Learn from each event you do so that you can personalise your pre-race preparation.
Timestamps
01:00 Pre-race checklists – how to prepare before the regatta and how to improve through the season. Ritual of things to do to get ready for competition.
One day before, get everything you need together. Add elements of structure by packing and folding your clothes.
03:00 Do repairs to equipment / adjustments before you leave home.
At the regatta there are so many distractions and it’s easy to make mistakes. Take enough food with you. Your normal food and additional snacks. At a new race course, know where the bathrooms are, where to get water, how long it will take to walk your boat to the boating dock.
05:00 Equipment checklist – car rack, boat, seat, riggers, oars, slings, electronics, bow marker numbers, tools, seat pad, spare fin / collar / oarlock, duct tape.
Clothing for whatever weather you might get – row suit, tights, pants, wind shirt, sweatshirt, socks. Also have an extra bag of clothes if you might get wet.
08:00 Copy the checklist for each regatta, copy it and update for each event. Nerves and excitement mean you can forget things. Have your GPS and road map, hotel room, entry confirmation, know how to get to the race course, a pop up tent to rest between races.
09:45 What to do immediately Where to put your boat, rig it, tie it down. Know who else is using the boat and knows where they are and the oars. Organise your “pad” and your trailer.
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11:15 How to assess after the race.
Look at the entire 24 hour period before the event. Write down 10 things which went well for you. You nailed these! Sleep, eating, boat readiness. The warmup, the start etc. They can be subjective or objective.
Then look at 10 things which could be better for the next regatta. Note these and decide what needs to go on the checklist and what needs to go into your training programme for the next race. Consider the big picture. Then reflect on this at the end of the season.
15:00 Ten things we wish we’d learned before going to race overseas. A new article on the Faster Masters blog.
16:00 Racing overseas with a time difference – plan for this ahead of time. This takes an adjustment. If you arrive and can race within 48 hours of arrival, that’s will work fine. If you don’t and it’s longer than 48 hours you need 1 hour per day to adjust to the new timezone. Also consider altitude and its effect on you.
If your race time is significantly different from when you normally train, try to schedule practices at the time of your race. Learn how to manage your meals and your body.
