A few months ago, it felt like winter would never come to an end, but within the blink of an eye, it’s summer and that means race season is here!!! In my opinion, Lake Mills Triathlon aka “The Wisconsin World Championships” is an opportunity for athletes to get out there, shake off the cobwebs, and test their current level of fitness. Here are a few tips for racing Lake Mills that come to mind for me:
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Pre-Race: Think positive thoughts and visualize yourself having a strong and successful race! Make sure your bike is tuned up and ready to go! If you have Di2, make sure it is charged. Be sure to eat plenty of carbs and drink fluids the day before the race. If you can, pick up your packet before race day for one less thing to worry about on race day. Pack up all of your gear and nutrition the night before the race. On the morning of the race, be sure to eat a full breakfast with food your body is used to taking in before training. Get to the race site early and give yourself plenty of time to set up transition. Make sure you know where your bike is racked and practice the transition flow; coming in from the swim, going to your bike, taking your bike out of transition, racking it after completing the bike, and exiting to start the run. Leave your bike in an easy gear for an uphill start to the bike. Continue to get in fuel and liquids as you set up your transition and prepare for your race.
Swim: Get to the swim start early and get in the water to warm up if allowed. Make sure you line up with the correct race group (everyone in your group should have the same color cap). Start out easy and build into the swim. The swim gets pretty congested and it can be difficult to find a rhythm with your stroke so take note of where the buoys are located and position yourself to swim and sight with confidence. Try to sight about every 6 strokes and find a group to draft with if you can. Drafting is legal in the swim and saves energy for the bike and run!
T1: Be careful exiting the water and running into T1. If you are wearing a wetsuit, get it off as soon as possible. Put on your helmet and make sure it is buckled, put on your shoes, take your bike off the rack and off you go! You can get on your bike after you cross the bike mount/dismount line out of transition. Make sure your bike is set in an easy gear for the bike mount because there is a steep little hill you will need to climb immediately at the bike start.
Bike: This is a flat and fast bike course! Ride to the right side of the road and only pass on the left. Drafting is not allowed so allow 4-5 bike lengths between you and the next rider ahead of you. You should be able to bike hard and strong and the perceived exertion should feel very hard. If you are using Power and/or Heart Rate, you should be at about 90% or more of your threshold. Try to keep your cadence between 80-90 RPMs. Be sure to follow your nutrition plan and get in the calories and hydration you need to sustain your energy and be able to run. Please note, the bike dismount is at the bottom of that same steep little hill you go up at the start of the bike leg. Please use caution and slow down when coming into the bike finish!!! Dismount before the line and into transition you go!
T2: Once in transition, rack your bike, take off your helmet and shoes (if cycling shoes). Put on your socks and running shoes… I recommend using quick laces to get them on faster. If you are bringing nutrition on the run, be sure to grab that and then snap on your race belt as you are running out of transition. Time to run HARD!
Run: The run is a flat and fast out and back course on a hard packed gravel path. Your legs may feel tired coming off of the bike, but that is ok. Keep your running cadence quick, your upper body relaxed, and stay mentally tough. If your Heart Rate is high and the perceived exertion is hard, you are executing the run well. When you get to the end of the path on the way back, you will take a hard left turn down a little decline and then another hard left back onto the road next to transition. A quick right into the parking lot and you are headed to the finish. Yay!
Post-race: Sprint distances are hard. If you feel like you were running the red line for most, if not all of the race, you did it right. Get some food and liquids in as soon as possible, change into some comfortable clothing, and enjoy the post-race fun! Take time to celebrate your accomplishment because you deserve it!!!
Madison Multisport will be hosting a pre-race packet pick-up clinic at PlayTri Middleton on
Saturday, June 3rd @ 2:30 PM. Come join us to ask questions about the race, triathlon questions in general, and more! We look forward to seeing you!
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