Poor management of race week stress is a sure way for athletes to derail the countless hours of preparation they have put into getting ready for an event. During the final week, all the physical training has been completed, and there is little an athlete can do in the final seven days to significantly improve fitness. However, there is a lot that can affect race day in a negative way.
Helping athletes stay focused on the goal ahead rather than worrying about “what might be” is a key part of coaching through race week. Much of this anxiety can be real or imagined. Stress or anxiety is technically an uncomfortable feeling of nervousness or worry about something that is happening or might happen in the future. One of the simplest ways to help athletes control these anxious feelings is to encourage them to adopt the Boy Scout motto: Be Prepared. As renowned author Dale Carnegie once said, “First ask yourself: ‘What is the worst that can happen?’ Then prepare to accept it. Then proceed to improve on the worst.”
The main factors that can affect an athlete’s mental state before a race are logistics, the course itself, and the actual competitors. Below are tactics coaches can use to help athletes manage their time, tasks, and race week anxiety leading into a key event. The explanations are written for an athlete who is travelling, however the same principles apply if the race is in their hometown or close by.
Help Athletes Plan Race Week Logistics Early
It should go without saying, but athletes should plan their stay well in advance of the event. As a coach, your role is to help them think through how to make their stay at the venue as close as possible to what they experience at home in terms of habits, food, and sleep.
Eliminate Travel-Day Surprises
Athletes should start preparing at least two months prior to the event, and even earlier if it is a World Championship or in another country. In addition to relieving the stress of getting all the travel arrangements finished, early preparation typically allows athletes to get the best rates as well as the shortest or most direct flights.
Keep Race Week Routines Familiar
If their room has a kitchenette and they plan on making their own meals, encourage them to bring a few of their usual recipes and lay out the week’s menu in advance. Cooking their own meals also gives them control of serving sizes and nutrient content. Sticking to a normal routine will help keep nerves calm and avoid unwanted gastric surprises.
You can even encourage athletes to make early reservations at a favourite restaurant for the final pre-race meal. Often, in smaller venues, the popular eating establishments are overwhelmed and athletes could be waiting longer than anticipated or forced to eat somewhere not as appetizing.
Guide Race-Specific Course Preparation
I wrote an article a year ago about doing race-specific course preparation for the bike. This should also extend to similar training for the swim and run. Knowing that an athlete has prepared to their potential for a hilly or flat, hot, humid, or chilly destination should help alleviate any anxiety that they are not yet ready for the race.
Replicate Course Demands in Training
The internet is a massive resource, and there are plenty of sites that provide accurate course-specific data. Encourage athletes to search for previous athletes’ race experiences and read blogs that provide information, along with some of the smaller nuggets, for a particular venue.
Coaches should encourage athletes to read the race guide or website to determine key points of the terrain profile to replicate in training. Athletes should have an idea of what each venue looks like, and even use Google Maps with street view to analyse where they will be competing.
Test Gear and Nutrition Before Race Week
Testing any new gear ahead of time and ensuring nutrition is effective at race intensities should reinforce positive thoughts for race day. Athletes should arrive at the race site knowing their equipment is tried, tested, and complete. Hitting the expo looking for magic pieces of gear and not knowing how they are going to integrate with the race plan is not productive.
Use the Course to Build Confidence
If athletes are able to train on the course prior to race day, help them plan and know what workouts they can do on the course. Use this time to place landmarks that they can use in the race. Strong sessions in key areas can give a huge psychological boost come race day.
Coaching Tip: Practice the Course on TrainingPeaks Virtual
When athletes cannot train on the actual race course, coaches can still help them prepare for the demands of the route. With TrainingPeaks Virtual (which is free for all Premium accounts), athletes can upload a GPX file or create their own custom route, then ride it using My Routes. This gives them a chance to preview key climbs, turns, descents, and terrain changes before they arrive at the venue.
Prepare for Transition Logistics
For races that involve two transitions, coaches should help athletes research the logistics ahead of time. Organizers of events like 70.3 St. George or IRONMAN Canada are able to manage two separate transitions, but athletes should pay special attention to when buses run and the times that gear needs to be in transition. Examining maps and getting an overall lay of the land can help athletes avoid being in the wrong place unnecessarily.
Help Athletes Reduce Mental Stress During Race Week
While hard, athletes should try to relax as much as possible. During race week, your job as a coach is to help them trust the work they have already done and let their body recover from the training leading up to the race.
Remind Athletes the Work Is Done
The final week is not the time to cram in more workouts. Encourage athletes to use their time to read, watch movies, or watch TV. Their mind will often play tricks on them with insecurities, along with physical niggles. Let them know this is normal and aim to help them relax.
Shift Athletes Toward Process Goals
Help athletes reflect on the goals they are aiming to achieve at the race. They should have a clear idea of the effort they expect to hold during the race using power, heart rate, or pace. To manage stress, these goals should follow the process rather than just being focused on time or placing. For example, rather than aiming for a 25-minute swim, athletes can visualize maintaining focus for the entire time in the water, being in a draft as much as possible, or sighting properly.
Remind athletes that the sport they have chosen is part of their journey. The race is a stepping stone along the way to future events and, as such, it is also a learning experience. Goals should be focused on the process of racing, not a particular outcome, as this puts added pressure on performance.
Coaching Tip: Give Athletes a Race Week Plan They Can Trust
Race week stress often comes from uncertainty. Use TrainingPeaks to give athletes clear workouts, pacing targets, and pre-race notes so they know exactly what to do in the final days before their event. When athletes can see the plan, review key instructions, and understand the purpose of each session, they are less likely to overthink, cram extra training, or make last-minute changes.
Reinforce Confidence From Training
Review some of their best workouts over the month leading into the event. These will remind athletes how they feel when they are moving well and give them confidence that they are ready for race day. They are going to swim, bike, and run like they do day in and day out in training.
Keep the Focus on Their Own Race
Encourage athletes to keep their thoughts confined to their own race and not be concerned about other athletes. By knowing what they are capable of and having a plan for race day, they are controlling their own destiny. How well they stay focused on their own effort will reflect how the day evolves.
They can’t control who shows up to race, and there will always be faster and slower athletes to compete against. By keeping athletes engaged in the act of racing rather than comparison, you remove a factor that is outside of their control.
Knowing that athletes are going to feel relaxed during race week, along with when and where workouts are going to happen before they arrive, will help alleviate most of the stress so they can focus on the race at hand.
Race Week Stress FAQ for Coaches
How can coaches help athletes manage race week stress?
Coaches can help athletes manage race week stress by encouraging early logistics planning, reinforcing familiar routines, reviewing the race plan, and shifting the athlete’s focus toward process-based goals. The more prepared an athlete feels, the less mental energy they spend worrying about unknowns.
What should coaches tell athletes during race week?
During race week, coaches should remind athletes that the work is already done. The focus should be on recovery, routine, logistics, equipment, nutrition, and execution. This is not the time to chase extra fitness or make major changes to the plan.
Why do athletes get anxious before a race?
Athletes often get anxious before a race because they are thinking about future outcomes, competitors, logistics, or whether they are truly ready. Some anxiety is normal. Coaches can help by giving athletes a clear plan and reminding them to focus on what they can control.
Should coaches set outcome goals or process goals for race day?
Coaches should help athletes prioritize process goals over outcome goals. Time and placing may still matter, but process goals such as pacing, fueling, sighting, drafting, or staying focused help athletes stay engaged in the race without adding unnecessary pressure.
Thanks to LifeSport Senior Coach Dan Smith for his contribution to this article.
