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The triathlon event itself doesn't really care how fit you are as you stand at the start line. Success on race day is all about your execution and how you express that fitness and handle the inevitable challenges that you face as the race unfolds. Here are some tips to help you dojust that .
Pre-Race
Goals: Make sure the top ones are easily achievable. Time goals are at the bottom of the list as there is much you can't control on race day that influence your finish time. The number one goal should always simply be to enjoy the day.
Mental Tools: A few days before an event your body is as ready as it's going to be. Is your brain? Every triathlete faces dark moments during an event, even the very best in the world. Plan what you'll say to yourself during each leg of the event if you feel a little down or anxious. Keep in mined that in long events those dark moments are often due to fueling so review your intake and make sure you're on schedule. If you're not, get back on schedule without consuming too much at once.
During the Event
Race day is simply a swim, a bike, and a run. You've done it all before. This time you're celebrating your fitness with a few others and getting free food and drink along the way.
Never rush at any stage of the day. Focus on being smooth, steady, and intentional.
There will be hundreds in front of you and hundreds behind you; own your space and do your race.
Swim: Warm up before the swim then when you get started focus on establishing long, slow efficient strokes. Calm is fast. Find a rhythm with your sighting - sight every 4 to 8 breaths. You won't hold the rhythm continuously so when you lose it just work to get it back. Swim at a pace that allows you to maintain your form. Focus on numbers to stay calm: count your strokes, count your breaths, and aim to slow down both.
Bike: The number one mistake triathletes make is biking too hard especially at the start of the leg. The bike is a warm up for the run. Hold back and ride steady not hard. Your steady pace is now faster thanks to the great training you've done. Let your fitness do the job. In the calmness make sure to execute your nutrition plan.
Run: The number two mistake triathletes make is running too hard out of transition. The first three quarters of the run are a warm up for the final quarter. Find your target pace and go no faster till the final quarter. Spoiler alert: you likely won't speed up then and that's ok. The point is to start slow (what will feel like 'slow') and make it your goal to not slow down. To put it another way, the run is not about going fast; it's about not slowing down. If you decide to walk aid stations to help your nutrition and fluid intake restrict yourself to 30 steps otherwise the aid station walk can get longer and longer. Finally, if facing dark moments on the run chunk the course - break down the challenge in front of you. That means just running to the next aid station or to the next telephone pole.
Smiling is a super power. The more people, especially volunteers, you smile at the more energy you will get in return.
Finish: As you approach the finish line do two things: 1) give thanks to be so freakishly healthy that you're able to do something as extreme as a triathlon and, 2) check your hair (there's a camera about to take you photo!) :)
Note: The information above applies especially to new triathletes or those in long course events. If you're an experienced, fit athlete doing short course races (sprint or Olympic) then the pacing level is elevated at every stage of the event. You are still saving some for the final stages of the run but are swimming and biking with a much more aggressive approach.
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