Race Strategies

8 Tips on Coping with Pre-Race Jitters

If there’s one dirty little secret in the endurance world, it’s the attack of the race day ass goblins. Many of us will freely admit that we don’t get much sleep the night before a race and you’ll see countless articles telling you that this is normal and not to worry about it. Just make sure you get quality sleep 48 hours before race day.What no one wants to talk about, however, is the main event that truly takes charge of our lives during the pre-dawn hours. This is the time we get a burning desire to sit on porcelain.

If you’re new to triathlons, or any other multisport competition, you may be shocked by your body’s reaction on race morning. I know I was. When I competed in my second triathlon in Bakersfield, Calif. in 1994, I spent 90 minutes in the hotel bathroom. Ninety long minutes. Within a short time, all solid matter was gone and I spent the rest of the “session” losing fluids. Combined with the dry, arid temps in the mid-90s during the race, it was no surprise I finished in the bottom 10 overall.

After that miserable morning and race, I was coming to the conclusion that I just wasn’t cut out for this endurance stuff. I mean, hey, this can’t be a normal reaction right?

Wrong.

What saved me was an admission from the “multisport mutant,” Steve Ilg*. He had written about his pre-race rituals and jitters before the Mt. Taylor Winter Quadrathlon. He discussed his time in the bathroom and wrote something along the lines of “now you know how elite athletes spend their time before a race. On the toilet.”

When I returned to triathlon in 2006, the pre-race jitters hit me once again. This time, I was expecting it and, forgive the pun, went with the flow.

Why does this happen? Loose bowels are a normal reaction to stress. I’ve known two relatively experienced climbers who each took a nasty fall. One had two bolts pop out of the rock face before the third bolt arrested his plummet toward the earth. Each climber involuntarily crapped his pants. The pre-race loose bowels are just a mild form that stress.

You’ve heard of the central nervous system, right? Some consider the bowels to have their own nervous system known as the enteric nervous system. Like the brain, this system is affected by hormones and is thought to be linked to the brain. When you’re anxious, your bowels get a bit excited and start moving into a higher gear. If this creates more anxiety, guess what? The bowels get even more active. It can be a viscious cycle. Do your best to relax and accept that this is a normal event of your race morning.

Here are some tips I’ve accumulated over the past several years that might help you deal with this potentially unpleasant experience.

1. Expect you will be spending a considerable amount of time in the bathroom. Just like you plan your pre-race breakfast, gear-check and commute to the race, plan to spend a bit of time making booty cakes. Just how much time depends on you. It could be as little as 10 minutes up to an hour. I give myself 45 minutes. I won’t use the full amount of time, but it gives me a bit of a cushion.
   
2. Enjoy your time on the bowl. Bring a magazine, sketchpad or whatever will keep you entertained, and more importantly, relaxed. The more “normal” you make this experience, the less anxious you will get. You can also use this time to review your race strategies and visualize your transitions.
3. Don’t be surprised if you have multiple sessions. I’ve learned that it ain’t over until it’s over. The first session will usually take place in the first 15 minutes of waking. That’s the warm-up. Depending on your nerves, and breakfast choice, there’s a good chance you’ll have the main session kick in about 20-30 minutes after you eat. I know when I’m done when I feel completely light and empty. It’s a subtle sensation but one that you can develop with practice. Men seem to more adept at this as showcased by TV legend Al Bundy!
4. Limit dairy and high fiber foods the day before the race. In other words, take it easy on your GI tract 24 hours leading up to the race.
5. Eat at least three hours before your race. Depending on the type of food you like to eat before a race, make sure you don’t consume anything too sugary or too heavy on race morning. You don’t want that to noodle it’s way through your system and switch your GI tract into work mode five minutes before the gun goes off. While it takes 24-36 hours for food to make it’s way from one end to another, eating will stimulate your pipes and you don’t want your heavy breakfast keeping that stimulation going for hours on end.
6. Help things move with lemon juice. If you’re running out of time and nothing has really kicked into gear yet, help it along with a teaspoon of lemon juice in a half-glass of room-temperature water. This mixture stimulates the GI tract and can often give you that much needed kick start if you’re short on time.
7. Monitor your outflow. If you’re excreting mostly brown water, be extra mindful of your hydration strategy for the rest of the morning. Once you’re done in the bathroom, start sipping straight water. I’ve found room temperature to be the best and will avoid any carbohydrate or electrolyte drinks. I don’t want anything else that could possibly upset my GI tract. Nice is and easy is the name of the game at this stage.
8. Practice your pre-race craps. Yes, you can practice these sessions by putting yourself in a stressful situation. Since most triathletes train by themselves, sign yourself up for a group ride with the local roadies. Chances are, you’ll get a small case of performance jitters. Use that to your benefit and see how your body reacts to this stress and experiment with your pre-ride food choices.

Just like you plan your pre-race breakfast, gear-check and commute to the race, plan to spend a bit of time making booty cakes. Just how much time depends on you. It could be as little as 10 minutes up to an hour. I give myself 45 minutes. I won’t use the full amount of time, but it gives me a bit of a cushion.
Although this may be a rather distasteful subject to some, I view it as just another component of endurance multisports. Knowing how your body reacts in times of stress is important. I can detach myself from the experience and don’t consider my race morning complete until this unpleasantness is over.

It’s all part of the game.

Find your edge and dance upon it.

hak

*Some of you may be sick of my frequent mentions of Ilg and his exploits. Deal with it. I’ve known the man since 1993 and he’s got some great stories.

Share on Facebook

Popularity: 13% [?]

© 2007 The Outdoor Journey.