Decision Fatigue - It's a thing

By Coach Scotty Farrell.  

Leading into a race, especially race week, can be fairly stressful. With travel, accommodation, check in times for the race, remembering to eat & drink, plus, ya know, all that nervous energy and thoughts around the race… the list can get on the large side of things. And if that race happens to be an ‘A Race’ that you have been training all year for, little things can sometimes become big things. Pre race nerves/excitement are completely normal, and part of the journey, plus it shows you care right? There’s a line somewhere in there though, and if we cross that line and the stress of it all becomes a bit much, then this can most definitely take the edge off laying down the performance you are capable of, and deserve. 

We know that stress comes in many forms. The usual stressors we generally consider might be: 

• Work
  
• Family
  
• Financial
  
• Physical stress from training
  
• Not enough sleep
  
• Perhaps the diet has been a bit hit and miss 
  
• Decisions - damn right, too many decisions = brain fog (we gotta minimise decisions to maximise performance)
  

We’re human, we stress about stuff, and we need a certain amount of it to grow, learn, adapt etc. But during race week, we should be aiming for less manic and more Fonzie (millennials might want to open Google here). Not necessarily all zen like or anything, but if there’s one week where we have enough to ponder without sweating the stuff we have complete control over, it’s race week. 

In a nutshell, the more decisions you have to make, especially during race week, the higher the stress levels and the less your chances are of having that top shelf performance you are searching for. The less decisions and therefore lower levels of stress onboard, the more you are able to relax, bank the brain biscuits, and cruise through to race day. You’re going to smile a heap more and enjoy the whole experience just that little bit more too. And…. the clincher, you’re going to increase your chances of keeping the tank of stress hormones full, to be used when you really need them most… making on the spot, basic and complex decisions during the race.

What are some things one could do to help keep the amount of decisions being made and subsequent stress levels at bay during race week you ask? Great question… let’s dive in.

Get uber organised - capital U… Uber:
Thinking ahead and getting stuff sorted as early as you can is down right performance enhancing. 

• Travel arrangements and accommodation at the venue: once you’ve entered your race, get on this right away (many moons before your race). Both travel (flights, hire cars etc) and accomm can usually be far cheaper and in more abundance the further out from the race you are. I don’t need to explain how the stress levels would be if you were trying to get this stuff sorted only weeks out from the race do I?
  
• Bike serviced: Book your trusty steed in well in advance of any travel plans pre race. Depending on how punctual your shifty bike mechanic is, will determine how well you trust them and how many weeks out this might want to take place. But as a rule of thumb… give it at least a week out from when you leave for the race, ideally two, three, even. Remember though, bike mechanics (bless their tinkering fingers and big hearts) are notoriously good at taking a bit longer than initially planned, and from time to time, stirring up something that was seemingly in great working order before it went in. You know what I’m talking about ;-) ;-)
  
• New stuff: if you’re getting new stuff eg. runners, cycling shoes, bike parts, tri suits, helmets etc. Get them ordered, worn in, and tweaked well before you are due to travel. There’s no reason you can’t purchase this stuff earlier (4-6 months prior) and have it ready to go during your final weeks of the prep. 
  
• Nutrition: both your nutrition plan and any product you need for the race, should be sorted well in advance of the race (months). The last thing you need is to be running around during taper time trialling products, wondering what the plan for race day will be. Do your homework, find out what’s available at the venue for both race nutrition and in general everyday eating too, especially if you’re travelling overseas. They don’t generally have your specific brand of oats and your special lactose free GF/DF/VEGAN/CBD infused milk, so think ahead. For example, we have a small crew heading to Mexico in a few weeks for Ironman Cozumel, what’s on the menu there? Taco pescado every night? Huevos rancheros? Yum! Frioles n tacos for brekky? Maybe not. Think ahead amigos ;-)
  

Do your research:
Like researching the local cuisine if you’re heading overseas, perhaps a little homework about the local area will help too, Google is a great friend for this.

The actual race: this goes without saying really, but read and re-read the course description, ask your coach about it, learn the particulars about the terrain, the surface, the weather etc. With my background in Outdoor rec/guiding, planning for the worst is a bit of a debbie downer way to approach some things, but when it comes to being prepared mentally for what might happen, if you know all this stuff well in advance, it won’t be such a blow to the system because the decisions have already been made in your head.

Other stuff like visas, currency, culture/customs, spare gear etc. The list goes on.

To sum it up. Race week is something we should hit feeling ready in all areas, especially in terms of the things within our control. Arrive at your race feeling fresh, organised, and happy, with all the big decisions you have within your realm of control, doneski.

Arrive at your A Race, with the goal of enjoying the experience, and giving yourself every opportunity you possibly can of having the best possible performance on race day - physically, and mentally. Of course, training for ultra distance events where there are many hours/days/nights out there in the elements and a bunch of technical aspects to it as well, things are going to happen, it’s a given. But if you’ve arrived and had an enjoyable, low stress, low decision making week leading in, the decisions you make while you’re deep into your race, will happen faster and with greater accuracy. Decision fatigue is real… save the brain biscuits for race day ;-)

Now, the most important decision I will make today... should I have Nana Betty’s tomato relish or the mango chutney on my poached eggs? My brain hurts ;-)

#tzeromultisport #savethebrainbiscuits #decisionsdecisions #nanabettywins

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