We’re within the thick of the race season, which suggests you’re probably not simply logging loads of swim, bike, and run miles — you’re in all probability additionally crisscrossing your area, nation, or continent (or maybe even the globe when you’re a professional) as you journey to 1 occasion after one other. You’ve skilled exhausting and ready nicely, so don’t undo all of that onerous work by touring like a rookie! It’s worthwhile to journey like an athlete. With a little bit of planning and preparation, and by mastering just a few key expertise, you’ll be able to attain each begin line recent, relaxed, and able to go.
9 Tricks to Journey Like an Athlete
Pack Forward
For a lot of professional athletes, packing is probably the most loathed a part of touring, but it surely all the time appears to get simpler because the season goes on. The important thing to doing it efficiently (and never forgetting something very important) is to create a prioritized checklist of all the gadgets you want to your race, after which to test these gadgets off as you pack them. If I do know I’m going to be touring loads, I hold my must-have gadgets inside my suitcase, so that they don’t get misplaced — however that’s not essentially the place they keep once I head out the door. Given how usually checked baggage arrives late (or under no circumstances), I all the time pack my most important race gadgets (e.g., bike and run footwear, race package, helmet and sunnies, Beachbody Efficiency Hydrate) plus one coaching package in my carry-on bag. This has saved me on multiple event — and several other teammates when their baggage has been misplaced!
Examine the Climate in Your Vacation spot
This tip would possibly seem to be a no brainer, however I can’t inform you what number of occasions I’ve assumed that it’s going to be sizzling and humid in Miami or heat and dry in California and it’s been something however! Examine the forecast to your vacation spot usually, and pack accordingly, but additionally be ready for all eventualities. Mom Nature generally is a fickle girl, and she or he has a behavior of defying her predictors. If I’m tight on area in my baggage, I’ll depart toiletries at dwelling and purchase them at my vacation spot, so I could make room for further gear.
Have a Skilled Ship Your Bike
Packing and touring together with your bike generally is a main headache, particularly when you’re not skilled at it. If that’s the case, search the recommendation of a extra seasoned pal, or enlist the assistance of a neighborhood bike retailer. Many retailers provide bike-packing providers for an affordable value. It’s also possible to use a service like TriBike Transport, which lets you drop your bike off at a taking part bike retailer and choose it up on the race location a day or so earlier than the occasion.
In case you resolve to journey together with your bike quite than ship it, be certain that to familiarize your self together with your airline’s bag charges. They will vary from $75 to $200, and never all airways deal with your bike bag with TLC, so be certain that all the things is nicely wrapped and guarded. And don’t pack something further in there. You’ll usually see athletes squeezing tons of stuff into their bike bag, however that solely will increase the probabilities of your bike being broken.
Whichever choice you select, it’s all the time prudent to get your bike serviced/checked a minimum of every week previous to your departure. That gives you loads of time to repair any points that pop up.
Sleep The place You Race
I attempt to discover lodging that makes race day logistics as simple as doable. Saving a couple of dollars by staying miles away is pointless if it’s a nightmare to journey to and/or park close to the venue on race day. Having the ability to stroll, jog, or trip to your race with out problem or stress will assist get your head in the fitting place to have a great race. Additionally keep in mind that in case you have particular dietary wants, or simply want to know precisely what you’re consuming (that’s me for certain!), then staying in self-catered lodging (someplace with its personal kitchen/fridge/microwave) goes to make your life significantly simpler.
Don’t Stress
Whether or not it’s an extended or a brief haul, flying will be the athlete’s enemy as a result of stress it locations on the physique. I attempt to keep away from scheduling exhausting coaching classes for the day earlier than or morning of journey days, partially since you merely don’t recuperate as nicely after them as you do whenever you’re dwelling. Air journey additionally knocks your immune system down a notch, making you extra prone to catching a bug as you weave by means of airports (that are mainly big petri dishes) and spend prolonged durations of time crammed in a confined area at 30,000 ft with greater than 100 different (doubtlessly illness carrying) passengers.
My recommendation: Be vigilant about what you contact and what you eat, and hold a bottle of hand sanitizer inside attain always. If doable, strive additionally to keep up a optimistic mindset, and do all the things you’ll be able to to attenuate your stress stage. For me, that features avoiding red-eyes. I used to fly in any respect types of bizarre occasions of the day and night time if it meant retaining more cash in my pocket, however I’ve since discovered that not disturbing my sleep and coaching schedules is way extra essential, particularly throughout race week. In brief, don’t ever anticipate to run into me on a 4am flight (or actually, any flight earlier than 9am or after 8pm).
E-book an Aisle Seat
Sustaining wholesome blood circulation is essential for everybody, together with (and maybe particularly for) athletes. To that finish, I all the time attempt to reserve an aisle seat in order that I can rise up and stretch my legs each 60 to 90 minutes. Compression socks additionally assist. Simply remember to put on them beneath your clothes so that you don’t seem like an entire endurance-sport geek.
Keep Hydrated
Flying is a dehydrating course of because of the dry, filtered air that’s circulated by means of airplane cabins, so plan forward — particularly when you’re travelling with an airline that makes you pay for water (I’m speaking about you, Spirit). I all the time take a water bottle on the airplane with me, and can alternate ingesting a diluted electrolyte beverage (e.g. watered down Beachbody Efficiency Hydrate) and plain water. Tomato juice is one other winner due to its excessive ranges of sodium (a key electrolyte). Belief me on this one: Good hydration habits can mitigate the results of jetlag, so drink up.
Give Your self Time to Modify
Jetlag and time zone modifications can wreak havoc on the finely tuned athlete’s physique. For every time zone traveled, I attempt to give myself a minimum of at some point to regulate. Though jetlag specialists counsel making modifications to your each day routine (e.g., bedtime, wake time, and many others.) by an hour a day within the days main as much as departure, I’ve by no means discovered that significantly useful. As a substitute, I attempt to trick myself into the vacation spot time zone once I arrive by spending time in pure mild as late into the day as doable, doing mild train and mobility work to get my blood flowing, consuming recent meals, and doing all the things I can to facilitate a great night time’s sleep (extra on that in a second). Even be aware that you’ve simply spent prolonged time cooped up in a airplane, so your physique may not really feel fantastic on the subject of coaching the subsequent day. Be affected person, and don’t panic! I discover that doing my mobility work, spending time on the froth curler, and meditating (i.e., deep respiration and enjoyable) all assist deliver my physique again round.
Get Some Relaxation
Sleep is clearly essential, and it may be simply disrupted by journey. I attempt to observe the identical pre-bed routine on the highway as I do at dwelling, in order that wherever I’m on the planet, my physique and thoughts know when it’s time for sleep. A sizzling bathe/tub, some mild stretching/mobility work, a chapter or two of a great guide, after which earplugs and a watch masks and I’m off to dreamland. I additionally attempt to keep away from blue mild (emitted by LED gadgets corresponding to telephones, computer systems, and televisions), proper earlier than mattress, as it may intervene with falling asleep. Don’t be afraid to assist the method with some melatonin (so long as you seek the advice of your physician first) and/or just a few drops of lavender oil in your pillow. In my expertise, each work wonders on the subject of resetting the physique’s clock.
So there you could have it! With a little bit of forethought and some key expertise, there’s no motive why you’ll be able to’t race simply as brilliantly when touring midway around the globe as you do whenever you compete near dwelling. Good luck, and journey secure!
