Physical vs Mental prep for race day…
Consider your mental and emotional preparation for your next race. The mental, emotional and psychological aspect of race day has been shown to be a massive component to performance and outcomes.
We all spend a lot of time and effort preparing physically but not so many adequately prepare themselves for the mental and emotional rigors of a race.
This includes anxiety, stress and nervousness associated with the event itself and one’s performance, as well as one’s ability to cope with ‘pain’, arousal and self-talk before, during and after the event.
Consider your motivators and goals as well as where triathlon fits in your life. Fear of failure is normal but should not stop you from trying. Going fast in a triathlon does not make you a better person… keep the perspective. But, if going quickly, pacing, achieving a certain placing or time is important to you then give yourself the best shot at it by working on the mental aspect of racing.
Sometimes its about Maccas ‘embrace the suck’ and for others its about having a plan for every possible scenario.
It is said that training is 90% physical, 10% mental but racing is 10% physical, 90% mental…
You can talk with your coach about your mental prep for race day, but the next step is talking to a sports / performance psychologist. Sometimes its as simple as writing down your race plan!
Go get it!