Here comes the second part of the 10 tips, a bit late because our trip to Kona has been a difficult one but here at last.
3. Material
Be sure well in advance about the material that you will use on race day, you should have used and tested it in your previous training, the same with the nutrition for race day. It´s a basic rule, that we´ve all skipped once or more and sometimes we´ve paid for it.?? Choose the material you´ll be using on race day in acordance to the course features, you can take a look to the courses on the race website but it is much better if you try to contact people that has raced there before.
4. Food
It’s time to load the glycogen deposits, ¡¡but don´t overdo it!! Just include more carbohydrates the last three days before the race, note that training volume is reduced and you don´t need large amounts of food. Is a good idea to add more salt to the food the previous days, especially if you’re going to compete in a hot and humid climate. Don´t only think of spaghetti, add variety to your diet with rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, dried fruit, nuts, jelly beans, isotonic drinks… if you often have stomach problems during the race, try to avoid gluten and dairy products the days before, and have a light dinner and breakfast before the race.
5. Hydration
Another pre race topic, but one of the most important, show up at the start of the Hawaii Ironman little hydrated and you are dead triathlete. Drink a lot but don´t overdo it, the color of urine is usually a good indicator of our state of hydration, when it begins to look like water, drinking more is not going to help you and you will not stop going to the bathroom. Besides water use isotonic drinks they provide you mineral salts and carbohydrates that ad to your carbo loading. If you are used and like it have a beer, is gonna make you much more good than bad, it has carbohydrates and is packed with vitamin B, so relax and enjoy it. If you have taken care of your hydratation the previous days don´t drink too much after breakfast in the morning before the race, just sip some water to avoid your mouth getting dry, this way you will start the race with an empty bladder.
6.Race course
Check courses of the race, especially those that may be more problematic such as intersections, hills, dangerous turns, descents… You can see the circuits while training the previous days or driving to the points that are further away. Plan a swim in the place of the race to become familiar with the water temperature, location of the buoys, currents, waves… Knowing the course will allow you to pace yourself better, you will know what’s ahead and where to push a bit more and where to recover.
Memorize your place in the transition zone, in races with 2000 or 3000 triathletes if you are not sure you might feel lost and not find your bike, with the consequent loss of time.
Tomorrow the third part. Aloha!!
