If there is one piece of advice I would give to athletes and coaches as a race approaches, it is this: “Don’t screw it up.” I borrow that phrase from the great ultrarunning coach Jason Koop.
The temptation to do “just a little more” can be overwhelming. Longer long rides. Harder swim sessions. More frequent running. Or maybe a small, local race that looks like fun. Why not?
One thing that happens in the build phase is an increase in training load. For bike racers or short course triathletes, that will mean less low intensity, long duration and more short, hard, surgy stuff. For marathoners and long course triathletes, it is the opposite. Less intensity, longer durations. Either way, the result is more stress on the body.
Let’s not forget the many sources of indirect stress. Making travel arrangements. Clearing your work calendar so you can enjoy a week or two off. Planning your meals when you are on the road. Plain old stress about the race and how you will do.
You only have one stress bucket, and there is a limit to how much it can hold. When it gets full, bad things happen. First comes uncharacteristically bad moods. Next up, a bad cold. And if your bucket overflows, an overuse injury that will derail your training and quite possibly ruin your race.