How do you view your races?
When you line up for a race, what’s going through your mind?
Are you looking at it as a challenge? An opportunity to see how well you can perform?
Or do you see it as a threat, fearing failure?
…Training
All things training. Mostly advice and tips but maybe questions, general comments, or who knows what else.
What are you adding? What are you removing?
Are you planning to try something new this year? If so, have you decided what you’re taking away?
It may seem strange to talk about removing something but, if you’ve already maxed out your training, how can you add something without taking something else away?
…Did it work? Does it matter?
It’s the most simple question that can be asked to assess the usefulness of a training concept: did it work?
However, is that always the right question to ask? What if it appears that it did work but for the wrong reasons? What if it appears to not have worked but some other variable was the problem?
…Take some time off
Many of us have wrapped up our racing seasons some time in the last month or so. Those of us who haven’t likely will be in the next month or so.
So the logical question to ask at this point is – what next? What do we do between now and spring?
While I would strongly encourage that you take advantage of the winter to build a solid base in order to make your spring goals more attainable, that’s not what I would recommend immediately after your last race of the year.
…Know your danger zones
We all have them. Certain times when stress is higher, the schedule is busier, maybe things are so hectic that even your sleep suffers.
Maybe you have a deadline you need to meet at work. Maybe something is going on at home or in your extended family. During the holidays, there are simply so many things going on that we can feel overwhelmed.
When these things happen, what do you do with your running? Do you back off or “just plow through”?
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