Race weekend is always a hectic time. Given the amount of preparation needed for a triathlon, and then all the logistics required to be at the start line ready to go, it is a wonder we don’t all have nervous breakdowns prior to the swim. Countless hours of training for a single goal, then travel to the race destination (is there anything more stressful than leaving your bike in the hands of baggage carriers?) and hotel living/eating for a number of days – this wears on you mentally. Then you have the packet pick-up, the technical meeting, the equipment drop-off… All this while staying focused on what is to come, while keeping your family entertained enough to ensure that they will come to the next race with you as well.

Over the years I have noticed a pattern. It is not 100% reliable, I’d say closer to 80%. It has to do with the weather, specifically the day before the event. I call it the Law of the Day Before. The Law states that regardless of the weather leading up to the race, or the weather during the race, the weather on the day before the race will be perfect, probably very hot and most definitely sunny. You will be tempted, amongst the meeting and equipment drop-offs, to complete just one more workout, one more all-out effort on the actual race course. This is more a problem for the longer races. As you traverse the race site, you can feel the sweat on your back, the sweat on your brow, you feel ready to conquer the world right now! And the race is tomorrow morning.

At every race packet pickup (the ones the day before the event), you see them. They are in full kit, sweating, ready to go right now. It might be their first or second race. But they want to go now. And then you see the ones with veins popping out of their cleanly shaven legs, wearing board shorts and non-race clothing, hiding behind visors and dark sunglasses – these are the people who mean business, they are at the top of the food chain. They do not take up a lot of space, they feel no need to pose and they simply want to complete the current task and get back to resting.

This is the key – to rest. As endurance athletes we are conditioned to take advantage of every beautiful day, as we have spent so many days training through the winter months in our basements that days like this are like a gift. But this needs to be a rest day, a day of mental focus while the body prepares itself for the tasks ahead. The body needs calm and quiet at this point, some stretching and maybe some light activity, but nothing involving big plans and big sweat. There will be other nice days ahead. Tomorrow at the race it might actually be nice as well. Be patient. Let the family go enjoy the resort, or the beach, let them take advantage of the wonderful things found at the race destination location – but you, the athlete, try to take it easy. It will be hard, as you’ve been doing less training over the past few days (tapering), your body is screaming for action and your brain is playing with you (“what are you doing? You’re just sitting here getting fat! You could go do two hours on the bike or an hour run! Come on, let’s go!”) but do not give in. You can do this.