Race Preparation

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Race Preparation

• Canadian Orienteering Federation 2004

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Race Preparation

• Mental peaking
• Physical peaking
• Race Analysis
• Race Focus Plan
• Refocus Plan
• Mental preparation
• Warm up
• The start
• Race recovery (cool down, warm down)

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Mental Peaking

• Motivation, desire, hunger, positive, enthusiasm,
  fun
• Mental relaxation
• Rest from mental stress
• Long term plan, focus on a particular race
• Race analysis, mental training
• Visualization

4
Physical Peaking

• Training analysis
• Physical relaxation
• Rest from training, racing
• Specific training to sharpen
• Reflexes, coordination, running technique
• Long term training plan
• Aerobic base, anaerobic base, power, speed,
  technique
• With a peaking phase, there is a drop in
  fitness but an increase in performance.

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Race Analysis

• Novices learn from mistakes
• Mistakes teach us error prevention techniques
• Log all errors and their causes
• Elite learn from success
• Learn what works best
• Learn optimum running speed
• Learn optimum mental state, preparation
• Race simulation
• Log what works, build up the Race Focus Plan

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Race Focus Plan

• Written plan of ACTION given a stimulus
• Sequential plan of action based tasks based on
• Warm up
• The Start
• The first 2 controls
• Middle of course
• Last 2 controls
• Finish
• Warm down
• Refocus plan

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Refocus Plan

• Refocus Plan is needed to handle distractions
• Common distractions
• See other runner
• Get nervous before start
• Miss first control
• Excitement at end of race
• Start thinking about school, work
• Start thinking about race outcome
• Lose map contact half way to control
• Break compass
• Forget to read descriptions
• Nearing last few controls you realize you are
  doing GREAT

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Mental Preparation

• Psyching up or Psyching out?
• Mental preparation is the key to elite
  orienteering
• Given a Race Focus Plan, how do we make it part
  of our system
• Mental rehearsal
• Write it down, rehearse it out loud
• Visualization
• Visualize yourself in each scenario and reacting
  with a task
• See yourself carrying out your refocus plan
• Visualize past races
• Visualize your upcoming race

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Warm up

• Mental warm up
• Go over your race focus plan and refocus plan
• Physical warm up
• Standard warm up sequence so that your body knows
  how to react
• Prepare body for high intensity
• Relaxes your mind

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The Start

• A race start sets the mental state for the entire
  race
• Avoid distractions from the plan at the event
• Make pre-race socializing part of the plan
• Go through the start system check list
• observe
• look in the surrounding terrain
• which way is North?
• where is the sun, shadows?
• are there trails leading from the start?
• which way are others running out from the start?
• is there a route to a start triangle?

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1st 2 controls

• The 1st controls set the stage for the race
• Opportunity to observe terrain and map
• Chance to overcome nervousness and calm down
• Systematic approach is needed for every leg
• Safer route choices
• Direction for every leg using compass

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Middle of course

• Concentration problems, thought distractions
• Take advantage of what was learned over 1st 2
  controls
• Most intense running
• Control taking system
• Error prevention techniques

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Last 2 controls

• Employ refocus techniques and use caution to
  avoid errors commonly caused by
• Loss of concentration due to fatigue
• Distractions by thoughts of race results
• Distracted by loudspeakers
• Tendency to speed up

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Race Recovery

• Recovery starts at the finish line
• Get warm, fluids, food
• Talk to friends, press, officials AFTER you have
  relaxed enough to avoid saying something you will
  regret later or get chilled
• Recover your mental control, physical alertness
• Walking, jogging, stretching, massage, ice baths
  are good methods of physical race recovery
• Mental relaxation, looking at the bigger
  picture are good methods of mental recovery