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Be flexible, don’t obsess over rituals or rigid rules that increase stress before the race.
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Eat known foods and in the right amount to arrive with full energy reserves.
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Sleep before the race is not crucial; focus on resting in the days before and relax.
The days leading up to the race are peppered with all kinds of thoughts and worries: eating to replenish your energy, sleeping to arrive rested, not getting tired, and resting as much as you need.
When something goes wrong and you fail to meet the schedule you start to have negative thoughts, believing, in some cases, that you have even compromised the progress of the race.
Having pre-race rituals can be reassuring, but one should not overly “hang on” to them.
Trying to want to control every aspect can be counterproductive and have the opposite effect, loading you with additional stress that you really don’t need, especially right now.
Try to be more flexible and don’t get hung up on what you have set in your head to be best practices for successful performance.
Let go of those beliefs and live these days in a more carefree way.
Eat enough without complicating your life
Good old carboloading, or pre-race carbohydrate loading, if done to the letter, strictly, is a more complicated procedure than you think.
If done well it can help in performance; conversely, if improvised it can sabotage you.
Without fossilizing on carboload just think about eating enough in the days leading up to your race to replenish glycogen stores.
Eat foods that you know and whose digestion and proper assimilation you can predict.
This is not the time to taste or introduce new foods.
Sleep is not crucial the night before the race
Contrary to popular belief, a restless night’s sleep before the race will not affect your performance, as long as you have slept regularly in the preceding days.
The night before the race will not make a difference.
While depriving yourself of sleep may have long-term effects, the short-term effects will not impair your ability to perform in the race.
If you just can’t fall asleep, or you wake up all the time, accept it.
Take those nighttime hours to relax while lying in bed, perhaps doing some deep breathing or even some meditation if it will help you regain balance and calm.
Try to arrive already rested, without having the thought of having to make up in one night all the hours of sleep you haven’t had in the previous days and weeks.
It is not sleep indigestion that you need right now, but a peaceful night’s sleep.
In the tapering period keep active, without overdoing it
During the tapering period, which is the phase in which you reduce intensity and volume workouts, the focus shifts to recovering physical and mental energy.
It is important to reduce stress but this does not mean you have to sit completely still.
You can lead an active life and continue to do some moderate physical activity without overloading the muscles already fatigued by the months of preparation.
Avoid new activities or sports you’ve never tried: now is not the time to change your routine.
Keep doing everything you are used to, avoiding excess.
(Via Trailrunnermag)