by Mimi Winsberg, M.D.

It’s world-championship season, and no matter what kind of volume we have put in over the summer, no matter how consistent our training has been, much of our success in the final big A race will depend on the execution of our endgame. How is your endgame?

I played a lot of chess growing up. My father taught me to play, and we would play until I was clearly losing, and then he would turn the board and give me his pieces. We would play some more until he had regained an advantage, and once again he would turn the board, giving me the winning game -- only to have me fall behind, and again the board would turn. I learned a lot from this teaching tool, but one thing I did not learn was how to develop a good endgame. Endgames tend to have different characteristics than middlegames, and players need to approach the game with a different strategy.

Most chess players consider the endgame to be of extreme importance because endgame theory is finite. So while there are many ways to succeed strategically in the middlegame, endgame theory remains constant and specific.

So what does this have to do with triathlon? With big races looming, it’s easy to keep the focus on training right up until taper and then find yourself, with two weeks to go, injured, exhausted or sick.

What does an ideal endgame look like? Here are some tips from my own experience as well as from talking to experts:

1. Start thinking about your taper four weeks out from race day. Map out your final key workouts and rest for them. Plowing through workouts just to complete them or check the box will often result in very high volume with very low quality. So even though the official taper has not started, the strategic approach to workouts shifts slightly.
   
   
2. Take a clean-out period. I like to take a few days of almost full rest about two weeks out. This serves to forcefully remind my body that it’s going into recharge and repair mode. Make sure to keep moving and stretching (and even get a massage if it’s in the budget) but begin the process of repairing all the damage that’s been done in the specific prep. Often I’ve had to get sick or run down to take this rest. Better not to rely on injury or illness for enforced rest.
   
   
3. Shift focus from training to race execution. With successful races, I have spent some time each day in the final two weeks visualizing my race. Even just a few minutes of visualization lying in bed at the end of the day goes a long way toward feeling mentally prepared.
   
   
4. Make checklists. My daughter is a big fan of checklists as she has been taught to make them in school. A checklist is probably one of the more underrated tools in any field. Creating checklists early gives me peace of mind, and allows me to feel calm once I’m at the race site. I notice a big difference in my attitude if I have taken the time to make lists two weeks out.
   
   
5. Include two or three intensity sessions in the final two weeks, but be clear on the timing of these sessions, and don’t test yourself otherwise. Many coaches have strict formulas for where the timing of those intensity sessions should fall. This is not the time to compare your training to others. Stick to your plan.
   
   
6. Make sure to take mental breaks from thinking about the race. I like to see movies, read and socialize with non-triathletes. All of these help me relax my mind and release it from repetitive patterns of thinking. They also provide a larger perspective on what is important to me.

Race sharp!