I wonder if anybody else here has my same problem: I am way at my best in the afternoon or even early evening, workouts at that time of the day are nearly always great, running is way faster, biking is perfect, swimming works fine, and so on and on.

Unfortunately races are always held in the early morning, where I have A LOT of trouble performing anywhere near my 'afternoon level', not to mention that more often than not (despite waking up early and not eating close to the race) I nearly always end up with an upset stomach after the swim (nausea etc.) or during the bike which screws up the nutrition and causes me to slow down even more on the run.

Is there any way to 'trick' my body into 'waking up' athletically in the morning? should I wake up at 2am for a 7am race? drink some coffee/tea? (I never have anything caffeinated, so having a cup of tea gives me quite a buzz).