My race day prep. for any distance starts two nights before the race. The most important day for sleeping is two nights before the race. Most people have trouble sleeping the night before they have to wake up early, so it's better to bank a few hours before. Get up in the morning and start doing a light workout. Loosen up the muscles and stretch. If you are able to get an open-water swim in, that is highly recommended.
For large races, there is going to be a really cool expo before the race. Yes, it is impossible to resist. But make sure that you are not fatiguing your legs by spending too much time there, especially if it's hot outside. I wanted to go watch Chrissie Wellington's talk during the Ironman Texas expo in 2012. For me that was an amazing part of the Ironman experience and I was not going to miss it. But I sat in the shade and waited rather than standing in the sun. Make it work. If there's time, skip the expo and go after the race. Also, a lot of larger races require bikes to be checked in the day before, so watch your time and do that accordingly. Earlier is better so you don't have to worry about it or stress late in the day. During a 70.3 or 140.6 I also like to jump in a pool to relax and stretch the night before, although that could be helpful for any distance, really.
For long course and Ironman triathlons, you have to start fueling the day before. This is not the time to "eat healthy." You should have been doing that during the rest of your training. The purpose of these meals is to get the calories in. Limit or eliminate fruits and vegetables. You don't want to be clearing that out of your digestive system during the race. This is purely carbo loading time! Well, you want some protein as well. This starts at least by lunchtime the day before the race. My personal preference is Italian food for lunch- pasta and bread. And lots of it. My dinner of choice is Fuddruckers-veggie burger, fries, and a milkshake. Yummm. You're going to be burning around 10,000 calories during an Ironman, so it's totally okay. Enjoy it.
You have to wake up early in the morning for your race, so pack everything the night before. If you're a list person, make a checklist ahead of time to make sure you have everything. You're packing for three sports essentially, so it would be easy to leave something behind. Depending on your race, you may be packing in different bags. Ironman events and sometimes half-Ironmans will have special needs or transition bags Each race will be a little different, so be prepared. Make sure you are packing everything into the appropriate bags and dropping them off at the appropriate time and location. Don't forget your nutrition! Try to get to sleep early once you have everything ready.
Race morning! Make sure you have a good breakfast (carbs and protein). Grab all of your gear that you prepared the night before and head over to the race. All of my race morning preparation for any distance is pretty much the same. The only thing that would change is the amount of calories I consume for breakfast. I like being at the race between 1.5-2 hours early to set up my transition area, double check that my bike is good to go, get my body marking, warm-up, etc. About an hour before the race, I will eat a bar, take my final bathroom trip and start warming up and stretching (I try to repeat my routine almost exactly at every race. It helps with the mental preparation so you know what you're doing. Once you get comfortable with your routine, it'll be easy to repeat). My personal warm-up preference is short jogs with stretching. You will see a lot of variations on warm-ups, so find what works for you, hopefully during training, and do that here. I like to get in the water 10 minutes before my wave start to get in a swim warm-up. Sometimes you will only be allowed 5 minutes, and sometimes you can't get in at all, so you need to be able to adapt to the race rules and conditions. Time to race!
Thanks Kelsey this helps a lot!
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