Your big race is here. You’ve trained hard for it but watch out; you can ruin all of your hard work fairly easily.

We’re all amateurs in an extremely competitive sport but I’ve learned that racing can be as stressful as you want it to be. It can also be as fun as you make it! Racing is why we train, right? Training is the hard part, so racing should be the fun part. Although, if you’re a professional and results mean the difference between the quality of food on the table then you’ve got to stay competitive and focus is extremely important, but this list applies to all of us Amateur Endurance athletes.

The 10 ways you can easily ruin your race begins now:

1. Try something new on race day This applies to wearing a new piece of clothing or trying a new wetsuit you just bought at the expo the day before. You want to try to keep everything the same as you did in training and that means using the same equipment. Trying something new isn’t too big of a deal in a sprint triathlon because they’re not that long. But, in a half or full Ironman you’re going to want to make sure everything fits comfortably and works properly, before race day!

2. Skip breakfast because you’re not hungry This is usually because you ate too big of a dinner the night before or your nerves are so crazy that you don’t feel hungry on race morning. Don’t do it, actually do do it! Get up early and make sure you get some food in you, or if you prefer liquid calories drink up! You can always go back to sleep after a quick breakfast, or, just lay in bed and relax while your body processes your fuel for the day! That being said, if you eat, or drink, breakfast too close to your start time your body will have a hard time digesting everything and you could get a cramp or side stitch.

3. Don’t get enough sleep the night before Packing and setting up your bike for the next morning can take longer than expected sometimes. Try to plan ahead and take care of all that stuff in the afternoon so that you’re not rushing through your equipment and bag check. You will be less stressed knowing you’re all set and ready to go for tomorrow!

4. Don’t bring any extra equipment BE PREPARED! You never know what the weather could be like so it’s always best to bring enough clothing for hot and cold races (especially if traveling to a race). Arm warmers and a hooded sweatshirt can save you from early morning temperatures. Also bringing a non-important T-shirt simplifies things when you’re warm enough and you can just throw it away.

5. Get there late Why setup your transition area so early when the race doesn’t start for another 2 hours? Well, time goes by pretty fast and in this situation it’s better to be ready and waiting. The last thing you need is added stress so plan ahead and expect traffic delays. No sense in getting your heart rate going without even warming up yet!

6. Don’t warm up If you don’t warm up your body will feel like it was blindsided by a semi-truck! Make sure you get in a good warm-up jog with a few race pace accelerations to get the heart rate going. A good rule of thumb is to get a nice sweat going (about 10-15 minutes warm-up), then head back and start putting on your wetsuit.

7. Try not to relax You’ve trained for it so enjoy it now that you’re here! Races are so much more fun when you can joke around with your buddies and talk trash about how badly you’re going to beat them. Also, bring some friends and family members to cheer you on during your race, this helps keeps you sane before everything starts. Think about seeing their smiling faces while you’re out there racing!

8. Think every athlete is your enemy This couldn’t be further from the truth. Yes, this is a highly competitive sport but just about anyone I know simply wants to have a good time and, hopefully, it will allow them to have a great race. If this is your 1st race, triathletes understand what that feels like and anyone I have ever known has tried to help me out if I ever need it. Just ask!

9. Don’t practice your transitions This is where you can shave precious seconds off of your split times. Practice leaving your shoes clipped into your bike pedals and get a running jump on it, its fun! Practice dismounting, putting on socks with wet feet, running while putting on your visor & sunglasses. Practice, practice, practice, and your transition times will get faster without actually having to work hard for it. Stay relaxed!

10. Don’t train for your race Here’s where your training will pay off, and if you haven’t been consistent with your workouts, it will also show here. Even if a certain race isn’t your “A” race, you can still benefit from treating it like it was! If you need to train through a race, do a long workout the day before and you might surprise yourself at how well you do the day of the race!

If you have any suggestions to add to my list please feel free to leave a comment and share it with everyone else. Racing should be fun so try to keep things simple by preparing ahead of time!

Written by Jay Pedersen