How to Race Like a Pro

Written by Brian Vogelsinger, Triathlon Coach at Grit Endurance. Learn more about Coach Brian here!

Before you ask, no, I don’t have a secret sauce that will turn you into a pro. Most of us mere mortals will never be able to match the speed, power output and race finish times of pro triathletes. That said, you can race like a pro. Racing like a pro is about execution, not all out speed.

It All Starts With Mindset

Your brain is a very powerful tool for race execution. Visualizing your goals, and getting into the headspace where you trust your training, believe you can succeed and push out the doubts is a key part of success and frequently overlooked by amateur triathletes. You don’t even need to see a professional to work on this. An app like “Headspace” is fantastic for this. Getting your head in the right place will also help when things don’t go “to plan”, like poor weather conditions, delayed starts or cancelled swims. You will be ready to roll with the punches. Mental prep is what allows you to make smart tactical decisions the moment your feet hit the sand.

Nail the Swim

On race day, unless the swim in cancelled, you are getting wet before you do anything else. Swim success starts before you even get into the water. Most tris these days have rolling starts, so that means where you seed yourself in the swim can really affect your swim result. Many athletes that aren’t confident in their swim ability will seed themselves farther back than they should. This can lead to being stuck behind a bunch of swimmers that are slower than you. Ideally, you want most of the people that you are swimming near to be your speed or slightly quicker. Seeding yourself a little farther up in the pace groups will usually accomplish this. It will also allow for effective drafting which can reduce energy expenditure by 10-20%. Drafting is something that needs to be practiced and activities like the Grit Endurance Group Open Water Swims are a great way to not only build confidence in open water, but also master drafting techniques. You can accomplish effective drafting by swimming directly behind someone that is your speed or slightly quicker or on their hip  if that’s easier. Both positions are beneficial.

Crush the Bike

Now that you’ve drafted your way to a swim PR, it’s time for the longest leg of any triathlon. The bike. A power meter and dialed in nutrition/hydration (for any race distance from Oly to IM) are your best friends on the bike leg. Pros dial in a race power target and typically stick to it. They will increase their power by 10-15% up hills, and then try to coast as much as possible for recovery on downhills. A good way to train power management is to watch your Variability Index (VI) in Training Peaks. VI is the ratio of your Normalized Power to your Average power. It shows how smoothly or erratically you apply power during the bike leg. Ideally for most triathlon bike courses, you want to target a VI of between 1.0 and 1.05. This indicates excellent pacing and steady power delivery. Some really hilly courses don’t allow for this smooth power delivery and for those, targeting 1.10 or under will save your legs as much as possible for the run. Ideally, dial this in during training rides that emulate the terrain you will be racing on. The second pillar is fueling/hydration. Ideally your fueling/hydration should be dialed in well before race day. Drink mixes are usually the best way to go as drinking from a bottle is the easiest way to take in fuel on the bike and you can combine both carbs/hydration. Have a quantity per hour and stick to it. Many bike computers have a feature that allows you to set reminders to take in nutrition at set intervals if you tend to forget to take it on.

Own the Run

You’re now off the bike, fully hydrated/fueled and didn’t blow your legs up. Let’s go for a run! By now you should be pretty used to the “jelly leg” feeling after completing a number of brick runs. The key to running like a pro is to moderate your pace early, and focus on form over speed. Try to land your feet directly beneath your hips, keep a tall posture, and maintain a strong arm drive. Solid form will have you running more efficiently later in a race and have you ready for that final all out push to the finish line. Top that all off with continued hydration/fueling/cooling at the aid stations and you’ll feel like a pro. 

Finish Like a Pro

Crossing that final timing mat with a smile on your face isn’t a result of luck or overnight speed. It’s the logical outcome of a disciplined system. You don’t need a pro card to have a pro mindset. By managing your brain before the gun goes off, hunting for drafts in the water, smoothing out your power on the pedals, nailing your nutrition/hydration and relying on form when your legs turn to jelly, you transform from a participant into a tactician. Trust the training, execute the plan, and let the clock take care of itself.

If you'd like to learn more about applying these principles, contact us about our group workouts or our personal coaching!