[Zealot]

Hi all,

I'm taking part in my first Tri in a week's time... Olympic distance.

Despite starting from an extremely low level of fitness I've put in a lot of work and feel reasonably comfortable that I'll be able to haul my sorry ass round the course!

However, I can't help but have nagging doubts about whether I'm ready or not. Are there any pre-race sessions to complete which might be a good indicator? More to put my mind at rest than everything.

[Robert G.]

Zealot,

Thanks for posting. Since it's a week before your race there's not much you can do physically except rest. This week you really should be tapering, that is, cutting back your workouts to 40%-50% intensity of your normal training. Alot of people try to cram the last week like before a college test, but this will just make your body weaker at the start of the race. Take the time to rest and recover.

You might notice when you taper this week that you feel lower energy, irritable, etc. This is all normal. Some of my taper weeks were the worst weeks of training. This is your body responding to the cutback, but think of it this way - it's like putting a tiger in a cage...but when you race starts, you will spring out and have a great race.

I would suggest using this week to visualize your race. Spend 15-20 minutes every day leading up to the start thinking about swimming long and efficient, hammering on the bike and crossing the finishing line strong and happy. Olympic athletes use visualization, it works.

Hope this helped. Good luck with the race and let us know how it goes.

- R

[daphne]

The race will be your best indicator :-). I agree with Robert G. that visualization and the mental aspect helps a lot. Also, you can practice your transitions. Feeling a little bit anxious and wanting to hammer it out on a sprint or a long ride before the race is what you probably want to do. But don't, save it for the race.