How to get through race day
Race day is a day of emotions, anticipation and excitement. Getting the practical things right will help you focus and succeed.
Pay particular attention to these things:
Adequate rest before the race.
Proper nutrition, but not too close to your own race.
Good warm-ups to warm up the muscles and raise the state of alertness.
Concentrating and getting in the mood in a way that suits you, for example by practising imagery or listening to music.
Arriving at the venue
Be on the move well in advance. Arrive at the venue at least an hour or two before you are due to leave. You can usually find the starting lists on the wall at the race venue. The lists often include a time estimate, so you can see when your event will be swum. You can already see the start of the race on the race notice.
For registration
The timing of the heat is important. The time between the race and the warm-up should not exceed one hour. Half an hour is optimal.
For example, if your race starts three hours before the start of your race, do two warm-ups. In the first warm-up, familiarise yourself with the race pool, starting blocks, walls, pool depth and the general feel of the pool. The second tryout can be done in a dedicated tryout pool, if available at the race venue. If this is not possible, you can do, for example, a small workout half an hour before your event.
Make sure your muscles are warm. If your event is between 200 and 400 metres, do 3 or 4 strokes of at least 50 metres at your own race pace. If you are swimming a longer distance, take 3-4 strokes of around 75-100 metres. But don’t tire yourself out too much.
Eating
Eat the food you are used to and suitable for you as normal. However, make sure that your stomach is not too full during exercise. Allow at least two hours between exercise and eating.
Preparing for your event
Getting into a good race frame of mind and relaxation is essential. The best way will come with experience and trial and error.
«Everyone prepares in their own way. Personally, I like to be on my own, listen to music, put on my race kit, go through my own sport and psych out my opponents. My coach and I always had a final chat after the warm-up. After that, I had some time on my own to get into a good mood. » – Matti Rajakylä says.
Image training
Image training helps to get a good performance down the spine. Think of a Formula 1 driver, for example: he learns to know the track inside out so that everything happens automatically in the race. So go over your race pace in your mind several times. It will make it easier to race.
Our minds are extremely powerful. It allows us to psych ourselves up to win or play ourselves out of the race. You can read more in the chapter on mental imagery training.
«I always did a mental exercise in the pool before a race. I swam four times for 25 metres with the idea that each 25 metres was like a quarter of the upcoming event. The first spike represented the first quarter of the event, the second the second quarter and so on» – Matti Rajakylä explains.
Successful swimmers train with concentration and discipline, but in a race situation they swim like on autopilot.
Race strategy
Competing requires the courage to focus on your own performance. Starting too hastily is usually the biggest mistake. The best strategies are shaped by your own experience. For example, you could divide the race into four parts, with the third quarter being the most important.
If you swim several events in a race, remember to do good warm-ups. Focus carefully on each swim.
