A basic pre-race plan is outlined in this handout. It is intended to help ensure that you are prepared. You don't want to forget to do, or bring something for a race that you have trained for, paid money for, and wish to do well in. The pre-race plan is a list of what you should do and when you should do it. The sample checklist lists what you should bring to an event. Why should you bother with all this? Well lets look at a worst case scenario: You are tired from lack of sleep all week, you get off course because you didn't review it, your binding fell off, you have glide wax for -20 on because you forgot to glide wax the night before, then you showed up 10 minutes before your start because you took too long to pack, you just puked up your breakfast of eggs and bacon which you had 1 hour earlier, and you are out of energy from a lack of warmup and dehydration, and you are freezing because you forget your lifa. Ok, so not all this will happen at once, but you can prevent all of it from happening by being prepared.
DAYS BEFORE:
- SLEEP: get adequate sleep the week leading up to the event.
- SKI COURSE: if possible ski the course so you can plan how to race it.
- PREP SKIS: any base work on the skis should be done before the night before.
- RECOVERY: easy skiing the for the days prior to the race.
- EQUIPMENT: Check all equipment and fix things now.
NIGHT BEFORE:
- GLIDE WAX SKIS: call a coach or the weather report and glide wax the skis accordingly.
- DINNER: have a dinner of complex carbohydrate (ie. pasta, brown rice) and lots of water, water and more water. The water you drink now will help you in the race tomorrow.
- CHECKLIST: before you go to sleep collect ALL your gear.
| Length of Time | Activity | Details | Amt Time | Time Till Start |
| . | WAKEUP | smile, visualize 'feeling' smooth and fast skiing | . | . |
| . | WATER | drink three cups | . | 2 to 4 hours |
| . | RUN + STRETCH | for 15 minutes | . | 2 to 4 hours |
| . | SHOWER | to energize | . | 2 to 4 hours |
| . | BREAKFAST | complex carbohydrates | . | 2 to 4 hours |
| . | CHECKLIST | double check | . | . |
| . | AT VAN/BUS | load van/bus | 5 min before leaving | . |
| . | LEAVE | leave for race site | . | . |
| . | RACE SITE | . | . | arrive 1.5 hr |
| . | BIB | get it! | . | . |
| . | START TIME | check it and plan warmup appropriately. | . | . |
| . | COURSE MAP | check it out to make sure you know it! | . | . |
| . | WATER | drink it. It will help you in the race | . | Wakeup-30 min |
| . | CLOTHING | choose appropriate warmth for race. | . | . |
| . | WARMUP | easy ski | 15-45 min | 90-30 min |
| . | GRIP WAX | wax & try it & then talk to coach | . | @ 45 min |
| . | STRETCH | . | 5-20 min | 60-20 min |
| . | RELAX | mental relaxation and preview race | . | . |
| . | SPEED/SPRINT | get body ready for racing | 5-20 min | 30-10 min |
| . | START AREA | skis marked and in start area | 5-10 min | . |
| . | START AREA | dynamic stretches | . | 0-10 min |
| 0 MINUTES | START | go get em! | . | 0 min |
Build your own pre-race plan by putting times under the 'Time Till Start' heading. Remember that this is only a plan and it must be flexible. Over a number of races try varying the length of warmup, the type of sprints etc., to determine what works best for you.
CROSS-COUNTRY SKI EVENT CHECKLIST
| ITEM | CHECK | CHECK | CHECK | CHECK | CHECK | CHECK | CHECK | CHECK |
| Equipment | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| skis (#) | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| poles (#) | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| boots (#) | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| wax box(es) | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| wax bench | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| Racing Clothing | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| lifa top (1-2) | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| lifa bottom (1-2) | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| wind briefs (guys!!!) | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| lifa socks | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| regular socks | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| ski suit | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| toque | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| balaclava | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| head band | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| ear muffs | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| ski gloves | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| sunglasses | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| Warm-up/down Clothing | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| warm-up pants | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| warm-up jacket | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| sweater (s) | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| 2nd pair gloves | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| 2nd socks | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| 2nd toque | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| fanny pack | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| Stay Warm Clothing | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| winter jacket | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| winter boots | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| winter mitts | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| t-shirt | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| sweater | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| Other | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| food | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| drink!!! | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| vaseline/dermatone | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| sunscreen | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| gas mask | . | . | . | . | . | . | . | . |
| wallet +money | . | . | . | . | . |
