to the side. I put on my wetsuit about 20-30 minutes before the race starts. Not yet. I lay out running shoes. If I'm putting on my biking shoes and socks, I put those out, too. (Sometimes I leave shoes on my bike and don't wear socks. It depends on the race and the transition area—how dirty it is, mostly). Then I leave my stuff where it is and start counting racks. I make sure that I know where you bike out of and bike in, and where you run out of. It's not always the same side of transition.

Then I do a little mini-run through. I pretend I am coming out of the water, run through transition to find my bike. I count racks in my mind and try to think of any other visual markers that will help. One year a race labeled racks with letters of the alphabet, but beware that those markers may not be there when you are coming through or may be covered. Counting works best. Then I do a run through with my bike, riding it a few hundred meters out of transition to make sure the gears are right. Then I turn back, do a mock run through coming off the bike and into transition again. And running out. This doesn't tire me out at all, really. It helps me enormously to have confidence in transition and these days, transition is one of my fastest elements. I will sometimes do run-throughs three or four times before I get into the water and do a 5-10 minute swim warmup, very easy but to loosen my shoulders.

Doing run-throughs of stressful events is not just a principle of racing. I think it works for everything in life. Worried about a call with an editor? Run through it in your mind. Imagine what things you are going to talk about. Worried about meeting an author? Do a run through with a friend playing the part. Does this sound silly? I do this all the time and maybe I'm neurotic, but it works for me.