Putting your race head on for 2013
As we head deeper into 2013 some of you will now be starting to turn your attentions to the race season ahead. Hopefully most of you have overcome the excesses of Christmas or the dreaded winter lurgy and are now starting to get some much-needed consistency into your training. With this newfound consistency and a keener eye on the race season it’s now a good idea to switch your attention to doing some racing to blow off the cobwebs.
Races of choice at this time of year are generally bike and run related over a multitude of distances. Duathlons are also hugely popular for building some much needed speed,strength and endurance. The races you choose will largely reflect weaknesses that you want to develop or strengths you would like build on, but there’s a problem I see consistently see.
Every year I see athletes who are waiting for the “perfect” moment to race.This is the moment when all the planets are aligned with the sun and the gods have come together to create that truly magical moment for you. Let me let you into a little secret, this virtually never happens. Whether it be the race itself or the build up to a race it is highly unlikely everything will go to plan. By their very nature endurance athletes always feel like they haven’t done enough, rarely is any athlete completely satisfied with the amount of training they have done or the build up they’ve had. So sometimes you just have to stop procrastinating about this and that and just put yourself out there.
Not all races are about achieving optimal performance, far from it. You might have 1 or 2 races in a year where you want to be in your peak condition and that’s great, but think of all of the other races as small tests along the way that will help you toward the ultimate goal. Its hugely important to remember that races can be used by the smart athlete in a number of ways but most importantly you shouldn’t be afraid to put yourself out there because there is so much to be gained. Its amazing what you can actually discover about yourself when you bite the bullet and put yourself out there on the starting line.
Think of races as a way to build fitness and mental toughness, you wont develop either of these key elements to their full potential if you avoid races. Without question during my time as an athlete there were times when I put myself out there when I didn’t want to be there only to surprise myself with what I achieved. Its like doing a time trial in the pool, on the bike or on the track, you’ve got 2 options as I see it – either you can start moaning and pulling faces saying that you’re not ready for it or you can choose to say to yourself – “what have I got to lose”? This being a far more positive approach. The fitness and mental toughness that can be built through experiencing situations like this should not be underestimated, fears or weaknesses are not over come by avoidance, they over come by meeting them face-to-face.
At the end of the day its you that makes that choice in your own mind about how you go about your training and racing, some of the best athletes out there have learned to think in a different way to get the best out of themselves. In fact the way you think and approach things is highly trainable. If you start from a negative point of view then the result is more than likely to follow suit. But if you’re prepared to say ” I’m going to give it my best shot no matter how I’m feeling” who knows what can happen.
Also remember that racing is not just about seeing how fast or how fit you are, it’s also a test of your racing strategy. Never go in blind and always have a plan. This is the time to try and execute the race plan you have created or your coach has created for you. I do this as test with a lot of my athletes, I tell them to go in there and race a certain way, they either follow suit or get caught up in the moment. Whatever happens we learn from this and make improvements going forwards, if a strategy cant be followed at a small race then its likely to go completely out of the window in any even bigger race. Not all races need to be raced hard or at max effort, sometimes finishing a race knowing you have plenty left in the tank can build great confidence for up and coming more important races.
A few months ago I started a 4.5k & 10km race in my local park for all my athletes to come along and test themselves. I do this once a month and it’s a great way of getting my guys and girls together to help lift each other and develop their running, the spirit and atmosphere is amazing. If you look at the results of most of the regulars that turn up virtually every month you will see some of the improvements have been astonishing. Some people have taken over 2mins off their 4.5km time and other have taken up to 3-4mins off their 10k times. The reason this has happened is because they have been prepared to over come their worries and fears and have used the race as a vehicle to achieve personal success, however large or small. The key factor is they are prepared to get out there and give it a go, I applaud anyone who is prepared to do the same because it takes big balls to put yourself out there!
So if you’re looking to gain that extra edge in performance for 2013 don’t wait for that perfect moment because it rarely comes around. Get yourself out there, you will feel more alive than you ever thought possible.
Best
Julian
Speak Your Mind