{"id":235,"date":"2006-03-01T17:17:03","date_gmt":"2006-03-01T23:17:03","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2015-03-27T11:27:34","modified_gmt":"2015-03-27T16:27:34","slug":"itu-athlete-routines-rituals-performance-strategies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/article\/itu-athlete-routines-rituals-performance-strategies\/","title":{"rendered":"ITU Athlete Routines, Rituals, & Performance Strategies"},"content":{"rendered":"
Submitted by: Alan Ley<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
ABSTRACT<\/strong><\/div>\n

The Olympic Triathlete trains and the coach plans for four disciplines:\u00a0the swim, bike, run, and transitions. The 1.5 kilometer swim, 40 kilometer\u00a0bike, and 10 kilometer run are rarely done in ideal conditions or courses,\u00a0adding to the complex formula that the athlete must compete against in\u00a0order to win. At the Olympic level of competition every advantage and\u00a0possible race situation needs to be planned in advance. In a sport that\u00a0takes less than two hours to complete, often seconds is what separates\u00a0the Gold from second place.Neuroscientist Paul Whelan in the February 28, 2004 issue of US News and World Reports said: \u201cMost of what we do every minute of every day is unconscious. Your unconscious is making your everyday decisions.\u201d I suggest that if the elite triathlete practices the psychological strategies and mental preparation techniques to build routines and rituals until they become automatic responses so that on race day the athlete will have the decisive advantage over their competitors. The coach must plan this training into the macro, meso, and microcycles of periodization for the athletes as he does the other four disciplines. The high performance triathlete is like a finely tuned race car. The more horsepower\/watts the car\/athlete develops the more finely tuned and highly sensitive the engine is. No area can be overlooked or under trained. This article will discuss mental strategies and psychological preparation for designing pre-race and race routines for the elite triathlete. Pre-race strategies will put you at the starting line in control, focused and in the ready to race mode. When the triathlete steps up to an ocean swim pontoon start or a beach run and the only thing that can improve their performance after the first splash is the power of their mind, race routines need to be automatic like an \u201cauto pilot!\u201d<\/p>\n

Morning Ritual Procedures<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Research has shown that how you feel when you awake in the morning markedly affects your perceptions and mood, and influences that day\u2019s events. When waking on the morning of race day the athlete needs to insure that their initial perceptions are positive, enjoyable, and not rushed. A negative attitude must not be allowed to enter the mind on race morning. Below are a few ways you can ensure that you wake up on race day correctly.<\/p>\n

Go slow<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

No loud alarms or sudden movement in posture and activity levels. Ease\u00a0your body into the first waking moments. Lie in bed and slowly stretch,\u00a0wiggle, and move yourself to sensations that will help you build and maintain\u00a0positive sensations.<\/p>\n

Immediately remember, this is your time<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The first thoughts you recognize in a day are also important for setting\u00a0the days tone. Begin by telling yourself things like, \u201cI feel great,\u201d\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s going to be my day,\u201d \u201cMy sleep restored\u00a0my power,\u201d and \u201cNow I am ready to perform to my full potential\u00a0as a triathlete!\u201d<\/p>\n

Stretch and move ever so slowly<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

While you are still in bed, perform a slow gentle stretching routing\u00a0that includes as many muscles as possible. Start at your feet and work\u00a0your way up to your ears by contracting, stretching, and wiggling the\u00a0muscles and joints. The intensity of these activities should be at a level\u00a0that produces pleasurable feelings, not pain or cramping. I would recommend\u00a0that you stretch as if you are in a slow motion replay.<\/p>\n

Smile and be your own \u201cHero!\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The simple act of smiling will create good feelings. You don\u2019t\u00a0have to have a huge grin, an internal smile will work just fine. Whether\u00a0the world knows you as a great triathlete is not as important as the fact\u00a0that you know you are. So, be your own hero and smile because you are\u00a0about to put it all on the line with the race of your life.<\/p>\n

Write it down<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

In the beginning make a list of exactly what you will do on race morning\u00a0in detail and make it specific to each ITU race course\/situation. Routines\u00a0need to be built and practiced until they\u2019re automatic, almost feeling\u00a0guilty if you miss getting in the routine. Practicing and deliberately\u00a0developing a positive attitude can be learned in five to eight days. Placing\u00a0note and visual written ques beside your bed can remind and reinforce\u00a0you to practice your new race day waking procedure. I want to emphasize\u00a0that these rituals and routines must be followed for many mornings prior\u00a0to the triathletes race week. These techniques could very possibly be\u00a0practice for years before the benefits are maximized to their fullest\u00a0potential. The coach and athlete need to begin and plan for this type\u00a0of training early in the athlete\u2019s career.<\/p>\n

Race Day Routine<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The critical period of time between waking up and standing at the starting\u00a0line should be devoted to activities that prepare the body and mind for\u00a0your race. If you develop routines and rituals then the unexpected events\u00a0that impact your psychological state will be almost automatically controlled,\u00a0minimizing unwanted stress and distractions.<\/p>\n

Pre- race nutrition<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Prior to race day, both at home and away, plan in advance what and where\u00a0you want to eat. If you will be eating away from home, make sure you have\u00a0the foods you want to eat available on race morning. Pre-package your\u00a0favorite morning foods. It\u2019s much better to take a few comfort foods\u00a0with you than look for them prior to the days before the race especially\u00a0if the athlete is in a foreign land. Bring all the necessary gels and\u00a0powders that you will use on race day and race morning. Have a nutrition\u00a0plan that has already been tested. Have no intestinal surprises or upsets.\u00a0Experiment with routine and nutritional changes during training weeks\u00a0and recovery weeks to be positive about how your systems react to the\u00a0changes. The elite triathlete would be well advised to seek the advice\u00a0of a Registered Dietician or an endurance nutritionist that\u2019s experienced\u00a0in the real world bioenergetics needs, foods, and supplements of high\u00a0performance athletes.<\/p>\n

Waking the body<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Athletes need to design and follow a warm up routine that prepares the\u00a0body slowly and without any surprises. I have followed the same basic\u00a0morning warm up routine for 20 years. This confidently prepares me physically\u00a0for the days activities. You could classify it as a pre-pre-race warm-up.\u00a0An example may be to complete a few easy knee bends, crunches, arm swings,\u00a0and body twists that are enjoyable and send wake up signals to the cardiovascular\u00a0and musculoskeletal system putting them in a gentle state of arousal.\u00a0Have a routine, stick to the plan, and keep the activities non-stressful\u00a0before the race. Avoid any hurry or sense of urgency of the situation\u00a0so you are not rushing to the race site or scrambling to take care of\u00a0final details. No matter what you do, remain focused on the race. The\u00a0triathlete on race morning should feel the waking routine feeding the\u00a0body with energy.<\/p>\n

Equipment preparation and list<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

You should meticulously attend to your equipment before leaving for the\u00a0race site. This serves as a way of focusing your attention on the importance\u00a0of the race and also limits frustrating surprises. Always take the responsibility\u00a0for your equipment needs. Don\u2019t count on others to bring a bike\u00a0pump, water bottles, tubes, or goggles. Pack extra elastic laces, running\u00a0shoes and warm clothes. A few other items that can help are superglue,\u00a0tape, rubber bands, and Ziploc bags. Prepare an equipment list specifically\u00a0for you and use it. Never assume that you remember all that you should\u00a0be packing. I would recommend that you are obsessive about your equipment\u00a0preparation and compulsive with using a checklist for your equipment.<\/p>\n

A piece of equipment that is often overlooked is the race uniform. The\u00a0ITU uniform regulations are posted on the ITU website and the athlete\u00a0must know and follow all the guidelines. I have witnessed the inability\u00a0of athlete to properly have their uniforms sized, properly marked, and\u00a0in their possession prior to World Championship events. Every ITU competitor\u00a0and coach needs to make this seemingly simple task a priority by adding\u00a0this to their pre-race routine list.<\/p>\n

Travel troubles<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Travel will always be stressful when you are away from the normal training\u00a0home routines and rituals. The best tactics will be to plan, check, re-check,\u00a0and be as organized as possible. Expect and allow adequate time for unforeseen\u00a0delays. Think about an alternate route or different modes of transportation\u00a0in case of road closures, car, bus, or plane trouble. That way, if there\u00a0is a problem you will have reduced the stress of finding another way to
\nget to the race. At many World Championship, World Cup, and Contential\u00a0Cup races the roads that were open prior to race day will be closed race\u00a0morning. Expect longer or different routes to the race site race morning.<\/p>\n

Performance-enhancing images<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Visualization techniques keep the primary purpose of the day focused\u00a0in your mind. This very powerful tool is painfully neglected. Using performance
\nimages and visualization techniques is done by many of the best athletes\u00a0in the world in a variety of sports, but the elite triathlon community\u00a0lags behind in this performance activity.<\/p>\n

The elite triathletes should use visualization that pictures them performing\u00a0and feeling as they would like to, beginning first thing as soon as the\u00a0mind awakes in the morning and continuing through the finish line. The\u00a0imagery should be as specific as possible, Mimicking things like foot\u00a0plant, arm carriage, relaxing at the first sign of tenseness.<\/p>\n

In a 2004 Tour de France interview, Lance Armstrong said, \u201cI know every bump and shadow on the Tour Time Trial courses. I\u2019ve ridden them over and over before the race. I see myself performing on the slopes!\u201d Libby Burrell and Gale Bernhardt video taped the Athens course and the USOC made copies for the athletes to use in training and to visually familiarize themselves with the 2004 Olympic race course. The more specific the visualization the more effective it will be. The elite triathlete should practice performance enhancing visualization techniques during key training sessions to help develop effective routines and rituals early in their competitive career.<\/p>\n