Ballerup Hoteles de lujo baratosEveryone will have a very different experience when they do their first adventure race. The intention of this discussion is to eliminate some of the surprises of your first race and give you and your team some strategies to consider trying. Most of the things described here relate to the three to seven day adventure race, however, some could be related to a one or two day race as well.
Gear Check and Skills Test
This is not as scary as it seems to most first time racers. This is an opportunity for the race director to ensure that each team and team member has the required equipment and clothing and the necessary skills to complete the race. It is important that you go into a race comfortable with each of the skills. Take the time to get the instruction you need prior to the race, however, remember that you are a team, and each team member does not have to be an expert navigator, river reader, or climber. Your team mates can help you during the skills test and the race.
The gear/skills check is a good opportunity to meet the experts that will be on the course assisting with the climbing section, rafting, horses, etc. These people are usually available to you at the skills check to help you feel comfortable with their particular setup and let you know exactly what you will be doing during that event. This is a chance to ask questions and have the expert walk you through anything that looks a little different than what you are used to.
Each team will spread their gear out so that when a race staff person calls out an item from the mandatory gear list, each team member can hold it up for inspection and be checked off.
Race Strategy
Prior to the race discuss goals and strategy with the team. Talk about the start of the race, and the kind of pace you want to take at the start. Many new adventure racers make the mistake of going out too fast, particularly in the longer races. With five to seven days of nonstop activity ahead of you, pacing is critical. Try not to concern yourself with how other teams are doing - during a long race anything can, and likely will, happen. Settle into a comfortable pace for the whole team and ignore what everyone else is doing. Some strategies to try in a race:
- Assign one team member the task of reminding everyone to eat and drink at intervals. Try setting a watch alarm to beep every 15 minutes, and call out "drink" when it goes off. Every other time, add "eat" to the call.
- ERROR MSGEveryone on the team should monitor themselves and watch out for teammates during the race. Keep an eye out for a teammate that isn't eating or drinking. They will quickly get into trouble. Give them some of whatever you are eating - they just might need someone to give it to them for awhile until they feel better.
- Make sure everyone is urinating "frequently and clearly". This is a good indicator of hydration level.
- Instead of the whole team stopping every time someone needs to urinate or get something from their pack try having that person pick up their pace to go ahead, while the rest of the team slows their pace temporarily. The team will pass the stopped teammate and will pick up the pace again when the teammate has rejoined them. This strategy allows a continued forward motion at all times. Just make sure that no one is forced to expend too much energy for this strategy.
- Assign one teammate to monitor everyone's condition. Have that person periodically request each teammate to rate how they are feeling on a scale of one to five (five being great/strong). Have a predetermined strategy for the team if someone drops to an unacceptable level. For example, have a "5" take that persons pack for 10 minutes to give them a chance to recover.
- Pay attention and learn the signs your teammates exhibit as they begin to bonk. For example, one person might start fidgeting with their pack/clothing when they don't feel great, another might become uncharacteristically quiet. They will have learned to read your signals as well. Listen to your teammates and accept their help.
- Both high and low periods. Fortunately, when you are experiencing a low, another teammate may be at a high point and can help you. Remember, if you eat, drink and take care of yourself a low point it is a temporary state. An hour later you will be feeling great again. Most racers cycle up and down throughout the race.
- Early stages of dehydration combined with altitude gain can cause you to feel nauseated and have no desire to eat. Make sure that you eat and drink often to avoid getting to this stage and watch your teammates for similar signs.
- Things always seem worse at night. Keep in mind that as soon as the sun comes up you will feel great again.
- Lack of sleep can result in mild hallucinations during a race. Try eating something with caffeine, sing or talk to your teammates. These hallucinations are typically not a scary thing, just intriguing and fascinating.
- Wearing a headlamp can cause a kind of "tunnel" vision to occur. Keep your lamp off as much as possible (also saves batteries) or occasionally take it off your head and use it like a flashlight. Moving it around will break up the tunnel effect. Practice this before the race.
- Occasionally racers experience post race swelling of feet, legs, hands and face. It is possible during a long race for your electrolytes to get out of balance resulting in swelling. Try to limit this by eating salty foods, taking electrolyte capsules or using some other method to replace electrolytes. Swelling can happen during a long race and make it difficult to get your bike shoes or trekking shoes on, so take precautions to prevent it. The swelling will go away after a few days.
- Brighton luxury hotelsA number of racers, especially those completing their first race, experience a mild post-race depression similar to that following any major accomplishment. This too will pass, especially as you begin to prepare for your next race!