Getting towards crunch time now, Cairns 70.3 is starting to feel very real. I have just been through one of my pre-race routines. Preparing my manila folder. Every big race I go to, I go with my trusty manila folder. In it are things like, the Athlete Briefing, flight details, hotel details etc. Also very importantly it contains my packing list and my hydration and nutrition plan.
Obviously for me to include my hydration and nutrition plan, I have to first write it. Which means examining the course, seeing what is available, where it is available etc. I am planning on trying one or two new things in terms of nutrition this time around, since what I have been doing hasn't really been working 100%. So that all takes thought, will the energy input still be sufficient etc.
The packing list doesn't sound like much, but for me to write it well means going through the entire race in my mind and noting down what I am going to need to prepare for and execute each leg. Yes the packing list even has 'bike' on it, as basic as that sounds. For me it doubles as one my first passes at visualising the race. I will mentally go through the race in more detail again later, once I get there, see the lay of the land etc. But the packing list is the first pass, it means the race is soon, and my heart is usually pumping just a bit quicker by the time I finish it.
This routine has the strange double effect of making me nervous/excited, because it makes me think about the race, and calming me down, because I can see everything is in hand. Doing it means I am racing soon.
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