Wow! After months of preparation, you are almost there (or some of you may have recently arrived).  Time to cash in on all those cold, dark mornings last winter, or those humid runs and rides this summer, and all the times you had to rally the troops to join you so you did not have to train alone.  You have sweat through the different categories of workouts, from base to speed work, you have picked the type of taper strategy that you think may fit your body, and now you are focusing on the days surrounding your BIG race.
 
During the last few days before the race, knock yourself out and stay off your feet whenever you can.  As we indicated last month, your exercise during the last few days prior to the race could range from NOTHING up to some race pace workouts.  Try to arrange your sleep schedule such that you wake up without the alarm - particularly for the last two days prior to the race.  For you athletes with precise inner biological clocks or outer biological clocks (otherwise known as babies), this may be easier said than done, but do what you can!
 
Nutritionally, drink lots of fluid and eat extra carbohydrates.  Your carbo-loading routine could range from an extra carbohydrate drink (maybe 75-150 grams) for the 3-4 days prior to the race, to the traditional pancakes or spaghetti dinner approach.  Remember to eat your carbohydrates within an hour after exercise.  This close to the race, the exercise should not be so hard or long that it actually depletes your stored carbohydrates. Additionally, you could do a little exercise within 24 hours of race time, taking in carbohydrates within an hour afterward.
           
Since you will reduce your total mileage during race week, do not gorge yourself because you might gain a few unwanted pounds of fat. The night before, eat foods you are comfortable with, particularly no gassy foods. And don't pig out! On race morning, have a modest pre-race meal that, again, you are comfortable with and have had success with before, to top off your tank.
           
On race morning, Jeff likes to rise and jog for 15-20 minutes, and then shower, eat, and relax. Give yourself plenty of time to arrive at your race site and set up. Riding your bike to the transition area should give you 20-30 minutes of riding and possibly more. Rehearse your set-up and transition beforehand.   As a general rule, the shorter the race the longer the warm up you need. 
 
If this race dictates running out of transition, then attach your shoes to the pedals and practice slipping in your feet. If you are allowed to ride out, then put your shoes on first. Don't forget your towel. You may wish to have a small water bucket to wash sand off your feet. If you don't wear socks, then you may want to apply some Vaseline or Glide in your shoes ahead of time. Rack your bike on brake levers or handlebars.
 
Just prior to the race, Jeff swims easy for 10 minutes, then picks it up close to race pace for a series of 30-45 second efforts plus an extended 1.5-2 minutes of steady state pace to be thoroughly warmed up for the start of the swim.  If the water is cold - a dry land warm up is a better choice - this could include light calisthenics and/or arm swings and stretching.  Don't go into the race cold.  Think about how much warm up it usually takes during practice to be ready for a hard workout set – why would a race effort be any different?  
 
During the race, don't swim out too fast! A positive split probably won't give your best performance. Plan for a steady pace, or even a negative split. Keep focused and hang tough through the contact and mouthfuls. After the swim, stay relaxed through transition - more hurrying breeds less speed.   Give yourself 15-20 minutes on the bike before beginning to ingest any calories.  Build your pace until you have reached your steady state race pace.  Over the final mile or so, reduce your gearing, loosen up your legs and remove your feet from your shoes before you reach T2.
 
After the bike, don't forget to rack your bike before removing your helmet (a technicality at this point would be a real bummer). Now that great feeling of sliding off the seat of the smooth machine and relying on your own two discombobulated legs to carry you. Obviously, don't go out too fast - slowly get up to speed. Patiently take those short, choppy strides for 200-400 meters until your motor nerves inside those tired quads begin to fire with more precision!  Gradually lengthen your stride while maintaining your turnover rate.  You will always run your best time if you can be gathering speed throughout the entire run.
 
Finally, this is a sport, so have FUN, even smile! If you relax, your times will be faster. Do your best, but don't be high strung - don't let those little things bug you. Hey, no clenching teeth or fists.  The next time you get to spectate or watch a big marathon on TV - take note of what the fastest (read: Kenyan) runners look like when they are running 4:50 miles - skin hanging on muscle and bone - totally effortless.
 
See you at the finish line!
 
 
Dr. Dan Moser, Ph D, is the director of research and clinical services at ELITE Health & Wellness (http://www.elitewellness.com).  Coming from a background in track and field, he has  more than 10 years of experience testing professional and recreational athletes, including triathletes, runners, cyclists, in-line skaters, and hockey players.
 
Jeff Devlin is an endurance coach and former professional triathlete, who offers practical insights into the application of the latest science. Jeff holds five national championship titles and two 3rd place finishes at the Hawaii Ironman. He runs his own international coaching business, Human Performance Engineering (http://www.jeffdevlin.com).