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Triathlon tips: Turn race day nerves into race day confidence

Experiencing stress before a race is common: bad sleep the night before, waking early, difficulties getting breakfast down, frequent urges to go to the loo, worries about what might go wrong, a thumping heart while we stand still... These experiences can be unsettling. Why do they happen?

They happen because:

  1. The race represents a test and we may fear that we'll fail to perform compared to others or our own standards (i.e., finish time or position), or
  2. We fear some catastrophe (e.g., getting punched in the face during the swim, losing our goggles or drowning; crashing on the bike...)

When we arrive at the race site, our body's arousal is boosted further by the race environment - hearing the pump-you-up music blaring out of a PA system, or seeing lean, mean and excited (and stressed) triathletes. This increases the chance that our arousal level spills over into stress or anxiety - where it can become a problem.

What's so bad about pre-race nerves?

  • They make it difficult to rest well and get a good night’s sleep before the race
  • They make it difficult to keep down a good pre-race breakfast and fuel properly
  • They limit enjoyment - if we are stressed, then we won't be enjoying the experience
  • They distract us from the race as our mind searches for threats and problems
  • They cause unnecessary muscular tension, making our movements less efficient (slowing us down)

The stress reaction developed thousands of years ago to keep humans safe by focusing our mind on potential threats and getting the body ready for action. We all have this reaction. For instance, we'd all experience it if we were walking alone down a dark alley at night and heard footsteps closing in on us from behind. This reaction can be a life-saver, but can easily become a problem if it’s too easily activated in situations that aren't actually that threatening - well, not life-threatening anyway.

Okay, back to triathlon and how to tackle pre-race stress. Before race day itself, try to catch and challenge any threat-focused thoughts you have about the race. Ask:

  1. What do I really not want to happen to me in the race? (e.g., drowning, crashes, getting beaten, letting others down...)
  2. Rank these from most to least worrying?
  3. Rate how likely each is to happen (0% to 100%)?
  4. Can each situation be viewed differently? (e.g., less likely, less threatening, something you could cope with, something that is actually manageable...)
  5. Can any steps be taken to reduce the chance that each situation will occur or to reduce any negative impact it might have? (e.g., wear the wetsuit more so you cope with the tightness and sense of claustrophobia easier, learn to navigate in open-water better, develop better bike-handling skills, do a 10K flat-out run to become more confident in your run, do a pre-race ride in race setup...)

Then there are useful tips for race day itself:
  1. Take control of your breathing: slow deep rhythmical breaths, focus on slowing-down your breathing, body and thoughts, focus on you, not on any other madness that may be going on around you
  2. Challenge those thoughts: catch any negative predictions and unhelpful thoughts, then counter them with an alternative that you have already prepared (e.g., turn the thought "my body is on edge, a sign that something is going to go very wrong" into "my body is up for this, ready to go when the gun goes off")
  3. Refocus: switch your focus from aspects that are making you feel more stressed onto something less stressful (see last month's 220 piece on race focus)
  4. Move: stretch, walk, jog, or warm-up for the swim while noticing how ready you are for the race
  5. Follow your routine: gain confidence from following your preplanned routine in the lead-up to the start
  6. Recall success: relevant successes in training and races, see how they show that you are ready
  7. Recall your goals: achievable and desirable goals for the day. Remember to make sure these are doable and include something about enjoying the day and learning from it. This way your goals won’t add even more stress.

Use these tips to prepare for any race nerves so they don't get in the way of enjoying your day and a great performance.

Dr Victor Thompson

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