Before the start of a race, you may hear fellow athletes talk about their pre-race rituals. Whether it’s something they do the night before the race or the morning of, pre-race rituals can mentally and physically make a positive difference to the total race day experience and outcome.
What Exactly Is a Pre-Race Ritual?
A pre-race ritual is a mental or physical act that an athlete takes before it’s “go time”. By performing certain behaviors or saying specific things, an athlete believes that a pre-race ritual will help alleviate nerves and create a determined focus before the start of the race. The ultimate goal of a pre-race ritual is to help the athlete get into the right headspace mentally to go out and perform to their maximum potential.
How a Pre-Race Ritual Works:
A pre-race ritual helps establish a sense of purpose and the power of control in the unpredictable race environment. The key with pre-race rituals is that they aren’t just a series of actions randomly thrown together. They are rehearsed and repeated behaviors that follow a specific set of steps and are unique to each individual performing them.
Examples of Pre-Race Rituals:
- Laying out your race-day outfit the night before.
- Organizing your race-day gear in a specific order.
- Eating a specific meal the night before or morning of race day.
- Doing a certain activity the night before or morning of race day.
- Performing a walk-through of the transition area on race morning to learn where swim in/bike out/bike in and run out are.
- Saying a mantra, affirmation, or prayer before the race begins.
These are just a few of the endless types of pre-race rituals out there. Every athlete has a different way of tackling pre-race rituals and have different beliefs for what actually works for them. If they believe that performing a specific task in a very specific way before it’s “go time” will change the outcome of their race and make them a better and stronger athlete, then more power to them!
With that being said, there is certainly a fine line between a pre-performance ritual that helps settle a racer’s nerves and one that goes into obsessive territory. It’s important for athletes to understand the difference between relying on luck/superstition versus mentally and physically preparing beforehand for the best possible race day.
Whether you believe in saying a positive affirmation over and over until your race begins or simply setting up your race gear the night before, these are just a few of the many types of pre-race rituals out there. After all, unless you’re physically or mentally burning yourself out, there’s no such thing as being too prepared for race day.
Looking for more ways to ensure you’re physically and mentally prepared for race day? Contact me today to set up a free coaching consultation!
Train Right, Tri Right!
Coach MJ
