The Day Before the Race

Descriptions really don’t do the region justice so hopefully the view from the hotel’s balcony does. With fine weather and more coming for race day this really is an amazing place to stay. If only it didn’t feel so rushed and stressful around a race. My brief test spin was a pleasure and if I wasn’t racing tomorrow I could have spent hours on those smooth roads.

Unfortunately there’s a race and my morning was spent getting ready. It started early as I woke after surprisingly little sleep. I took the opportunity to work on some training programs whilst Rob managed to sleep in. In fact he slept in so much I gave up and went for breakfast.

I ate a lot! Continental breakfasts are ideal with plenty of meats, cheese and eggs and this really didn’t disappoint. There’d be no weight loss on a training camp based here! I thought in the interests of balance I’d provide today’s food diary as an example of how much I consume pre-race. I think it comes down to nerves, I’m scared of falling short.

After breakfast Rob and I finally built our bikes. I was a little concerned about some nicks in the front derailleur cable housing. Turns out they were badly rusted, the bearings in my Zipp wheels need replacing and my headset was worn out. The team mechanics did a top job and I got a quality service at a bargain price!

Bikes finally ready to go Rob and I rushed off to the team meeting which was running late. Breakfast was still laid out so I took the opportunity for a second course and stuffed myself on meat, eggs, yoghurt and nuts. I figured today was not a day to be going short!

The meeting was the usual affair, but didn’t provide enough information so we have to go tor the briefing this evening. I’d really hoped to be able to chill at the hotel and admire the beautiful back drops. Instead I’ll have to go into town, find somewhere to eat and not put my feet up. Stress levels were high and I was feeling tired.

Rob got us out on our test spin and it was a genuine pleasure even if he took the hills far harder than I wanted! The roads are great, so smooth that speeds when you’re not going uphill are fast. There’s some serious gradients though and I’m glad for the 27 cog on the back! Unfortunately one of those steep hills is the only way back to the hotel so we finished with a grind up a 14% gradient.

The ride was enough to calm my nerves and I’m much happier and less fatigued. I’ve sorted out my race bags and am ready to go. Just need to get hold of Jon to sort me out with some Powerbar gels and bars for race day. When I do get back from the race briefing tonight all I need to do is go to bed. Perfect.

Whilst I strive to minimise the stress prior to a race sometimes these things are out of our control. All you can do is accept them, adapt and do whatever you can to ensure you don’t get too anxious. Take things in your stride and make the best of a bad situation. Prioritise what has to be done before your race and drop anything you can. Be calm.

I’ve allow myself a little non-paleo treat of cake and coffee (it worked before Taupo) and in the interests of disclosure here’s the food diary.

Activity Food
Breakfast 1
  • 5 large cups black coffee, 1 cup of tea.
  • 1 large plate of scrambled eggs, 8 rashers of bacon, 4 small sausages
  • 1 large bowl of yoghurt, nuts, seeds and fruit
  • 1 large plate of scrambled eggs, 8 rashers of bacon, 5 small sausages
  • 1 large plate of cold meats and cheeses
Workout 1
  • Build bike, stand around and watch mechanic fix bike.
Breakfast 2
  • 1 plate of scrambled eggs, 5 small sausages and 6 rashers of bacon
  • 1 large bowl of nuts and natural yoghurt.
Workout 2
  • 15km easy spin with a couple of hills in
  • Pack race bags and prepare for race
Lunch
  • 2 German sausages and pretzel
  • 1 Cappuchino
  • 1 Black coffee
  • 1 slice strawberry cake!!
Snack 1 (Planned)
  • 1 black coffee
  • 1 cake
Dinner (Planned)
  • Meat and potatoes of some kind.
Workout 3 (Planned)
  • Attend race briefing

Ironman Training Library

From nutrition to pacing - a collection of CoachCox blog posts focused specifically on Ironman training and racing.

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