CONSISTENCY CONT'D:

A RACE DAY ROUTINE BEGINS THE MOMENT YOU WAKE UP.

YOU FIRST WANT TO GET UP EARLY ENOUGH TO TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS IN THE BATHROOM BEFORE YOU HEAD TO THE RACE. SO GIVE YOURSELF AN HOUR BEFORE YOU LEAVE.
WHILE YOUR BODY IS WAKING UP, GET DRESSED FOR THE RACE AND GET YOUR BREAKFAST AND NUTRITION. THIS MIGHT INCLUDE YOUR VITAMINS, PROTEIN SHAKE, OATMEAL WHICH IS MY FAVORITE, AND SOME TOAST. DON'T FORGET ABOUT WATER AND ELECTROLYTE. IF THE MEET TAKES SOME TIME TO GET TO, BRING A GRANOLA BAR AND WATER TO EAT AND DRINK A LITTLE IN THE CAR.
WARM UP ROUTINE IS CRITICAL AND SHOULD INCLUDE THE SAME TIME, STRETCHING, DRILLS, AND STRIDES AS YOU FOLLOW IN PRACTICE.

tOOLS:

ULTIMATELY YOU WANT TO BE AS COMFORTABLE AS POSSIBLE AT THE RACE, AGAIN WITH THE GOAL OF CALMING NERVES. YOUR CHECKLIST INCLUDES SOME BASICS, BUT SPECIFIC TOOLS TO CONSIDER AND HAVE ON THE CHECKLIST ARE:

CLOTHING, JACKETS, PANTS, T-SHIRTS. CHECK THE WEATHER!
FOAM ROLLER, MUSCLE CREAM, RUNNERS STICK, HARD RUBBER BALL.

mENTAL:

THIS IS A TOUGH CATEGORY AS EVERY ATHLETE THINKS IN DIFFERENT WAYS, AND ADVERSITY AFFECTS THEM DIFFERENTLY. aLL OF THE RACE DAY PREP IN THIS SESSION IS PRIMARILY TO KEEP THE THINGS YOU CAN CONTROL SIMPLE! lET'S IDENTIFY SOME KEY POINTS TO HELP THE MENTAL GAME:

YOU GOTTA HAVE FUN!!
DON'T STRESS YOURSELF OUT, AND DON'T LET ANYONE ELSE EITHER.
THINK OF YOUR RACE AND HAVE A PLAN, BUT DON'T OVER THINK IT
YOU WILL HAVE A BAD RACE, BUT YOU'LL ALSO LIVE TO RACE AGAIN
TRY TO LEARN ONE THING FROM EVERY RACE!

RACE DAY PART 2

We discussed the days leading up to race day in the part 1 session. the next step is to understand as much as you can about the actual race day. there are many factors that can either positively or very negatively impact your race. the goal would be to have a great race as often as you can.

let's get to the keys to race day success!

In this session we discussed 4 keys:

RACE DAY CHECKLIST
CONSISTENCY IN A ROUTINE
TOOLS TO BE PREPARED
YOUR MENTAL GAME

RACE DAY CHECKLIST:

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF HAVING A CHECKLIST? WE ALL KNOW THE ANSWER: YOU CREATE A CHECKLIST WHEN YOU ARE CALM AND HAVE ALL YOUR THOUGHTS SO WHEN IT COMES TO CRUNCH TIME YOU DON'T NEED TO RECALL ALL OF THE POINTS. A CHECKLIST IS POWERFUL, YET, OFTEN TIMES WE DON'T TAKE THE TIME TO CREATE THEM WHICH LEADS TO FRANTIC MORNINGS ON YOUR WAY TO THE RACE! FOR RACE DAY YOU NEED SOME KEY ITEMS ON THE CHECKLIST:

UNIFORM, RACING SHOES, TRAINING SHOES, CLOTHING TO ACCOMMODATE WEATHER CHANGES, SUNSCREEN, WATER, ELECTROLYTE, GRANOLA BARS, FOOD, SHADE..
MANY OTHER THINGS CAN BE ADDED, THE IMPORTANT THING IS TO CREATE IT AND CHECK IT OFF THE NIGHT BEFORE, NOT THE MORNING OF.

CONSISTENCY IN A ROUTINE:

AS A CHECKLIST HELPS YOU REMEMBER ALL THE DETAILS, HAVING A ROUTINE HELPS YOU REMAIN COMFORTABLE AND HELPS TO KEEP NERVES DOWN.