Don't Leave Anything to Chance
Control all the variables you can, and worries will naturally evaporate. For instance, instead of worrying about whether his timing chip would get pulled off in the swim (it has), triathlon age grouper Keith de Souza now puts a safety pin through the Velcro strap.
Another big pre-race anxiety buster: Have a trusted packing list and use it.
More: 8 Items for Your Triathlon Gear Bag
Test the Waters
If open water makes you nervous, schedule some play time in it. Age group triathlete Mary Foland does this: Before her 70.3 races, she gets in the water in advance.
"I do nothing but float around and relax in it," she says. "The best way I can explain it is that each venue has a different water type/feel, and I try to get comfortable with it like you would when first meeting new friends," she says. "It's like I'm saying, 'Hi, I'm Mary. I'll be racing in you tomorrow, so please be nice to me.'"
More: Psych Yourself Up for Open Water
Stay Busy
"If you have time to kill before a race, that's when it's easy for self-doubt to build," Nickols says. Listen to music. Practice a deep breathing routine. Just stay engaged.
Count
Or do anything else that brings you into the current moment. "Anxiety is a future-oriented feeling," Nickols says. "Get out of forecasting what might happen and focus on the here and now."
Counting the number of people whose race numbers contain a six, or the number of people with tinted goggles, can keep your mind from running off without you on race morning.
More: A Mental Mindset for Multisport
Know You're Not Alone
The chance that you're the only one on race day wondering why you ever thought that getting up at 4:30 a.m. to do a race was a good idea: zero percent. Enjoy the camaraderie.
More: 10 Easy Ways to Ruin Your Race
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