Free guide · 9 pages

Meet Day Checklist

Everything to do from the week before your meet to your last race, with the research behind every box. For swimmers, for the parents packing the bag, and for the coaches running the deck.

Week beforeNight beforeRace morningWarm-upBetween racesCaffeineAfter the meet

By Coach Maria Rezhylo, 2x NCAA All-American and deaf world record holder in the 50 m breaststroke.

Meet Day Checklist, the cover

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The week before: bank your sleep all week The night before: pack your bag tonight Race morning: fuel up 1 to 4 hours before you race Pool warm-up: race within 20 minutes of your warm-up Between races: swim down after every race Caffeine, adults 18 and over only

What is inside

Seven pages of boxes, and the reason for each one.

  • The week beforeBank your sleep all week, keep the same bedtime, nothing new, and trust the taper. Why the whole week counts more than the last night.
  • The night beforeThe bag list: two suits, two caps, two pairs of goggles, down to the heat sheet and a pen. A normal dinner, and what to do when you cannot sleep.
  • Race morningWake up three hours before, eat one to four hours before, carbs first, foods you know, drink early. The rule for how much and when.
  • The pool warm-upCoach Maria's 1,100-meter sample, and why you race within 20 minutes of it. What to do when the wait is long.
  • Between racesSwim down 10 to 20 minutes at a steady pace, get warm and dry, snack small, sip all session. The study on swimming down against sitting down.
  • Caffeine, and after the meetAdults only, a dose table by body weight, and why under-18s skip it. Then refuel, sleep, and write down your splits.

Ready for your next meet? Train with sets built for race day.

The checklist is the last two weeks. The books are the season before it: a hundred practices for your race, each with the study behind it.

See the training booksMore free guides