One of the ways to EXECUTE a race ON POINT is to keep as many things as possible from going sideways or learn how to deal with it quick and effectively.
TRUTH: SOMETHING ALWAYS GOES SIDEWAYS!!!
We have expectations. We set goals. We work hard. Most of us are perfectionist (or close to it) and have a vision of what success looks like. We can have a hard to realizing that the journey IS more important and the image of success can change in a heart beat. Or a race season. So when things start to go sideways we start to fret about “success”.
Mental grit: when things go sideways, keep your mind on point, do what you have practiced and ADJUST FIRE.
In this way you can minimize and quiet the negative thoughts and judgments that work to just bring us down and steal our energy.
1. Keep in mind that you are out there to learn and grow. Not to be perfect. TO HAVE FUN. Get that Best Race Picture. EVAH!!! That swim went a little sideways … get your mind right and get out of that water and say “HECK YES” to the camera.
2. Practice practice practice. Yes this is suppose to be fun, but fun on race day is about practice and fine tuning things an practice days. Find the balance. Practice your nutrition, practice doing things different. Practice drinking cola once in an while.
3. Keep things SIMPLE. Easy to repeat. Easy to execute. Is having real food on the bike might sound good, is it easy to do each and every training ride? Easy to do at a race? If so, GREAT! Just ask the question. You don’t have to have all the fancy gadgets to do well. Being consistent and doing your BEST each training day and race is the way to excel.
4. Ask questions and give feedback to your coach or training partners. Ask about the goals and purposes of workouts. Listen to their struggles and their successes. Learn from others. As long as it is inline with how you live, train and race. Make small changes to what you are doing to help fine tune. Then practice more.
5. Work to be prepared. Keep extra food on ya. Clothes. Tri “stuff” in the truck. Extra “most important” things on your bike. Like base salts. Extra in your bike bag for when you dumb yours down your shirt or wherever that bump made it go. 🙂 Identify the most important things and have extra or DO NOT FORGET them. 🙂
