Top 10 Competitve Race Strategies To Use During Any Endurance Event
Almost all athletes find themselves performing mental somersaults in the midst of hard racing. And, once we’re done, almost all of us think we could have gone harder if only we’d been mentally tougher. While not every mental strategy works for every person, here are a few techniques to test out in your next race. 
It’s good to have a bunch of different things and tools to think about how to attack each competition in a different way. One of these following tools could get you to the finish faster on race day.
- Breathe and relax before the event as much a you can and know you are prepared for the distance.
Get in the zone and practice pace and rhythm during the competition. The fly and die technique is both inefficient and very painful so make sure to get into a solid pace during the event and hold a speed you know is within your limits. Races are not won on race day but in the hundreds of hours you have spent on training for the months leading up prior to the event.
Visualization is an important technique before a race—especially if you actually visualize what could go wrong. The more experience you have in competition by putting yourself in those race environments the better prepared you are to handle any situation during the race. Throughout the past ten years and 13 Full Ironman’s raced I have been through almost every situation imaginable so if you want to be better simply race more.
2. Stay positive and look at the best in any situation on race day.
The longer the competition goes .. the more time is allowed for more things to go wrong so make sure to stay positive and don’t get distracted by 
failed race plans. The percentage of my own races that have gone exactly to plan are only at best about 70% of the time no matter how many times I race. This means there are things that don’t go exactly to plan but the best thing to do is to move on and not let it bother you during the race and just stay focused and present on what you are doing in the moment. The more I compete the more familiar I get with race conditions and how everything is going to feel on race day which makes me better prepared.
3. Learn to accept and deal with discomfort.
Positive self-talk is very powerful and the effects of stress reduction on the brain. But studies suggest when you’re just using self-talk to hide or squash negative thoughts, the energy you’re spending trying to not think negative things actually causes you to perform worse. Instead, there’s a good amount of evidence that mindfulness can have performance-enhancing benefits. That means internal and external awareness, and non-judgment letting negative thoughts come and go. This takes practice.
In any race or distance event you must know your pace and feel the intensity while making the best judgement on what you can handle for a period of time. The best way to race any distance is to hold an even split so that your mind and body can work as efficiently as possible. If your heart rate, speed, cadence, and/or tempo are all over the map this causes unnecessary added stress to your body and causes you to fatigue much faster. It’s important to find your zone and find a pace you can handle for the entire distance.5. Split the race apart step by step
One major attribute to racing is being in the moment and dealing with what is right in front of you. In a rowing race for example we usually take the race 500 meters at a time given that the course length is a standard Olympic distance of 2,000 meters. In a triathlon for example take it one stroke, one mile, one stride at a time. The worst thing you can do is look at the event as a whole and get overwhelmed at what lies ahead. Don’t get overwhelmed by thinking about the entire race but instead take it apart in nice structured segments. Of course you have to think about the entire distance as a whole to pace yourself but these 
thought should stay at a minimum. An Ironman bike is 112 miles so usually I will split the bike apart into 30 mile segments rewarding myself with nutrition and hydration at every 20-30mile split. Play a game with the course and use your nutrition or hydration at mile markers on the course where you will eat and drink and tell yourself you are fueling your body an that the distance is really not that far. Trick yourself with your own versions of this self talk to get you through the event. In an Ironman the dreaded thoughts of running a marathon come to mind around mile 80-90 during the bike but instead be present and just think how nice it will feel to get off the saddle and run out the legs. Think about how nice it will feel in transition from the bike to the run and time it so you can go to the bathroom as well. Keep your mind focused but also busy thinking about various race strategies during the race to dissociate and take the pain away.
6. Races are not won on race day.. Practice to build confidence and strength.
Races are won with the hundreds of hours of workouts that you are putting in on a weekly basis. The confidence you get when you are training on a weekly basis is what makes you stronger and more mentally and physically fit. There is no magic race day and chances are you will not feel ready if you are not prepared and have not put in the hours of training that are necessary to succeed. A good example is that of an Ironman. It is said that you need to be training at least 10 hours a week every week for at least 5 months out to finish an Ironman distance race. Any hours added to that average will help you feel more prepared and also make you more comfortable and can lead to faster race times on race day.
7. Practice good nutrition and hydration before, during, and after your race.
During training rides and workouts practice drinking and eating so that your body can get use to this method of metabolizing food and water during exercise. This is the most common mistake in any endurance event mostly because our bodies don’t have fuel gages for hydration. You are either ahead of it or behind and if you fall into dehydration zone usually it’s too late to bounce back. Keep drinking water and don’t wait until you feel thirsty.
8. Anyone can work out on a good day.
This might be one of the most important aspects of not only training but how you feel on race day. Don’t avoid hard workouts and take the easy way out but instead put yourself in challenging situations. Anyone can work out on a good day and there are going to be many bad days that lie ahead full of soreness with lack of motivation to move.
Chances are you are not going to feel great on race day and it’s how you push your body through that difficult process of feeling horrible before your race that will make you stronger. Before most of my races I feel awful but after the first 10-20 minutes of the race I start getting in the zone and getting into my pace. It’s now when I actually feel good that I’m worried because my body feels too relaxed and is not taking race day seriously. You 
need those nerves to get you going before and during the race.
9. Fight vs. flight
Don’t panic! Things go wrong all the time during competitions and it’s how we deal with that stress that will make us stronger in the end. Will you be a fighter and figure out the situation or will you panic and flee? The choice is yours and it’s how you deal with those situations that makes you stronger. Don’t be afraid to put yourself in those difficult situations often to get the experience necessary to endure those mishaps on race day.
10. Have fun and take in the process … The journey is the reward!
Remember to be grateful for the opportunity to get to compete and take part in various races in all distances. If you are reading this and taking note make sure to understand that you are a small percentage of the population that has the opportunity to race and be a part of the athletic community. There are not many places in the world with as many opportunities as we have around us everyday. During the race try and enjoy the moment and embrace the energy of the competitors around you. Acknowledge the people cheering you on during the race and understand that its about enjoying the journey and not the final destination.
Tags: Competitive race strategies, cycling race strategy, Duathlon race plan, Endurance race plan, Jack Nunn, Long beach fitness class, Roworx, Running race strategy, Secrets to going faster during any endurance event, Triathlon race plan