After The Race Is Done

LifeSport Coaching offers 10 steps to get back on the right track
Published on Thursday, Aug 9, 2007 at 02:41 PM.
An Ironman is a major athletic goal with a long period of sustained training and quite an exciting race week leading up to the big event.Even seasoned athletes learn something from each race they complete and continually improve their training, racing and mental skills. When you are starting back training and building volume this year, use the experience you gained last season to build an even better program.
Here are some skills you can adopt that will help you turn your race experiences into education and future success:* Review and re-cap your biggest events soon after they are completed, so that details are still clear in your mind, but wait a few days to let the overwhelming emotional feelings subside. When things go well, we feel on top of the world and that we can do no wrong. Conversely, when things do not go as planned, we feel we must overhaul our whole lives. Give yourself time to process and accept what happened before you review.* Once you are ready for reflection, honestly acknowledge how your race went. Write down both the things you did well and the things you would do better, and include both physical and mental aspects to your race, noting pre-race emotions and race day self talk. How you felt in the days leading up to the race and how you performed your taper are some of things you can ask yourself. Sometimes when we compare what we had planned with what actually happened we are surprised by the differences.* While looking at your list of aspects to the race, note any changes you might make for a more productive result. This exercise can be one of the greatest ways to improve as an athlete, and improving is one of the enduring challenges of sport. You can also gain perspective and advice from coaches and friends you trust to build this into a powerful learning tool for the future. * Make a game plan right away for improving your program and review it frequently in the coming season. Turn your race review into next season's goals. If you lost time in the water because you couldn't see where you are going, you need to work on your sighting skills for this season. Specifically, you need sighting drills, open water swimming, and extra coaching in this area.* While acknowledging disappointment is necessary, do not to dwell on the negative. Accept and move on. Also don't discredit your whole race for one or two mistakes. Perhaps you weren't able to hold pace on the run, but don't overlook the way that you prepared for the race. Perhaps you exited the water in great position, or held your desired output on the bike. The Ironman is a major event with many races within the race, both physical and mental. It can take several tries to get it right. * Make some observations on the way your whole season went. Even if you feel disappointed about what you achieved overall, there were in fact things you did right that you can strive to repeat in the future. Things to look for include the frequency of races, the duration of long training rides and runs, your nutrition plan, and your race tapers. The length of the season is also important. Emotional and physical stamina are important factors in season planning. .* From your reflection of your season and your races, you can start thinking and planning towards your upcoming seasons goals. This is the exciting part for most athletes and coaches, as new goals will be created and last season's success will be replicated. * Keep things in perspective. Many athletes are too hard on themselves in their efforts to reach their goals today. Look at how far you have come as an athlete and give yourself a pat on the back for what you have achieved already. * Be aware of factors that are entirely out of your control, like weather, draft marshals and other competitors' actions. Developing mental fortitude in the face of obstacles and challenges is one of your greatest racing tools. * Adopt a curiosity about racing and keep a lighthearted attitude about it all. Remember that failures are the greatest opportunities of all for learning. Look at everything as a learning experience, not a reflection of your self-worth. This will in turn make the journey exciting and continually fresh as you increase your sport knowledge. Success is the ability to learn from your failures.You have an opportunity to be great every time you train and every time you race. What can you do today to be a better athlete than last year? Reflection and analysis of key races is one way to turn experiences into tools for success. By following the above steps you will start visualizing yourself in 2007 or 2008, racing and executing the goals you have set out for yourself.