Pre-race preparation
From the May 2007 Walk! Magazine
Finding myself at
the recent Pan Am Cup as a coach rather than as an athlete for the first time
in a number of years, I didn’t have my own race to worry about so I had a
chance to see how other elite walkers prepare for an important event. The races
were held in the south of Brazil—some twelve or more hours by air distant for
the US athletes—and many of the races were held in the heat of the day in the
early afternoon, which was a departure from the normal state of affairs for
most of the walkers. Even at the elite level, mistakes can be made when
athletes are forced out of their element. Unfamiliar foods, hotel room layouts
and language barriers provide further challenges.
If experienced
international athletes can get tripped up by unforeseen snafus, imagine what
difficulties may befall you in an out-of-town event. The following are some
things to keep in mind when racing away from the security of your hometown:
- Acclimate:
It is always best to train in similar conditions to those in which you
will be competing. If you’ll be racing in hot, humid weather, you’ll be
ill prepared for the event if you train in cool, dry conditions. (Ask me
how effective my Mexico City high-altitude
training camp was in preparing me for the 90-degrees/90-percent humidity
of the Atlanta
Olympic Trials…) You can’t control the weather, but if you do need to
acclimate to warm weather, a winter hat, gloves, and a warm-up jacket and
pants can be worn in the last few weeks of training to simulate warm,
humid conditions. You could also train on an indoor treadmill with a space
heater cranked up in the room.
- Zoning in: If
you’ll be racing overseas or cross-country, you’ll need to adjust your
sleep times and biological clock to the race locale. If practical, going
to bed one hour earlier (if flying east) or later (if heading west) per
night for every time zone you will be crossing will help you to pre-adjust
to the new time zone. Training at the same time of day as the upcoming
race will ensure that your body will be ready to race on the big day.
Doing so will also help you to plan appropriate meal times.
- Keep it
familiar: Try to surround yourself with some of your favorite things
from home. Packing familiar foods, a favorite pillow or teddy bear, and
perhaps a favorite framed photograph of loved ones for the hotel night
stand will help to comfort body and soul.
- Stay “high”-drated: New TSA rules make it more difficult to
stay hydrated on the plane. Water bottles are not permitted in checked
bags through the security check-point, but empty bottles are, and airline
terminals are equipped with drinking fountains. I’m not suggesting you
illegally carry your own water onto the plane, but I’m not suggesting you
don’t do so, either. ‘nuff
said.
- Reconnoiter: Once
on the ground, be sure to visit the race course, preferably at the time of
day you will be racing. If possible, do your last taper workouts on the
course itself, taking note of how long it takes to get to the course so
you’ll know what time to leave the hotel on race morning. If your race is
a marathon, it certainly won’t be possible to walk the entire course, but
do drive the course if you’re able. Take note of sharp turns where you’ll
be able to cut tangents (taking the most direct line from point to point),
rough road surfaces, hills, porta-johns and
other notable features.
[Photo attached: “Scout out those portajohns the day before the race!”]
- Be boring: Stick
to your daily routine as much as possible leading up to the race. A little
sightseeing won’t hurt, but make sure you don’t overdo it. And please,
please, please, no drastic departures from your routine when it comes to
food, drink, or anything else you put in your body! Stay hydrated, but
don’t overhydrate. Hyponatremia
(low sodium levels brought on by drinking too much water—yes, water!) can
be a life threatening condition. I know of many recreational athletes, and
even some elites—the goofball writing this article included—who have had
big problems brought on by H2Overdoing it. Medications like Ibuprofin (Advil) can exacerbate this condition as
well as leading to minor (and in some cases major/life-threatening) intestinal
distress. I’ve seen enough athletes have crappy races (if you know what I
mean) to cause me to admonish my athletes to never take Ibuprofin before a competition for any reason. And as far as food goes, yes, part of the
fun of travel is trying new, local foods. But please wait until AFTER your
race to indulge in the monkey-brain paté. Stick
with the routine that got you to the race in the first place.
[“Eat familiar foods. (You are familiar
with ice cream, aren’t you?)”]
- Dress for
success: For years I had a recurring nightmare that I showed up for
the most important race of my life with two left shoes. And I wish I had
been dreaming the two or three times I’ve showed up to races with no shoes. As a former coach of mine
from Poland
would tell me in his inimitable not-quite-broken but not fully functioning
either English, “not so professional, son!” Try out all your racing gear,
including (and especially!) shoes and socks, several times before
traveling to the race. Pack these necessary items in your carry-on bag.
This strategy has saved me several times when airlines have lost my
luggage. The one time I did pack my shoes in my stowed luggage, it wound
up in Duluth (Dallas? Darfur?)
instead of Dulles the day before the World Cup Trials, and I spent three
hours the night before the race chasing down a pair of shoes to race in.
Needless to say, my back—and nerves—were wrecked and the next morning my feet
were chewed up in the race by the brand-new shoes. Upon arrival, unpack as
soon as you get settled to make triple sure you have everything you’ll
need on race day.
[Maybe a photo of the little girl? “Dress
appropriately for the conditions.”]
Nothing beats the
excitement of an out-of-town race. And the first time you hit the road for an
“away” competition, maybe you’ll just want to soak up the experience and not
worry about how well you perform. But if you’re hoping to achieve a peak
performance on the road, the best way to do so is to do your homework, practice
in similar conditions and keep things as normal as possible. And to top it off,
it wouldn’t hurt to send a nice plate of that monkey-brain paté
to your rival’s table, either.
Dave McGovern has
competed internationally as a member of the United States National Racewalk
Team on six World Cup Teams and six Pan Am Cup teams and has coached both elite
and novice walkers to excel in competitions near and far. Visit his web site at
www.racewalking.org