Triathlon Planning

Podcast Version
(With NotebookLM)

A Comprehensive Guide from the Boardroom to the Starting Line.
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Preparing for a triathlon isn't just about the hard work and miles logged before the big day; it also involves meticulous planning and organization to ensure peak performance. Whether you’re already an athlete or gearing up for your first race, this guide will help you navigate the crucial final stages of preparation. Coach Glenn and Tim put their 25+ joint years of experience together so you don't have to make the same mistakes they made.

1. Months Out: Long-term Preparation

Depending on the length of the race (sprint, Olympic, half or T100 or Ironman distance) and the placed importance in your racing calendar (A, B or C race), the planning could start a year in advance. Not only do you need to consider location and travel, but also how it impacts the rest of your season and the time needed to prepare. Check the anticipated course conditions, temperature, humidity, ascent on bike and run, type of swim course, to make sure you can execute the particulars or can train towards the specific requirements.

If it is an international trip, make sure to discuss this with your family. You can turn a resented solo-endeavor into a family oriented “tri-cation”, where you combine your race with a family holiday in an exotic destination, and where some relax time for all is added. Consider that you’ll need some time before the race to acclimate, but it’s also preferable that you allow some time after the race to enjoy your time off, stress-free, with your family and/or supporters.

As soon as you have registered for your race, it is best to book your travel and accommodation immediately, and it’s ideal to do research and choose a hotel or Airbnb close to the race finish line.  

For international races in different time zones, aim to arrive early (one day per hour time zone difference), or as close to that timeframe as possible, work and holiday permitting.

2. 7-10 Days Out: Tapering and Race Visualization

Depending on your age and length of the race you should begin your taper 7-to-10 days before the event. Gradually reduce volume, but keep the short bursts of intensity in race pace to preserve muscle responsiveness and avoid a detraining effect.

Adjust your diet to decrease caloric intake proportionally as your training volume decreases to avoid unwanted weight gain. Maintain a high level of hydration of 2-to-3 liters per day.  If you are travelling into a hot area, you might include some heat training protocols in advance, to adjust your body to the expected local temperature.

Now is the time to start reading and memorizing the specifics of the swim, bike and run course. Check out where the course ascents and what impact it will have on your power distribution across the course. Do you need a wet suit or swim skin? Is it a mass start or rolling start? Do you need specific clothing to address the weather (layering)? The more you can mentally prepare for the unknown, the less stress you will face on race day.
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IMPORTANT: Before you travel, make sure to lay out all your gear, per race segment, from pre-swim, swim, T1, bike, T2, run to ensure you have everything packed. There may be some items, like goggles, CO2 cartridges, spare tires, race suit that you may want to pack in doubles/redundantly. Do not try anything new on race day, anything you buy on site is a liability.

3. 3 Days Out: Race Preparation

By now, hopefully you are on-site and can check in to get your bib number and stickers to prepare your race gear. It is a mentally satisfying experience knowing that you have arrived and are cleared for the race. The real triathlon is about growth through the training journey and the race is the celebratory cherry on the cake. As from the registration process, you should be focused on enjoying the rewards of your hard work and taking it all in.

Ideally you can also get a short swim, bike and run in to keep the muscles loose and active. Target some key course elements so you can visualize them and avoid stress and confusion on race day.

• SWIM: If you can, go for the event-organized orientation swim. The key here is not to swim the full course, but to focus on the start and finish, and perhaps, the key turning points. Based on your swim comfort level, consider where to turn short or wide. As you may expect people clog together and create bottlenecks around the buoys. If you want comfort, turn wide. As part of your prep, try to identify key markers to facilitate sighting. It is easier to aim for a big building than for a small buoy. Don’t forget that you can sight in many ways:
  • Landmarks ahead of you
  • The shoreline next to you
  • Buoys on course
  • Sand lines or markers on the lake or ocean floor
  • And of course, other athletes on course during race day

 

• BIKE: Limit your bike to 30-45 minutes and focus on the first and last 5-10kms of the course. Get to know the initial exit of T1, as you may be a bit dizzy after the swim and don’t want to get confused. Also, at the end of the course, check out as of when you can start reducing power, increase your RPMs to flush out the lactate from your legs, and as of where you could take your feet out of your shoes, if you choose to do so. If you have the time, take the car and ride the course completely the day or two before, or 1 loop of the course, to familiarize yourself with the turns, key points and ascents and descents.

 

• RUN: This can be just running back and forth to the registration, the orientation swim or running the course track to see the exit from T2 or the entry to the finish line.  (You don’t want to miss that one 😊.)

​Don’t forget to agree with your supporters about where they can best see you and where you can expect them at T1, T2, on the course and where you will meet them after the race.

4. 2 Days Out: Packing and Carb-Loading


Lay out all your gear out by Phase: Swim, T1, Bike, T2, Run, and post-finish. Use visualization to mentally rehearse each stage, ensuring that you pack all necessary items, including spares like goggles, tires, and race suits. (View Checklist)
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Start carb-loading 36-hours prior to the event, to maximize glycogen stores. Opt for easily digestible carbs and familiar foods that have proven successful in your training. As you have not worked out a lot in recent days, it is not the volume that counts but “what” you eat. Replenishing your glycogen stores in your muscles and liver will give you the optimal tank of energy for your race. Keep refilling it up to the start of the race.
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5. 1 Day Out: Transition Area Setup:  Visualize – Visualize – Visualize!

The key to a great transition preparation is in the visualization of race day. Walk through the transition zone as if you are in the race itself. Look around and check out recognizable markers. Memorize which lane you are in, which rack you bag will hang on and approximately where. When you run to your bike, is there a specific tree, banner, building or speaker that will visually trigger you to hone into the last meters, so you don’t have to keep reading numbers all the time. Start with large recognizable features from afar and make them more detailed as you get closer to your bags or bike. You can use your smartphone to record your transition rehearsal to watch them again later on.

example video T1,
70.3 Valencia 2024

Perform a final equipment check while in the transition area. Go through the motions of opening your bag and thinking about putting on every piece of equipment and/or nutrition that you need and are going to touch. This is an essential last check to see if everything you ultimately need is in there. ​

6. Race Day Preparations

4-2 Hours Before Start: Early Wake-up and Meal

• Typically, you would wake up 3-4 hours before the race time. Not only for breakfast, but also to have sufficient time for mental preparation and arriving on time on site without stress and to load your nutrition in T1.
• Your last full meal before the race should again be carbohydrate-rich, like oatmeal with bananas or bread with jam or apple sauce and hydrate with water or an electrolyte drink. If you have prepared pasta the night before, it is easy to keep some leftovers to eat for breakfast again.
• Avoid overeating at breakfast, but add a light snack – like a carb cookie - about 2 hours before the start.

​60 Minutes Before the Start: Warm-Up and Mental Preparation

• Engage in a light jog, stretching, and if possible, a short swim to get your body race-ready. If you can’t swim, use the up-beat warmup music to do some jumping jacks- or just dance to the music. Make sure you have loosened your shoulders with exercises to ensure that your wetsuit is not too tight. You could even bring a bottle of water to pour into you wetsuit to get better fit.
• Enjoy the Journey! The hardest part of the triathlon is over. You have trained for hours, for many months, to prepare your body for this celebration. Visualize success and speak positive to yourself (and other athletes around you)! You are at this party together!

 
Start Line Strategy:

• Depending on your swim skills, consider which group you wish to start in. I recommend starting at the end of the group, one group faster than you expect to finish. You will benefit from some of the faster currents generated by the faster swimmers, and every time somebody passes you, you will reap the benefit of a little draft 😊

Conclusion

By organizing your preparations into these strategic phases, you will ensure that less is left to luck. Remember, the key to a successful race day is as much in the details of preparation as it is in the physical training. Equip yourself with a clear plan, focus on execution, and embrace the challenge ahead with positivity and preparedness. Good luck!

Don’t forget. It is the small daily steps that turn into positive habits, patterns, and beliefs ingrained in body and mind. Enjoy the journey!

BONUS TIPS COACHES GLENN AND TIM:

• Place an energy gel in your transition bag. As you are running from your bag to your bike or out of transition 2, you have a bit of time to have a quick energy boost before hitting the bike or run course.

• Uncomfortable topic and an often neglected one, is the stress on your GI. Typically, there are 2,500 people and only 10-20 toilets (and most of them don’t have toilet paper). Try to go to the restroom before going to the transition zone, but for safety, bring an extra roll of toilet paper with you, to avoid a mess – and kindly leave it behind for the others.
• Great TriDot podcast EP227: 9 steps to Get Ready for Race Day

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