Keeping your cool

Planning is the key to managing stress

I am often asked how I deal with the stress of racing. I have to admit there are times I don’t deal with it as well as I would like, though in general I am pretty relaxed when I head to the plane on race day.

Relaxation is something I have built into my preparation routine for flights. I actually have a 20-minute sleep one hour prior to take off for each flight on a race weekend. For me, being able to do that comes from absolute preparation and planning. When I get stressed, I do more preparation and planning.