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Youth Training:
Race Week Strategies
By Alan Ley


Athletes never get faster until they rebuild and recover. More races are won or lost the seven days before a race than any other time. Pre-race mental and physical strategies will put you at the starting line in control, focused and in the ready-to-race mode.


Mental strategies
• Stay focused on you. Eliminate and reduce the effects of distractions on pre-race preparations. Keep your routines and rituals.
• This is your time. The first thoughts you have each day are critical for setting the day’s tone. Begin every day of race week by telling yourself, “I feel great,” “It’s going to be my day,” “Sleep restored my power” or “I am ready to perform to my full potential!”
• Be your own hero. Whether the world knows you as a great triathlete is not as important as the fact that you know you are. So, be your own hero and smile because you are about to put it all on the line with the race of your life.
• Mental strength can be your greatest power. Even if you do not feel completely physically prepared, know that your mental strength can get you through.
• Visualize the each leg of the event and racecourse. Be as specific as possible when creating your mental images of the swim, bike, run and the course.


Physical strategies
• Race week is about letting your body absorb and recover from the overload of training stress.
• Undertrained is always better than overtrained. Err on the side of doing too little rather than too much race week. Don’t try and make up for lost training. You are ready!
• Keep the training time low, but maintain race-specific intensity workouts in each sport. Include 60-90 second race-effort repetitions during race week in all the disciplines to maintain your race sharpness and peak form.
• Active rest is best. Your body is used to moving on a consistent basis and doesn’t like doing nothing.
• Ride, run and swim on the racecourse. Get in the water, know the bike course and run the last mile to the finish line.


Stay focused on you. Check your equipment. Be prepared for the what ifs. This is your time, your race — go fast!


 


The BIG Question:
What do your friends say when you tell them you are a triathlete?


“My friends are amazed when they hear I am a triathlete. They are even more amazed when I tell them I have two gold medals. I will compete in a bigger tri next year in Pittsburgh.”
— Drew Barkley, Greensburg, Pa.


“People have different reactions when I tell them I’m a triathlete. Some people don’t believe it, others think it is cool. But some people want to know how I did and where it took place.”
— Hunter M., 12, Fort Mill, S.C.


The Next BIG Question:
What is your favorite way to practice swimming, biking or running?


Answer the big question! Send your responses in 40 words or fewer to communications@usatriathlon.org by Aug. 8 with “Youth Big Question” as the subject, and your answer may appear in the fall issue of USA Triathlon Kids.


5 USA TRIATHLON SUMMER 2011 Youth

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