5 TIPS TO BE SERENE ON THE D-DAY
It is always an adventure to participate to his first triathlon, in particular the Garmin Triathlon of Paris Olympic distance. That is a sporting and human adventure to discover some of his limits.
If the elites will complete the 1.5 km of swimming, 40 km of biking and 10 km of running in about 2 hours for men and 2h15 for women, it is likely that you will spend a little more time in the water and on the Parisian asphalt.
This Garmin Triathlon of Paris will be an endurance event for you. The training for a triathlon requires perseverance and a kind of passion for sport and effort. Throughout your preparation, you had to ask yourself a thousand questions about how to do this or that, or "would I be able to keep the distance", "would I be able to run 10 kilometres after swimming and driving", etc… The closer the deadline gets, the more all these questions become significant. And on D-Day, new questions will come. It is therefore essential to that next to your physical preparation you have a mental preparation to free yourself of these anxieties, of the paralyzing bad stress, to be concentrated before and during the effort.
1 - Work on your objectives
This advice may seem obvious to you. However, to increase your performance, during your triathlon training, it is important to organize it according to objectives (short, medium or long term). They must be "difficult" but above all achievable. This "small steps" approach is extremely stimulating in the preparation. It shows you (or even shows you for some) your progress curve. It allows you to maintain your motivation throughout this preparatory period. More you will have training objectives, the more your final objective to succeed in your triathlon will become obvious: "I will exploit my potential and go beyond my limits, during the Garmin Triathlon of Paris".
A little tip about your objective: don't hesitate to write it on a sheet of paper, in a positive wording, and to review it regularly.
Examples: "my objective is to finish the Paris triathlon by having fun by discovering Paris in another way", "my objective is to set a time of less than 3 hours by having had a good swim", etc…
2 - Reduce sources of stress
In order to be confident on the day of the Garmin Triathlon of Paris, take the time to list the elements that would be likely to disturb you. Is it the weather? The place? Transitions between the disciplines? The crowd at the beginning? The bike routes? Driving in a pack? Once in a while that you have identified these sources of stress, it is important to work on them to respond and ensure that they are resolved (or minimized). You don't know the place? Why not visit it upstream or explore the around via Google Map? Haven't you ever tried transitions? Schedule a session on a Sunday when you will do your bike ride and once finished you will follow directly by a 15' jog behind (I strongly recommend this type of jogging) sessions in your preparation by gradually increasing the duration of the run). Have you ever tried on your swimming suit? Why not program into your preparation for swimming sessions at sea, in the lake. If nothing pollutes your mind during your triathlon, your results will be even better!
3 - Reduce stress through organization
I advise you to compile a checklist of all the cases necessary for the 3 disciplines but not only. You must also bring clothes depending on the weather of the day. You will also have to plan in advance the things you will put in your Transition bag 1 (T1: switch from swimming to cycling), in your Transition bag 2 (T2: switch from cycling to running) and finally in your finisher bag. The transition process is explained here.
Pack your things well before the triathlon and check them the day before (but not at 11pm). This good habit, will allow you not to die of anxiety on the day of the Paris triathlon if you realize you've forgotten something. To a lesser extent, the organization will allow you to be serene on D-Day and not run around looking for your pair of sneakers or your water bottle.
4 - Creating your performance routine
In the world of sport and competition, the performance routine is a small one a succession of images, thoughts, actions or gestures that are reproduced before each performance. To prepare your triathlon, you can focus on creating of a routine.
This little ritual will help you improve your concentration and reduce stress.
Example of a sequence: stand firmly on the ground, close your eyes, relax by from the top of the skull down to your toes, take 3 to 5 breaths " 3 Stages" (inhale by inflating the belly, then the chest and raising the shoulders. Then blow by lowering your shoulders, emptying your chest and digging your belly), then continue by the visualization of an image, an event of which you are particularly proud and which you bring a lot of well-being and positive emotions. You will finish this sequence by taking a deep inhalation then a rapid exhalation (to be done 3 times) and you will all remobilize your members.
There is nothing magical about mental preparation. It is practiced like physical preparation, or the sessions you attend in your 3 disciplines. It must therefore be integrated into your daily. I therefore advise you to build your routine, test it regularly at training (especially before the "big sessions" of some weekends). In this way, it will be fully assimilated and will greatly help you on the D-day.
5 - Before and during the race: use the positive internal dialogue
During your preparation sessions, do not hesitate to highlight yourself, to talk to yourself inside (see aloud on his bike for example) to remind you that you can do it, that you have the skills, that you train hard for it, etc. This may seem slightly simple to you, but the positive internal dialogue, if it is regularly repeated, can help you to gain self-confidence and - above all - not to give up at the slightest difficulty. Integrate this valuation ritual into your performance routine can also help you during the triathlon. It is a variable of the Couet method, aiming at to enhance themselves.
By following these tips and adapting them to your own personality, you can address serenely your very first triathlon and get much better results!
Pierre COCHAT
Mental Preparator
WTS - The Coaching Company