By Jeremy Ray, Fitness Center Coordinator at Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock Fitness.
The Big Dam Bridge 100 is close to a month out. By this point, depending on your experience, you’ve logged some serious training hours and now you’re within weeks of tapering. Whether you’re a familiar face to biking, or you’re green to this world, Jeremy Ray, fitness trainer at Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock, shares five performance tips as race day approaches.
1. Focus on Your Goals
First, let me start off with some key points that you should be addressing now if you haven’t already. Just like anything you want to accomplish, it’s important to have a goal in mind. How big a goal varies on the individual’s level of experience and how determined they are. Some riders may have a particular time they want to beat, while a first-timer may just have the goal of finishing. Both are suitable and should be catered to the individual.
2. Proper Biking Apparel
At the top of the list is your race-day gear. Whether you’re serious about biking or just doing this for fun, your clothing needs to be on point. Most important is your biking shorts. You’ll be making a mistake if you don’t pick up a good pair. Shorts that provide a good pad for comfort, prevent chafing and a waistline with grip to keep from sliding. There are men and women specific shorts. Go get a pair. Next, ensure that you have a helmet for protection. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Also, a jersey or shirt that is breathable, moisture-wicking, quick drying, and if possible, has pockets for quick meals. Other essentials include biking shoes, socks, gloves and glasses for the bright sun.
3. Proper Hydration
Next, this is not a short trip. Proper hydration and fuel are the difference between finishing and having to quit. This is something that you’ve more than likely gained a feel for based on your previous weeks of training and hopefully practiced. Staying hydrated and having access to calories is of the utmost importance. I’m not talking about just water. You’ll need more than that. Drinks such as Powerade or Gatorade assist in electrolyte replenishment to combat all the sweating. The break stations will provide these. You’ll also need snacks and/or gel packs to keep your energy levels up and again the break stations will provide some of these as well. However, make sure to carry some fluids with you on your bike, and those snacks and gels in the pocket of your jersey. Don’t rely strictly on the break stations. That will be a mistake. As it relates to fuel, choosing the right time to eat as far as the terrain is important. Avoid trying to eat a snack while climbing an incline or speeding down a decline. Long, flat surfaces are the best.
4. Proper Diet
As we move into the 24 hours before race day, you need to double check your to-do list. Make sure you have balanced, nutrient-dense meals of protein, carbs and fats the day before. You can have a slight increase in carb consumption based on what you typically eat so you have adequate energy, but don’t overindulge so your stomach is not feeling overly full the next day. Make sure you clean your bike, double check your brakes and lubricate the chain. Again, hydration is important and being dehydrated can cause a dip in performance. A good night’s rest can set you up for a great race day. Aim to get 7-8 hours of sleep the night before the race. Also, pack your bag with everything you need including your food and filled water bottles, so everything is ready and you’re not rushing to do it in the morning. Now you’re prepped and ready to go! You’ve done everything you’ve needed to do up to this point.
5. Race Day
Race day is here! You haven’t had any water or food for 7-8 hours, so start it off right. Eat a balanced breakfast with amounts based on what you’ve learned from the previous months of training and the time between when you eat and the race, but more importantly what works best for you. Arrive at the race in enough time, so you’re not rushed and you’re able to get to your designated position. Make sure to do any pre-ride stretching/movements that allows you to get your blood pumping and feeling great.
Once the race starts, ease into and don’t start to fast. It’s better to start slower than to fast and run out of gas. Strategically eat according to what you did in training whether it’s a little meal/snack every 20-30 minutes, or more of a bigger meal every hour or so. Try to avoid overeating. As the race moves on and fatigue is sure to set in, remember your goal and if need be redirect your focus to other riders, and maybe even why you’re there. Anything to avoid focusing on the difficulty of the ride and burn you may be feeling.
Finish Line
You did it! Way to go. Hopefully you’ve accomplished your goal and now you can start replenishing the body with what it needs to recover. Soon after finishing, drink a sports drink if needed and within 30 minutes ingest a fruit smoothie, yogurt or something similar. Something mixed with carbs and now more protein for tissue repair. A couple of hours after completing the race eat a well balanced meal and celebrate. Congratulations! 100 miles!