EPC Tips – Maui Prep – Final Preparations

You’ve made it to Maui. Race day is nearly here! Our 3rd training session in lead up to the XTERRA World Championships is the final piece of the puzzle.

I hope your travels were smooth and you have been taking it mostly easy this final week going into the race. It’s not uncommon to do too much on race week (particular in Maui because it’s so dang exciting to be here!). For most athletes, the ideal situation is to do your final course inspections by Thursday, then take the Friday before the race completely off. Maybe a light swim, but that’s it. Get plenty of rest, eat good food and get hydrated. Your last good nights sleep is Friday night, as Saturday night is often full of nerves and anticipation.

Your goal Saturday is to get out and shake things loose after your rest day on Friday. The training session is designed to loosen you up, get the heart beating and blood pumping just enough to leave you ready to race the next day, but not so much work that you add fatigue. Don’t be fearful if you “feel bad” the day before. This is common coming off a rest day (which is why we do this prep workout!). Here’s my take on how to execute the final “shake out” session…

Get yourself to the race venue at race start time. Bring your swim, bike and run gear.  This way you can see/feel what the weather, water and lighting conditions will likely be like.

  • SWIM: One lap of the swim course. Easy on the way out, 3-4x 20 hard pulls, 20 easy pulls on the way back. Once back, take note of the direction of the current and figure out where you want to start on the beach. Also practice a couple entries and exits in/out of the surf.
  • BIKE: 30:00-ish minutes of the opening (and closing) miles of the bike course. Get a final feel for the terrain and decide on tire and suspension pressures. Include 3-4x 2:00 at race speed on the way back, finding your rhythm.
  • RUN: 15:00 of the beginning from transition (8:00 out, 7:00 back). On the way out visualize your race and how you will run hard despite feeling exhausted after the swim and bike. On the way back include 3-4 x 0:20 strides to a fast pace (walking recoveries) to loosen up the legs from the uphill running on way out.
  • RECOVER: Stretch, hydrate and chit-chat for 10 minutes and then get out of the sun and off your feet. Relax the rest of the day, clean and lube your bike and get to bed early.

Good luck. Have fun. Be safe. And most importantly, prepare yourself mentally to suffer…”the suffering ends when you cross the finish line, disappointment lasts forever.”

Written by Cody Waite, professional endurance athlete, endurance sport coach and founder of Endurance Performance Coaching.  You can  follow Cody on Instagram and ‘LIKE’ our EPC Facebook Page to keep up with all our 2016 happenings.

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